A Scarce Li'l Baby.....

handejector said:

Can I sell it for you?

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Inasmuch as I appreciate the offer, Lee, I'm still in love.

Occasionally I sell a spare '60s or '70s Chiefs, and I did trade a duplicate Baby away to get a lower sn, but it's not likely any more of my Babies will leave the nest anytime soon.

Thanks,

Bob

Hi guys, please initiate me. What qualifies as a Baby Chief ? I collect antiques and Victories and have only ever owned one Chiefs spec. thanks

jayn.32 said:

Hi guys, please initiate me. What qualifies as a Baby Chief ? I collect antiques and Victories and have only ever owned one Chiefs spec. thanks

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That which you can spot across a good size room is the (essentially) round trigger guard----as opposed to oblong.

Beyond that, these guys have forgotten more than I know about them----and can likely identify myriad other differences.

Ralph Tremaine

Howdy jayn.32 and welcome aboard.

Here's an image that shows you a Baby (left) and the subsequent Model of 1953.

Basic differences:

1. Look at the trigger guards. The Baby is small and rather round; and the later model is more ovoid.

2. Look at the grip frames. The Baby is shorter by ⅛".

3. Another not-obvious-in-my-photo difference relates to the number of screws. Baby Chiefs had five and the Model of 1953 had four. The one eliminated was at the front of the trigger guard.

4. Additionally, the cylinder release changed, too, to a different, steeper ramped flat latch.

My highest serial numbered Baby shipped in May '54. My lowest serial numbered Model of 1953 shipped in August '54, but I'm aware of a few that shipped in June '54.

Bob,

Checking my database, I have 42820 3" rd butt, ramp sight.

Again, I learned something today, here.

Hondo44 said:

Bob,

Checking my database, I have 42820 3" rd butt, ramp sight.

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Thanks Jim. Do you know if it's blue?

two-bit cowboy said:

Howdy jayn.32 and welcome aboard.

Here's an image that shows you a Baby (left) and the subsequent Model of 1953.

Basic differences:

1. Look at the trigger guards. The Baby is small and rather round; and the later model is more ovoid.

2. Look at the grip frames. The Baby is shorter by ⅛".

3. Another not-obvious-in-my-photo difference relates to the number of screws. Baby Chiefs had five and the Model of 1953 had four. The one eliminated was at the front of the trigger guard.

My highest serial numbered Baby shipped in May '54, and my lowest serial numbered Model of 1953 shipped in August '54.

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Bob,

How do these serial #s compare to yours?

45963 serrated ramp sight, highest known # Baby J, has fine knurled early hammer, no ship date known
4989X earliest known # Model of 1953, 4 screw, 2” no ship date known

two-bit cowboy said:

Thanks Jim. Do you know if it's blue?

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Yes, it has a blue finish.

Hondo44 said:

Bob,

How do these serial #s compare to yours?

45963 serrated ramp sight, highest known # Baby J, has fine knurled early hammer, no ship date known
4989X earliest known # Model of 1953, 4 screw, 2” no ship date known

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Yes, on 45963. I found that info on post #25 of "The Really Old Chiefs Special Thread" from 2007.

I show nine "Model of 1953" Chiefs Specials, though, that are earlier than the number you listed.

Here are three blue, 2":

460XX -- shipped September '54
463XX -- shipped June '54
464XX -- shipped June '54

47475 -- nickel, round butt, 4-screw, 2", rosewood presentation grips. Lettered as having "shipped" to H.O. Austin, S&W Sales Manager for "demonstration purposes" on August 30, 1954. This one's mine.

I also list these:

475XX, blue, 3" -- shipped June '54
475XX, blue, 3" -- shipped June '54
483XX, blue, 2" -- shipped July '54
484XX, blue, 2" -- ship date unknown
493XX, blue, 3" -- shipped Jan '55

Hope this fills in a few holes.

handejector said:

....of the THREE inch variety-


You will not encounter many. I've seen TWO in my entire career. The other one I had was #428XX. As I recall, it also had the ramped latch. I do not believe 3 inch guns will be found in the low numbers.

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Lee that would have been a red box. I have a real nice red 3" Chief Special, round butt, box SN: 29966 (number faint on bottom of box), if you need it.

Thanks for the info. These are really interesting. A whole new thing to look for at the next show!

model3sw said:

Lee that would have been a red box. I have a real nice red 3" Chief Special, round butt, box SN: 29966 (number feint on bottom of box), if you need it.

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Thanks for posting that, Sal. Earliest known box, at least. Must have been a 3" shooter in the box, eh?

3" Chief Special, round butt, red box SN: 29966

two-bit cowboy said:

Thanks for posting that, Sal. Earliest known box, at least. Must have be a 3" shooter in the box, eh?

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Bob, Box is EMPTY

Amongst books, catalogs, papers, stocks (grips), leather, cartridges, loading tools and other S&W paraphernalia I have a hoard of old boxes and display cases that I accumulated over the past 30 years. The majority of the boxes are odd models / configurations, most of them older than 1965 with the majority from the 1930s to the 1950s. in the 1980s and 1990s I was purchasing boxes and books from Don Mundell and Ernie Rice when they were advertising in the old GunList (in the pre-internet days) as Pack N Postal Service.

On this one, all I have is the box. I have no gun of this description to place inside it. Of course, always a stray ray of hope I might find the correct or near correct serial numbered S&W to go inside. I coupled correct boxes (correct to the model with near serial numbers) for all my baby chiefs and early Chief Special Airweights.

This 3" box is about a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. Serial number on the bottom is faint but clearly readable. I don't need it although another member might.

I once sold a member 6 x .357 magnum 3+1/2 gold picture boxes, one or two of them nickel. He needed them all for himself. All the RM boxes (other than those mated to my RMs) I sold at peak a few years back. I still have similar style pre-war .38-44 HD boxes and many other types, too.

They are cardboard gold. Sal

model3sw said:

Lee that would have been a red box. I have a real nice red 3" Chief Special, round butt, box SN: 29966 (number feint on bottom of box), if you need it.

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Sal,
I don't keep collectible small frame guns.
I let M&Ps and N frames keep me broke.


Thanks anyway.

Gentlemen, I once posted a pre-war non-registered magnum on this forum. Pardon going off topic, but Lee and Jim both responded to me, not trying to buy it with a low offer to a non collector, but to inform me what a treasure that I had. Both advised that it was worth a “lot of money”.

These guys are tops in my book.

The revolver in question was written up as being issued to a Texas Ranger in the mid 40s. I met with Jim at the Dallas collectors show where he told me the revolver was older. A call to S&W revealed a ship date of 1940 to a distributor in Houston. Additional research tells me that TXDPS changed inventory procedures in the mid 40s, so that is where current records begin.

I will take time to photograph the revolver and the paper trail that I posses from the mid 40s until it was sold to me, to whom it was last issued.

My purpose for going off topic is that there are honorable folks around this forum.

Thank you Lee and Jim,

Jack Therwhanger, Region Commander, Ret. TXDPS