Anyone Know anything about mk1 Fenn Traps?

[Haystack 11]

Hey,

 

A few weeks ago, I stumpled upon three fenn traps, each one was stamped with ''mk 1'' and are of pretty standard style from their jaws are rounded and of a half circle style on each.

 

Each one is in a fine working/killing condition, and I lent them to a mate, so I'll try to get some pictures up later this week, but they are of the same size as a more known mk6.

 

But, I'm having great trouble finding anyone to ask about the traps worth as a colletors item? are they rare at all? I've never really seen any like them.

 

So, is there anyone that can give me either any infomation about them, or give the details of someone who can?

 

Thank you Kindly

 

(Pictures should be up soon)

Edited April 26, 2008 by Haystack

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Fenn Mk I Rabbit Traps is what they are, mate. If that's stamped on the pan and the jaws have round tops? Mk I Rabbit.

 

Value wise? I've seen them go for a tenner a piece. But it's a fluid market. Ye could pop them on the Bay, one at a time, and be pleasently surprised. It's all down to who's hunting what trap at the time.

 

Only please do refer to them as Mk I Rabbit. Lot of people confuse the name with the Fenn Mk I Vermin. That's quite a different trap and you are Not going to come across 'a few' of those babies!

 

Personally? I'd use the Rabbit traps. I'm short as hell on Mk VI type users and they'd fit my bill just fine. Entirely up to you what ye do with them, but I believe they're still Approved for use? Check the Spring Traps Approval Order to be certain.

[OldTrapCollector 377]

£8 - 18 each seems to be the going rate on the open market for them (depending upon condition), but as Ditch says they are strong killing traps for your trapline

 

OTC

[moley 115]

i,ll give you a tenner each

[Haystack 11]

i,ll give you a tenner each

 

 

Double that, and we'll talk...

 

And, everyone is right, they are brilliant little killers, They've got a nice rust cover on them and I'm happy with the results I'm getting, why did they ever stop making these little beasts?

 

 

And, can Anyone tell me about the ''Fenn Mk I Vermin'' I'm intrested to learn about them

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Can Anyone tell me about the ''Fenn Mk I Vermin'' I'm intrested to learn about them.

 

 

It was one of the first traps Mr Fenn ever came up with, mate. Invented in response to the (then) MAFF asking inventive types to get their thinking caps on and come up with a replacement for the (again, then) soon to be completely abolished Gin.

 

It was, in all honesty, a total abortion. It was made out what ammounted to little more than fence wire and wouldn't have lasted five minutes in real world use. It would've just buckled itself on the first gray squirrel it ever encountered for a start.

 

Fair to say, it was fairly riddled with nasty little design faults and was slung back at him in pretty short order. But the concept was nothing short of revolutionary. A bit like the first man to dream up a wall. What if he'd built it out of polistyrene blocks and then said; " Let's keep our cattle in there! ". Ye can imagine.

 

Well, that's what Mr Fenn did. So they said; Like the way ye thinking, mate. But it needs more 'Oomph!'. And so he spent the rest of his life figuring new ways of adding Oomph to that initial idea. That's where your Mk I Rabbit's came from. He added stronger steel parts. Far more powerful springs. Changed the pan. Everything, little by little, was tweaked, tried and adjusted. That's why we ended up with the Fenn Mk VI. And there were shit loads of differant Mk II, III and IV's before even the several Types of VI came along.

 

That's why, these days - about fifty years later - most active trappers wouldn't thank ye for anything produced before the Mk IV and VI, or your MkI Rabbits. By that time, he'd about got it as right as ever he was going to. Most Mk III's are still a little weak and wirey.

 

If the Mk I Vermin had ever been worth a light, don't ye think the chinks wouldn't be knocking out cheap copies and The Crap Man flogging them off as the best of british? The Mk I Vermin was a piece of shit. And that's why they only made a sample batch, for testing. And of those, only a handful remain in existance today. And That, ironically, is why it's now the Holy Grail of most Trap Collectors. Because only one or two people even know the true number left in existance. Probably less know where they are. And the chances of anyone ever getting hold of one? Dead mans boots meets winning the f*cking lottery!

 

Probably the most priceless and sought after piece of junk the Trap Collecting world has ever dreamed about. Ironic, isn't it? The Fenn Mk I Vermin, while advertised for a short while, was never actually put on public sale. Now it's never likely to be advertised or offered on public sale again. And all because if was a duffer.

 

Funny old life.

[Haystack 11]

Can Anyone tell me about the ''Fenn Mk I Vermin'' I'm intrested to learn about them.

 

 

It was one of the first traps Mr Fenn ever came up with, mate. Invented in response to the (then) MAFF asking inventive types to get their thinking caps on and come up with a replacement for the (again, then) soon to be completely abolished Gin.

 

It was, in all honesty, a total abortion. It was made out what ammounted to little more than fence wire and wouldn't have lasted five minutes in real world use. It would've just buckled itself on the first gray squirrel it ever encountered for a start.

 

Fair to say, it was fairly riddled with nasty little design faults and was slung back at him in pretty short order. But the concept was nothing short of revolutionary. A bit like the first man to dream up a wall. What if he'd built it out of polistyrene blocks and then said; " Let's keep our cattle in there! ". Ye can imagine.

 

Well, that's what Mr Fenn did. So they said; Like the way ye thinking, mate. But it needs more 'Oomph!'. And so he spent the rest of his life figuring new ways of adding Oomph to that initial idea. That's where your Mk I Rabbit's came from. He added stronger steel parts. Far more powerful springs. Changed the pan. Everything, little by little, was tweaked, tried and adjusted. That's why we ended up with the Fenn Mk VI. And there were shit loads of differant Mk II, III and IV's before even the several Types of VI came along.

 

That's why, these days - about fifty years later - most active trappers wouldn't thank ye for anything produced before the Mk IV and VI, or your MkI Rabbits. By that time, he'd about got it as right as ever he was going to. Most Mk III's are still a little weak and wirey.

 

If the Mk I Vermin had ever been worth a light, don't ye think the chinks wouldn't be knocking out cheap copies and The Crap Man flogging them off as the best of british? The Mk I Vermin was a piece of shit. And that's why they only made a sample batch, for testing. And of those, only a handful remain in existance today. And That, ironically, is why it's now the Holy Grail of most Trap Collectors. Because only one or two people even know the true number left in existance. Probably less know where they are. And the chances of anyone ever getting hold of one? Dead mans boots meets winning the f*cking lottery!

 

Probably the most priceless and sought after piece of junk the Trap Collecting world has ever dreamed about. Ironic, isn't it? The Fenn Mk I Vermin, while advertised for a short while, was never actually put on public sale. Now it's never likely to be advertised or offered on public sale again. And all because if was a duffer.

 

Funny old life.

 

Cheers, to be honest I found that fascinating and I really appreciate the time you took to write that, You have no idea of how long I spent looking around the web for that sort of information.

 

But, now you've got me really interested, I'm always clearing out old Sheds and finding all odd sorts, are there any other real gems in the Trap world I should Look out for?

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Are there any other real gems in the Trap world I should Look out for?

 

 

Come up with an example or two of a working conditioned " Sara " Rabbit trap and ye'll not have to work too hard for a month or so

 

I don't know if I have any illustrative material left on this machine, but I'm sure OTC has a decent picture of one he could show ye.

 

Bit distracted this moment as the Dogs want their dinners and are letting me know it