A friend wants to sell me a service revolver he inherited from his uncle. This uncle was a police officer and this revolver was used in a shootout with John Dillinger, I have no idea what this would add to the value. The gun itself should be easy to value once I have more info, but the premium for being used in a documented shootout wirh a famous gangster is the hard part to put a value on. I want to give him a fair price so does anybody have any idea about how much to add to the value of the gun?

I'd be a little suspect about your friend's story. You can contact S&W and get the revolver 'lettered' by their historian and he'll be able to at least tell you where and when the gun shipped. I'd require evidence before I paid any kind of a premium for a weapon allegedly used in a shootout with John Dillinger.

I plan on it, I know he has a letter from his uncle stating that he used it in the shootout, and I should be able to get a copy of the police report he filed and I imagine that report should have record of the gun he used.

Alright, with that said...is there a model # stamped inside on the yoke when you open the cylinder? Can you read the first few letters/numbers of the serial # on the bottom of the grip frame? It's a little hard to place a value on something without some more info. Pictures would be a great help.

Oh, I just re-read your post...you're only looking for the value as far as it's alleged use in the shootout. I think your best bet would be the paperwork you described from your friend and a letter from the S&W historian.

This sounds very much like a similar question that was posed here within the last few weeks. I'll have to do a search on the forum to see if anything comes up. I believe in the previous thread the gun that was said to be in the shootout wasn't even a model that had been produced or the serial number was to recent to have been in that shootout. How good is this friend and did you just meet him? This does sound suspicious and I will see what I can find. But as Robinett said, we need to know more about the gun like what is it, serial number, caliber, etc...

Since model numbers started in 1957 it is unlikely that a gun used in a gunfight with John Dillenger would be so marked.

I doubt the story adds to the value. Even if true. Even if it could be proven to be true. Now if the gun could be proven to have been used to actually SHOOT a famous criminal...

I have not yet seen the gun, he lives 150 miles from me and he does not have internet. All I am looking for is what this would add to the value, the gun is easy to look up once I have the model, serial # and condition.

Here's a earlier thread about a couple guns that went up for auction. The article link is within the thread.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/...guns-sale.html

Of course, these guns were involved in his final shootout but I suppose there may be many guns out there that we're involved in one of the many shootouts that the police had with Dillinger. I would get it lettered then if the man seems reputable (not sure how you can determine that anymore these days except with a polygraph) then have him right his recollection of the story and get the police reports like you said. That could be enough to verify the authenticity. But since you'd be doing most of the work to verify the gun then I am not sure I would want to pay extra to simply put in the hours and take the risk.

I'd agree that you ought to carefully examine proof or provenance before jumping the gun. It's curious that a revolver with that sort of history hasn't been offered at auction. If genuine, it would most certainly bring significantly more than an "ordinary" specimen. How much more is a fair premium? That's between you and the seller. What he's willing to accept and what your willing to offer.

If there is a model number stamped in the frame, the gun was made sometime after 1957, which means....well I guess you know what that means. Dillinger was long gone to his maker well before 1957.

Cheers;
Lefty

Good point.

I have known this man for 20 years and I met his uncle a couple of times before he died. This gun was only used in the shootout and to my knowlege did not cause injury to any of Dillinger's gang. So the premium would be much less than if it killed one of his gang

I would think it would be up to you for any added value or what you're willing to spend for the story provided it can be documented. Unless I had some ironclad provenance, I wouldn't pay much extra for it. The gun, whatever model it is, has certain value, the rest is "bragging rights" money. How much does he think it's worth?

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Dick

Sounds like someone you can trust. That would be super cool if it was an old pre-war HD. Can't wait to hear more.

I think he may have a value in mind that is unrealistic, and if he does I will just walk away, and tell him its more than I can afford rather than try to talk him in to a lower price.

You also have to take into account just how good his uncle's memory was. Was it actually the gun in question, or one just like it, that was used?
I've heard stories of one of the Old West lawmen that made a cottage industry of selling "the gun that killed so and so" Turned out that he was selling guns of the same model as the one he originally used.

(Solid provenance can be a real pain. Family stories tend to be embellished with time.)

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

I would think the serial # of the gun would be in the report, but I dont know if that was standard practice in the 1930s

i would say the make,model,ser.number included in a report from the 30'as being way low...the odds of finding a report from nearly 80 years ago...low...the burden of proof is on the seller...just saying it was used in a dillenger shootout does not make it so....hope you get to the bottom of it!

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

Even in a police shootout today, guns that were not fired but rather just present or nearby and carried by officers are usually not recorded in police reports. So that's a potential problem.
Certainly a firearm, even "just present" at a John Dillinger "shootout" would have a financial collector interest but it would rest on the strength of the bona fides or proof supporting that it was there.