View Single Post
 
Old 08-11-2008, 10:13 PM
opoefc opoefc is offline
Absent Comrade
US Veteran
SWCA Founding Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: San Diego, CA. USA
Posts: 10,536
Likes: 3,529
Liked 6,883 Times in 2,796 Posts
Default

First of all, Delta's .38 Safety pictures tell me that Nimschke was never anywhere near that gun. It's typical after market New York style medium quality engraving. Second, I tend to agree with 2152hq's comments about Larry Wilson & Nimschke. I have studied 19th century gun engraver's work on firearms for many years and tried it a few times myself. Good engraving is like handwriting and a skilled observer can usually recognize technique and style in engraving as found on guns. Quite often, a gun will exhibit the work of several engravers, especially in shops like the Nimschke's and the Youngs, for example, as they employed several assistants. Third, If you have a gun with exceptionally great engraving and you get a factory letter that does not mention the gun as being shipped engraved, don't give up. I have had several such guns and by digging in the factory archives & correspondence, was able to prove the guns were shipped in the white to famous engravers by the factory, as per the customers order, engraved and returned to S&W for finishing and shipping to the buyer. One well known example I had in my collection uncovered the fact that 7 special guns were drop shipped to Kornbrath in the white, engraved by him in similar styles and returned to S&W for shipment to Wolf & Klar as special orders by a wealthy Texas businessman & hotel owner. Shipping records merely said the gun was part of a shipment of 50 guns to W&K. No mention of the special order, but more searching in the archives told "the rest of the story!". Ed.
Reply With Quote
The Following User Likes This Post: