I just got a bunch of traps given to me and in the pile I found 1 Victor dsl #2 cast jaw and it had stamping on the base plate that reads property of u.s. fish and wildlife service.Is there any way to tell worth or age of this trap? It also has about 3 feet of twist link chain and 2 what look to be older cast swivels. Any info would be great thank you.

Are you sure it is a # 2 double long? Could it be a # 3 double long?

Your description sounds like a 3N, which was a "government" trap first made in 1939 for government trappers. It was later made available to the general trapping population. The stamping on the bottom is a plus.

I'm not 100% I can't tell but it looks like a 2 on the pan I'll try to take a picture and put on here but I'm not sure I know how to

It isn't so much what it says on the pan - pans can easily be replaced. The important question is the size of the trap - how long is the trap? What is the jaw spread?

I'll measure it tonight. I took a bunch of pictures but don't know how to load them on here .If someone wants I can txt them the pix if they pm me

Took me an hour to figure it out but I got one pic for you.

3n

Looks like the wrong pan. Looks too small. Possibly a No.2 pan since you stated it looks like a two?

I knew some oldtimers that did that. Wanted he foot inside the jaws. I did it a time or two my self when I didnt have another pan

Looks like a 3N based on the jaws and chain. Chain appears to have been modified. I don't recall any 3Ns with a mid chain swivel like that. End swivel and chain clevise look original. Pan does look a bit small to be a # 3 pan.

Pan is definitely a #2 the chain has been modified with a mid swivel. Is of any value or just a user trap?

In my opinion, it has collector value only because of the government stamping. The pan and chain can be swapped out to make it original. But the value is decreased because it is not stock. And the USFW stamping is fairly common.

To the right person that has the parts to fix it, it could be worth $20.00 or so. IMO

Thank you much. I appreciate all the help. I think it's going to hang on the wall in the shed for now.