BRIAN NICHOLSON/Standard-Examiner

A small antique pistol designed to be used by a woman was just one of the many things on display at the Antique and Modern Gun Show held at the Weber County Fairgrounds in Ogden Saturday. This gun was made small enough to fit in a woman's garter.

Not just your average gun show

Antiques on display along with all types of firearms

Sun, Jan 12, 2003

By CATHY McKITRICK
Standard-Examiner staff

OGDEN -- Even if you're one of those people who fails to get excited over hundreds of firearms on display, this particular gun show is still a "don't miss." Steeped in history, it offers something for everyone.

Sponsored by the Utah Gun Collectors Association, the Antique and Modern Gun Show kicked off Saturday and runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Weber County Fairgrounds, 1000 N. 1200 West.

Decked out in 1880 garb, Glenda Mosteller answered questions about their collectibles. She and her husband Dan operate the Oquirrh Traders pawn shop in Tooele.

"Women at the turn of the century would carry small guns in their garters and sewing baskets," Glenda said, pointing to more feminine items in a nearby glass display case. The sign over the case reads "The Softer Side of Guns." An old Edison phonograph, complete with handcrank, sits next to the case.


BRIAN NICHOLSON/Standard-Examiner

Glenda Mosteller (right) of Tooele watches as several patrons look over the guns on display.

Not far from this delightful taste of the Old West is Gilmer Brush"s display of Indian artifacts, where a tiny pair of leather, beaded gloves is on sale for $450.

The Northwestern Shoshone child"s riding gauntlets were used as barter for a horse in the late 1800s, Brush explained. Collecting artifacts has been his passion for 41 years, something he began with his father when he was 7 years old. And now his own son, 16-year-old Loring, shares the same interest.

Brush"s favorites are the cave artifacts. Under glass are fragments of an Indian basket dating back 6,120 years. Brush is especially proud of a Fremont cape made out of marsh cane leaves.

"It"s 900 to 1,200 years old and still in fabulous condition," Brush said, attributing its longevity to the dryness of the silt in the cave along with a high salt content in the dust. The cape, worn like a poncho, is valued at $30,000.

And Gus Bryngelson, a farmer from Idaho, brought an amazing collection of authentic World War I uniforms and assorted paraphernalia.

Himself wearing a wool German trenchcoat and nickel steel helmet, Bryngelson pulled some vintage German marks from his pocket to demonstrate how detailed he gets in reconstructing the feel of the times.

"This is not a business for me," Bryngelson says about his collecting. "It"s an affliction. Once you get the guns, it leads to getting the equipment, which leads to the uniforms."

Bryngelson explained that the trenchcoat also served as the soldier"s tent, his home away from home. And the helmet, which covered the neck and ears, still failed to stop bullets. An extra steel plate could be attached to lugs toward the front of the helmet to give added protection.

"But it weighed 3 pounds and threw you off balance," he said. "It was designed by a doctor who was tired of removing shrapnel from soldiers" skulls."

The size of the uniforms on display drives home the point that young men went to battle.


BRIAN NICHOLSON/Standard-Examiner

Marvin Taylor (right) of Roy talks with Gus Bryngelson about his display of World War II uniforms including the one he is wearing at the gun show.

"The uniforms were built for smaller-sized bodies, mostly 16- to 20-year-old boys who marched into machine gun fire and were killed by the millions," Bryngelson said.

Layton resident Bill Leatzinger said he"s a regular at gun shows, going to meet interesting people like Bryngelson.

Mel, who declined giving his last name, mans the Civil War display, along with his young friend Dylan, a gun enthusiast who, at age 10, has his own collection of 31 pocket knifes.

"I"ve got a deep love of guns," Dylan said. "They"re not to kill but to have fun."

Dylan, who wants to be a pro cowboy action shooter later in life, enjoys target practice once a week, shooting .22s at cans. "I"m thinking of joining the Single Action Shooting Society," he said enthusiastically. "Any age is welcome as long as you can handle a firearm responsibly."

The young charmer denied having a girlfriend. "I"m too young for that."

Along with guns and ammunition, antiques, coins, artwork, books and relics can also be purchased at the show, which is housed in the exhibition hall at the fairgrounds.

Admission for adults is $5 and children get in for free. Military and public safety personnel in uniform also get in for free.

You can reach reporter Cathy McKitrick at 625-4252 or e-mail cmckitrick@standard.net.


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