Have one dating to about 1952, 6.5-inch barrel.
It's been factory re-finished a while back & remains unfired since then. Looks factory-new, aside from the wood.
Original grips, very light wear.

I'm keeping it, and I'm aware that the re-finish diminishes collector value.
How much?
Would a collector have any interest?

Beginning to do some estate planning.
It'd be helpful to know where this one sits.
Denis

I think the rule of thumb is that non-factory refinish equals a 50% reduction in value from original while a factory refinish is less of a reduction, maybe 25%. Pictures would allow folks here to give you a more accurate estimate but I would think value would be between $1000 and $1200; would be to me anyway. Good luck.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

Thanks.
Techno-challenged on pictures.

Just imagine a gun that looks absolutely new, aside from some minor wear on the wood.

I got an invoice from S&W with it showing the factory work, but have no idea what I did with it.
Denis

There are probably factory stamps showing the date of the refinish (left side of butt under stocks) and maybe a star on the butt by the SN. The invoice would be good to have when you are ready to sell, or a historical letter will likely confirm the factory refinish and any other work. Could make a difference when it is time to sell although on one in the condition you describe many folks would likely accept the factory rework stamps as proof that the refinish was factory done. Good luck.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

Interesting.
I had not removed the panels till just now.

They show no numbers.
No stamps showing re-finish date.
No star by the serial.

On lower right side of gripframe an "L", a "6", and a tiny diamond.
Serial is S828xx.
Denis

You might read through this link (and there probably are others if you do a search) for help on refinish marks. If there aren't any factory marks and you can't find the invoice, you might want to spend the $75 (or $65 if SWCA member) for a letter. Having the proof of a factory refinish might make several hundred dollars difference in value when you do sell.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

S&W Factory Repair/Refinish Stampings

Yeah- no date or star.
I bought it from my gunsmith who told me it was in such bad shape when he took it in from its original owner that he sent it back to S&W for a re-finish.

I acquired it about four years ago, and I believe the invoice was dated a few years before that.
Maybe in the early 2000s, possibly the 1990s.

I THINK there was a rebound slide & hand in the box it came back from S&W in.
They may have done some minor internal work while they had it.

Wish I knew what I did with that invoice.
I'm not optimistic about a re-finish showing up in a letter.

Jeff- your underlined "link" takes me to different commercial sales sites.

Where does that serial put the gun?
I know several of you have those all memorized.
Denis
Denis

Clicking on the link should take you to another earlier post on this forum; I just checked it and that's where it took me. As to the date, 1952 is probably as close as you'll get without a letter. If the refinish was done by S&W that should show up in a letter. Good luck.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

I clicked on the word "link" & it takes me to Brownells.
The bottom actual link worked.

My book places it '51-'52.
Was hoping somebody here might be able to narrow it down a bit more.
Be neat if it turns out to be a 1952 manufacture.
I'm a '52 model, myself.

One of these days I'll probably letter it.
Thanks for the help.
Denis

The factory stopped stamping the grip frame with refinish marks/dates, but not sure how long ago that was.

__________________
Vietnam 1969-1971

If you hover over the "link", you will see text pop up that says "Link added by VigLink". It is a method of forum monetization. See this thread: What is viglink?

Typically the Historical letter will not have any information on a refinish but will tell original shipment date and the destination.

__________________
John. SWCA #1586

I wouldn't expect any info on the re-finish.
Denis

I don't have any S&W letters reflecting factory refinish but I thought I remembered seeing posts of others' letters which reflected refinish and other reasons (parts replacement for example) for factory work. Are you saying the research done for a letter now is limited to ship date and to whom shipped? Is that to say without the factory invoice there is no way to confirm that a refinished gun was indeed refinished by the factory? Thanks for the clarification.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

Jeff:

Other than the boilerplate information on the model, the factory letter gun specific information is generally just the ship date, where, or to whom it was shipped, and the configuration of the gun. For some models like the pre war 357's, there was more information so a few more details may be put in the letter. In letters where Roy makes comments on refinish or other modifications, it is generally because the requesting person provided photos, described additional marks (dates under stocks, diamonds, stars, N's, R's or boxes with letters in them), or the gun is currently configured different from the description in the factory records (e.g. a nickel finish when the gun shipped as blue, 4" barrel when the gun shipped with a 6" barrel, or a gun that is currently engraved that left the factory as a "normal" gun). Sometimes when you request additional information from the S&W Historical Foundation, they can find return/repair records if those records have been digitized...

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

You mentioned a small diamond on the grip frame. That may be the refinish mark in question. A photo would help. Invoices show the original configuration of the firearm. Refinish and repair records are few and far between. I have seen only a few in my search of invoices.

Bill

I'm techno-challenged on photos, but it's definitely not a star.
It's so small I had to get a 10x jeweler's loupe to make it out as a very tiny 4-sided diamond shape.

I'm very annoyed with myself that I didn't keep track of that invoice.
Denis