Hello, sometimes I browse Gunbroker out of curiosity.

Smith & Wesson WW2 Victory Model Revolver .38 S&W Special 4” - Curios & Relics at GunBroker.com : 868088376

I saw this Victory, 4 inch Special, V107554, reparkerized, sold for $2,537.42.

I am aware sometimes people get into bidding wars and/or there are uninformed buyers. Is that the case here? Or is there something special about this particular Victory?

I see in photo 11 of the listing that it appears to have an S stamp on the bottom of the grip frame and sideplate. If so it was converted to the new-style hammer block well before it was standard. Not sure if that brings a 4-500% premium over an unmodified one.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I can't see anything about it warranting a top bid anywhere near $2500, nor is there anything outstanding mentioned in the item description. I would think that if there was something extraordinary about it, the seller would have mentioned it.

I just browsed Gun Broker for the first time today.I was looking for bargains.I was excited. Fire was running in my blood.But,no bargains were to be seen today.Prices were in the stratosphere. Tell me I just had picked the wrong day to view Gun Broker.....

Wow I need to find Sawyer1965 and offer him mine. I gave $600 for it six years ago with the holster I picked up the Navy knife for $40 I think.

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Randy

Something very strange about this. Unless I’m missing something.

The S does not add much to the value, certainly not as much as the refinish detracts. The new finish isn’t even very authentic-looking, including covering the ejector rod.

For me this is maybe a $300 shooter. Actually, there are so many all-original examples of this run-of-the-mill Navy-shipped type out there that a collector shouldn’t look twice at a refinished gun, let alone pay a price that approaches 2” territory.

Could be that there was a shill bidder, someone realized it and got mad, and just drove the price up with the intention of forcing the seller to eat the cost of the auction when their shill (of course) doesn't pay for it.

Alan:

On a side note, the serial doesn’t matter regarding the added S. The Navy refurbishment contract from May 1945, when the hammer block was added, included 40,000 revolvers apparently from all across the serial range, 900-pre-V through the V-range.

Right, I have seen the occasional pre-SV prefix gun with the S; just speculating that someone thought it was super rare and worth $2500+.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Nutty things happen on GB auctions. Two guys got into a bidding war on my item years ago and went stupid. Bids topped $100,000. Of course nobody had any intention of actually paying it. They got booted from GB and the owner yelled at me like it was my fault the nonsense happened. Said I was banned for 30 days but it was lifted after a few hours.

Or maybe a couple guys were bidding on a gun just like the one dad carried in the war. People with money are not always wise with it.

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No life story has happy end.

I am thankful I didn't want that gun. Phew!

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Not sure what the attraction is there. Well as PT Barnum said, there is a sucker born every minute. I prefer , For every seat there is an *****

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

Gents:

I don't have any comment on the price achieved at the end of the auction. The clearly disclosed refinish job would have dissuaded me from any interest in buying this gun.

As to why the gun seemed to be valued so highly, I would say that it probably has to do with this. It is an example of a 1942 Victory that went through the 1945 factory rebuild program. That was more than just the installation of the new safety hammer block. In this case the gun was rebuilt to new standard. You can tell that because the original left top strap marking of U.S. NAVY was scrubbed and the new roll mark of the then-current 1945 marking ð U.S. PROPERTY GHD was applied, along with the addition of the P-proof marks and the S marks to signify the presence of the new safety feature. To me, that makes it an interesting gun. Not many of them around with those features and I am guessing that the top bidders knew that.

One last observation. This gun has actually been refinished not just once but twice.

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

The bidding history shows it clearly was two people.

The winner apparently went to 650 on 5/14. Then second-place decided he just had to have that gun and set the autobid to 2500 on 5/15. Over the next two days the winner worked his way up in a few big jumps until he topped that and won.

I know I can be an incurable snoop. But another interesting tidbit I discovered is that the last gun the winner bought on GB, a few weeks ago, was also a refinished Victory, this one V 427974, renickeled with Pachs, for ..... $315 !!!

PS: Just saw Charlie's comments. That would indeed be a rational explanation. I think collectors with that level of expertise should really hang out here on the forum; TWO of them clashing over a refinished Victory has the odds of these bullets that supposedly collided at Gallipoli

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Thank for the replies! It sounds like it could be a couple of reasons for the high selling price, none of which are the revolver having anything special about it (that we know of).

I have seen some original finished Victories in like new / unfired condition go for high amounts, but this one being refinished and selling for that amount is perplexing.

Is this the same revolver us kids use to buy out of the adds in True Magazine and Sunny Surplus for $20 ? As a kid, you could send in a Postal MO, and have it sent right to the house.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Guess we won't know the reason why unless the winning bidder makes a posting here.

Is there any way to tell if the winning bidder actually pays?

This would be my guess. The term for this maneuver is "nuclear" bid. The shill bidder's hand is forced and the complicit seller is hit with the fee.

Watch for the relist.

Yes. It will be relisted.

Forcing a shill bidder sounds like fun - but also extremely risky. A shill bidder will go just so far ; if the person who is forcing the shill makes a mistake , he gets stuck winning an inflated auction.

Too rich for my blood.

To which they can just say; I made a mistake, I thought I was bidding 250 not 2500.

And just not pay.

One bad feedback isn't the end of the world.