Wow what a great thread .It does my heart good to see a family heirloom turn out so far at least correct in authenticity .Man why couldn't my great grandpa had worked for Wells Fargo. The experts here have verified several honest to goodness previously unknown antique firearms just since I have been here and I always find myself cheering for the owner hoping their example turns out to be "right" .On the other hand I know there are ripoff artists out there who sleep a little bit less because of the information SWCA members and their contacts give out freely.

I'm glad the gun seems to have been authenticated. It's a very neat gun!
I've occasionally found S&W letters to omit things that I knew were factual, and even called Roy on a New Model #3 I had lettered that some important data was left off the letter. I think it's best to send along questions you'd like addressed in a letter, but you shouldn't have to request a serial number added to a letter, as that should be automatically in a letter.
In the case of my #3 the gun was a 2 digit serial number, and a perfect refinish of nickel and cased minor parts. The frame had the typical "R-N" inside a rectangle with a "78" date. But no mention of a factory refinish in the letter? I called to ask about the marking, and why they weren't included? It was confirmed the refinish showed in their records, but omitted in the letter. In the end I got a 2nd letter that included the information concerning the refinish, and it stayed with the first letter.