Model 17 no dash Nickel !!! Update it Lettered!!!!

OldK22 · #1 02-16-2018, 07:35 PM

Setting up this afternoon at the gun show and a good friend who is not a S&W collector asked about a Smith he purchased at a gun show last weekend (it was a walk in).
Smith & Wesson Model 17 no dash - 4 screw - 6 inch - Serial number K4111XX - standard hammer & trigger - diamond magna stocks numbered to the gun - blue front and rear sights - ejector is blue - gun is bright nickle (dull under the grips and on the top of the frame and barrel). "N" on the barrel flat - no rework marks on the grip frame. All pins are proud and the lettering is sharp.
Serial number is 1960 in the standard catalog?
K4111XX is in the 17-1 serial number range?
I know a letter is needed to see if this is a unicorn and he is planning on sending off for one.
I plan on taking pictures and posting them tomorrow.
As a side note he also purchased a Colt "King" super target 22 at the same show.

Added Pictures - I have a very old worn camera and the lighting at the show was terrible. Should be able to see the "N" at the forward edge of the barrel flat almost under the plunger for the ejector rod. The full side view pictures were so bad I did not post them.

paplinker · #2 02-16-2018, 08:30 PM

Sounds right. I think it will likely letter.

I noticed that on most guns that I see renickled, is that they are not done with the matte nickle on the top of the gun.

Thats a big giveaway.

Also I bet this gun likely has a inspector mark on it.

Mine does

billwill · #3 02-16-2018, 08:42 PM

great find. Would like to see a picture of a 17 nickel

JP@AK · #4 02-16-2018, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldK22

Serial number is 1960 in the standard catalog?

Yes. It should have been serialized that year.

Quote:

K4111XX is in the 17-1 serial number range?

The dash one came out in 1959. But there is no hard serial number cutoff, so some overlap certainly occurred, and the -1 is about as common as chicken teeth.

The only difference between the "no dash" and the -1 is the tread direction on the extractor rod. If there is no L on the cylinder and no smooth gap behind the knurling on the rod, it has the right hand threads and is not a -1. I would have no trouble believing a K-22 with that serial number is a Model 17 with no dash number.

Since you should letter it anyway, due to the nickel finish, you will find out when it shipped. So that "mystery" will get solved by the SWHF letter.

shouldazagged · #5 02-16-2018, 09:53 PM

Yes, pictures, please.

OldK22 · #6 02-18-2018, 12:23 AM

He filled out the paperwork for a letter today. If it comes back as factory Nickel, he is asking what would the would be the value he could expect to sell it for? I have seen crazy numbers on the nickel 1975 examples, but is that just an anomaly?. It is not cherry as it has a gold plated trigger shoe on it that has not been removed and the knurling on the ejector rod is marred from when some clueless fool used some pliers on it. Nickel finish is 98% or better. Timing and Lockup are spot on. Looks to have been looker not a shooter.. He is going to try and get me some better pictures in a controlled atmosphere away from the show where he can take his time with a better camera.

dacoontz · #7 02-18-2018, 03:47 AM

The frame on the left side there is stamped "9 96" which I might interpret as a factory marking that the gun was reworked somehow in September of 96. It looks like the same number might be stamped on the bottom flat of the barrel as well, but not sure as those numbers are hard to make out.

JP@AK · #8 02-18-2018, 04:16 AM

I am inclined to the position that it is a factory refinish job, done in September, 1996. The reason has been stated by dacoontz.

Wiregrassguy · #9 02-18-2018, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Refinish and date stamp usage is generally accepted to have declined in the early 1960s and was eventually eliminated altogether not too long after. Reportedly none have been observed since 1983.

(SCS&W, 4th Ed., Page 496).

JP@AK · #10 02-18-2018, 01:17 PM

Good point, Guy. I guess I have no idea what this revolver is about. The letter should be interesting.

Wiregrassguy · #11 02-18-2018, 01:28 PM

Indeed it will.

OldK22 · #12 05-07-2018, 04:41 PM

Got a call from my friend this afternoon. He received his letter back on his Nickel 17 no dash.

K-22 Masterpiece Model 17, Special Order caliber .22 Long Rifle, revolver in company records indicate that your handgun was shipped from our factory March 31, 1961 and delivered to Townley Metal & Hardware Co, Kansas City, M. The records indicate this revolver was shipped with a 6 inch barrel equipped with a Patridge front sight, nickel finish, and checkered walnut grips. The nickel finish is rare in this model. Single unit shipment billed at the wholesale price of $52.87.
A copy of the invoice was included with his letter.

Interesting that the 17 stayed here in the Kansas City area all these years. He does not want to keep and is asking me for $$$ valuation. I have never seen a real 17 no dash nickel so I am at a loss to give him a number. He is willing to sell a auction if he has to.

arjay · #13 05-07-2018, 05:14 PM

An auction should get him the most for it.Lots of good clear pix including a close up of the letter will help

jsfricks · #14 05-07-2018, 05:17 PM

I think this one is the perfect candidate to send to David Carroll along with letter and let him sell it. I can see some big money coming in from that sale.

murphydog · #15 05-07-2018, 06:52 PM

Within the past 2 years or so two factory lettered model 17s (-3s, as I recall) went for high four to low five figures. One was in the $11-12,000 range (?!) There are so few that it is difficult to know if those are representative values but you get the idea.

Minorcan · #16 05-07-2018, 06:58 PM

FYI - My Model 17 no dash has a serial number of K347XXX. It’s blued with target grips and a 6” barrel. Right handed threads on the ejector bar knob.