Originally Posted by handejector

I don't know when this gun shipped, but I believe it was built before the wartime production. You simply don't see the high polish and deep black on the guns that we KNOW are postwar production.

For some reason, S&W seems to have been very slow getting back into production after WW I. Control of the factory was returned to them in Jan, 1919, but I have not seen a gun that letters to 1919. I'm sure there are some, but I haven't had one. If you have one, please tell us about it.

I'm also not convinced Gold medallions were ever reordered by the factory after the wartime production. I'm also not convinced that many, IF any, gold medallion grips were produced after the War. Perhaps the last of them were used up, but I've seen non medallion grips on what I believe are some of the earliest post-war guns.
Again, does anyone have a 1919 or 1920 gun with the duller post-war finish that positively has ORIGINAL, undoubtable, gold medallions? I haven't seen one. Again I'll stress that a high polish gun shipped after the war MAY be a vault gun built before the war...