HELLO, I have a S&W .32 Safety First Model D.A. S.N. 2190X. It's gold washed, pearl grips, no chips or cracks, It has about 80% or more gold wash left, the rest is worn to a nice patina. Grips & action perfect. Action is tight. Can anyone give me info. about this gun & about what it might be worth.

Sounds like a 1ST Model. Without pics a tuff call on any thing further.
If you do post some pis, a shot of the butt with Sn. and the left grip frame for any extra stamps. Best.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Sorry I forgot S.N. 2190X under the left grip is (P) the gold wash under the grip & tension screw for mainspring look great, almost like brass. All screws are perfect, not messed with. New to this site & don't know how to add pictures. Bill

Hello wj, I realize you are new to the Forum and welcome. Im not a gold wash expert, so I will step aside. Best

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

I can't find any old gold washed S&W when I google, so I was wondering if anyone had or seen any! Flayderman's dosen't mention any. Wondering if it is factory also, Bill

Welcome to the forum.

Take photos and download them to your computer. Once in your computer you can use the MANAGE ATTACHMENTS box in the ADDITIONAL OPTIONS section immediately following any REPLY TO THREAD box that you open when posting.

After selecting the MANAGE ATTACHMENTS box, another box will open and you select CHOOSE FILE. This will take you to your own photos where you need to open the photo that you wish to share. Once opened you will be redirected back to the MANAGE ATTACHMENTS box where you select the Upload button. Do that for one or several photos and then close that box and you are back at your post.

Then you simply hit the Submit Reply box as you would if you hadn't added photos. When your post appears, click on the thumbnail and then again once it enlarges and you will see a twice enlarged rendering of your photo.

I am supplying one below for example. It is the cabin we built at my gun club this summer for the Primitive Camp.

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James Redfield
LM #497

Gold wash was a factory option, so the clue here is to order a factory historical letter for the gun, from the S&W Historical Foundation, to see if the gun was a special order and shipped with the gold wash finish. If so, the value goes up quite a bit over an after market applied gold wash finish. I have several S&W with gold wash applied by the factory, usually on engraved guns, but not always. In the 1950s a company called Texas Platers ( Still in business, I think ) sold an inexpensive kit for a DIY gold plating exercise, using a dry cell battery, that worked pretty good. I plated quite a few guns, etc. You may have a survivor of such an endeavor. Ed.

Thread drift: 1" rough sawn floor? The 4 logs are the joists?

Welcome. Please make sure you include the entire serial number if you ask for a history letter. Like Ed said, a gold wash was offered.

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Don Mundell

I think it would be the best thing to do is get a letter. This guns looks original, I have a lot of antique & C&R handguns. Screws look unturned, pins never pushed out or put back in. Timing mark on barrel pivot pin still lined up. Gold wash is only worn between top of grip & cylinder, bottom of trigger guard & safety. Under the gold is a nice patina, not nickle or blue.

Here are some pictures of my goldwash smith. Can anyone help with info. on the goldwash? Thanks! Bill

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From your photos I believe your Smith has been refinished outside the factory. The trigger guard and extractor should be blued. The seam on the side plate is pronounced as well. On a properly polished Smith the side plate seam is well almost seamless as it was polished in place. I am by no means a expert others more knowledgeable than I may disagree. It stll is a attractive gun

Thanks for your info. I wish I could find a picture of a original old goldwash Smith around this age. I don't know if it's worth sending for a letter to see what way it was shipped out. I was also wondering what the "P" stamped on the grip stands for???? I just looked at it closely, the trigger, ejector, firing pin face plate, & mainspring are NOT goldwashed.

This is a worn, factory gold plate. In my opinion, the appearance is very different from that on your revolver.

Bob

The P during this time frame stood for plated I do believe.

Interesting, I have a S&W Safety 1st. Ml. just like this only with nickle finish with a "W' stamped on it. Does anyone know what the letters mean???? Now i'm going to check under all my lemon squeezer grips & see.

Welcome to the forum.

The "P" is merely an inspectors proof mark. There is no rhyme to these letters as different inspectors used different letters and to my knowledge there is no chart identifying which inspector used which letters.

I believe that these were applied after the gun was fired indicating that the firearm functioned properly.

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James Redfield
LM #497