The SCSW says these are worth 2 or 3 times what other Japanese models are worth.
Any opinions will be appreciated.
(7 in barrel/japanese characters on ejector housing)
Mike

I can't address the value part but I will say that I have seen a dozen anchor marked NM#3's and I bought the first and only Japanese artillery marked NM#3 that I'd seen at a gun show. I've only found two or three artillery marked NM#3's in my (limited) auction catalogues. Keep in mind that I could be leading a sheltered life also. Bottom line is that, in my opinion, there are not many that show up.

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Mike Maher #283

Gun values are primarily based on condition, condition & condition. Scarcity is a secondary factor , so how original is your gun and are all parts matching, including stocks ? The gun must letter as shipped to Japan to avoid fakes. Does it ? Ed.

Hello Mike, Ed.
The gun is lettered and matching (rt side grip) except for the cylinder which the letter says was in the same shipment.
Condition is SCSW "fine"
About 50% strong blue mostly on the frame. Nice bore and mechanics.
Thanks for your replies.
Mike

My artillery (SN 25625) has a non-matched cylinder also (SN 31074). I have observed others with this miss-match. The late Richard (Dick) Capps tried to re-match revolver to cylinder but his efforts were not successful.

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Mike Maher #283

Going back to the pre-internet days and the very limited amount of data available to S&W Collectors with only through a very short list of books available for reference ... a collector might, at a glance, not observed Japanese markings such as the Japanese markings and / or characters and / or had mismatch parts, we had NO CLUE which were Japanese contract if not so proof or inspector marked.

Now with the wealth of data available to us all, we find there were approximately 1/3 (IIRC) of the entire New Model 3 run were Japanese contract with many of the unmarked NM3s with matching numbers attributed to US shipments until "Lettered" and proven differently.

Go back a few more years, as the son of a WWII veteran, Japanese related ANYTHING was frowned upon for a very long time. With the advent of Honda, Toyota, Sony, Nikon and others, they slowly but then surely and firmly took place in American culture. When I heard Mitsubishi (back then and even now), I though of the Mitsubishi ZEROs that attacked Pearl Harbor.

As far as pricing I cannot give you any insight other than to say I (and many other NM3 collectors) stay clear away from Japanese contract guns. At one time they held a higher value but now they seem to have leveled into a lower price range.

For instance, I'd much rather have a Revenue Cutter Service or any other US affiliation Model 3 than a Japanese contract but that's just me.

Also, any S&W with mis-matched numbers (other than Australian contract with matching revolver numbers and mis-matched stock numbers, which is a "given") give me a swift pain.

Even after a near 30 year run of collecting, finally lettering many of the S&Ws, 2 NM3s came back as Japanese contract where prior I had no inclination nor insight that they may have been Japanese guns.

Like any other model or sub-model collecting of S&Ws, there are select members who relish in certain variations where others would quickly discharge the value of collecting certain types or variations.

When you find the select few or "clique" of collectors that are gung-ho for certain models / variations (such as the Japanese contract NM3s) then there is where you will find the most passionate collector.

For example, for decades I discharged any 1899 to model 10s just because there were MILLIONS manufactured over the time from 1899 to the 1980s, until I started to search out the less produced and scarcer models within the series (e.g. the factory Chrome finish 1905/4th changes and odd pre-Victory and Victory models, early post-war and transition variations, etc. Before that I would just pass them all by unless they were factory target sighted and in excellent condition.

It is common, and accepted, for Japanese contract guns to have mismatched cylinders (at minimal) and even different barrels but all withing the Japanese Contract range.

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