My dad owned a gun store. Smith & Wesson sent stuff to us. Came across a publication called S&W Sportsman from Spring 1985 talking about the Historic Research Service.
For a research fee of $10.00 the history of a gun is researched, and an individual and personalized report is prepared for the owner.
The report is presented on an authentic, S&W watermarked reproduction of the stationary used at the turn of the century and embossed with a replica of an historic S&W seal.
When I met Roy Jinks in Glendale at the last Symposium, I asked him if this was the start of Factory Letters. He said no, he had been doing letters since the late 1960's. 1985 is when they began charging a fee for the service.