A friend asked me about this S&W model 1 1/2... the cylinder is engraved (or acid etched??) with a medieval scene with a castle, knight and a coat of arms. Looks like there's still some silver in the etching.

The back of the cylinder is stamped with three individual numbers... 2 2 1 (I believe this is an assembly number).

The 5 digit serial number on the butt of the gun ends in 490.

There's no other engraving or etching on the gun other than the cylinder.

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Linda, does the left side of the butt-frame and the rear of the barrel have the same 221 assembly marks? I would doubt that the factory would have engraved such a detailed scene, but many distributors did engrave and plate these tip-ups. It is puzzling why there is no other engraving on the barrel or frame and would like to know if the gun is original. The pearl stocks are very nice and scarce for this model. To properly age the gun, we would need the first 3 numbers off the butt plus Xs to make up the rest of the numbers. The last 3 numbers do not help much.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Hi Gary,

The full serial number is 12490.

I understand that the assembly number should also be stamped on the back side of the barrel. I'll see if I can get hold of the gun again and check the number against the number on the cylinder. I've got a photo of that area but no detail below the barrel where the number should be.

I think the assembly number is also under the grips but I hesitate messing with the pearls. I'll check the barrel first.

It is strange that just the cylinder is engraved or etched and not any other part of the frame. The patina and color of the cylinder is a close match to the rest of the frame.

Do the figures look like acid etching or engraving? I've seen "wild west" and "animal" designs but not not a "Medieval Knight".

Thanks for the help!

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

To me, the cylinder engraving shows enough wear to be period, but hard to be sure with photos. I suppose that someone could have etched and artificially aged the cylinder, but why would someone want to go to the trouble with a plain Model 1 1/2?

That is an early serial number, maybe 1866 and I wonder if it could have been a presentation piece to a Civil War Veteran??

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Gary
SWCA 2515

That's acid etching on the cylinder, not an uncommon embellishment during the civil war era, as acid etching was used on many items, especially on saber and swords. If you look up the arms catalogs of the era, such as Ames, you will see very similar, if not identical etchings for military and presentation items. S&W did offer factory etchings on their guns in the post Civil War era, however I doubt they did when when your gun was made, so I would presume the etching on your cylinder was done after market, assuming the cylinder is original to the gun. ( And, no , I did not do the etchings, regardless of what Lee may tell you!) ED.

Learn something new every day on this forum! Ed - what era did the factory perform acid etching on their handguns?

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Ed, I didn't really think that you did the etching. However,
there's a real strong resemblance to the Knight in Shinning Armor... is that you?

I had a chance to look at the gun again today. The number on the inside of the barrel plate is 224.

Here's a close-up of the grip frame and number. It also appears the gun might have originally nickel plated (?).

So, for a recap... the s/n is 12490; the back of cylinder is stamped 221, the barrel 224 and the frame S10. Looks like a U before the S ??

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Gary, The earliest factory etched gun I've had was a .38 DA of 1880s vintage. serial number 230301, shipped Nov. 20, 1889, to Meacham Arms Co., in St. Louis. MO., with "factory acid etched nickel finish." per Roy's letter. It was very nicely done and covered about 3/4ths of the revolver.
Linda, Judging from the mismatched assembly numbers, it appears the gun has been assembled from parts. Yes, according to Lee, I was the model the etcher used to come up with the 'Knight in Shinning Armor" but you can't always believe everything a dealer says! Ed.

Mine was SN 230324 (23 numbers after Ed's). The letter said nothing about the acid etching and it was shipped ten years later to the Edward K. Tryon Company, December 11, 1899.

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Mike Maher #283