LETCHER COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) – A small Eastern Kentucky town is auctioning off a piece of history.
A rare 1921 Thompson “Tommy” machine gun will be sold at auction. For decades, the gun was locked up in Jenkins City Hall. It was bought by Consolidation Coal Company, which built the city of Jenkins in 1912.
The Tommy Gun was given to the police department in the 1920s.
“The story we’ve always been told is they use it to guard the payroll when the money would come in on the train,” Mayor Todd Depriest told LEX 18.
In 2019, however, the city has decided it’s time to finally let the piece of history go. Right now, the gun could sell for between $75K – 100K.
“It is sentimental, and there are some folks who would rather not do it. For what it would ever be used for, it’s too big and too heavy to carry. It’s too valuable to have out in a police car,” said Depriest.
The proceeds will be used to help fund the police department.
