My first triple lock made it home! The pictures will do the talking and enjoy!


















Related see Handejectors thread:
The Mother of All 38 Targets! (Pic Heavy!!)

A big thank you to George at Salt Lake and the late model3sw!

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SWCA #2948
SWHF #431

Very cool, thanks for showing us.

I'll just say...WOW!

Yeah, WOW! says all there is to say.

Ralph Tremaine

Very cool! I love well-done engraving. Op, did you commission the engraving or did you find it this way?

I ask because i wonder if you know who the initials F, B, abd C belong to.

Attached Images

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That makes my night!

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Randy
Provenance nerd

That's really neato! 😍

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611

If you wanted and were limited to just one engraved S&W that would do the trick just fine! Beautiful, thanks for showing and don't be afraid to post more pics of it !

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kbgrips.com

I think that pushes about every button! That's just as sweet as they get.

That would be very hard to top...Gorgeous!

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Randy

👍 Great looking engraved two tone Triple Lock. Do you have a factory letter or any additional information about it you could share?

Very beautiful S&W!

There's a lot of subtle details that suggest a very knowledgeable past owner. i.e: the checkered trigger and grip front strap, for example. (Is the back strap checkered to match?)
Just a guess, but it looks like brass plates fitted under each grip panel? I wonder if that was to increase grip width, add weight, or both?
By the way, what a fantastic detail to the two tone finish: nickel plating the frame studs! They must have been removed, finished, then refitted!

What a piece of art!
Thanks for sharing.

Talk about starting at the top! Stunning!

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My Daddy was a pistol..

Back strap is checkered to match, ivory spacers, probably Young engraved, and blessed by Roy. The original owner had panache! Three revolvers were done in this style: the pictured TL, an M&P target - see the Mother of all 38 Targets link by our forum owner and administrator at the bottom of the OP, and I am told a registered magnum (trying to confirm the RM information with sources).

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SWCA #2948
SWHF #431

Very nicely done, so many times this area is neglected.

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

Still awaiting the factory letter and then will pursue SWHF records. Roy blessed the revolver, engraved initials are CEH, and the trail goes to Endicott, MS, so far. It’s going to be an adventure figuring this one out.

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SWCA #2948
SWHF #431

Engraving was done sometime long ago, and initials are CEH. The stylized H is harder to see on this revolver, but more prominently shown on the M&P target. Added this business card to the revolver as well:

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SWCA #2948
SWHF #431

Just breathtaking! Is it going to be at the 50th Anniversary Symposium in Tulsa? If so, I am really looking forward to seeing this one in person.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

That is amazing! Kind of leaves one speechless going through the pictures with your mouth open, not wanting to blink because you might miss a detail.
Can’t wait to read the history of this one of a kind revolver. Thanks for the great photography.

Museumesque.

The artistry takes me back to castles, cathedrals, and monasteries of old Europe, and perusing the ornate calligraphy from the earliest hand-printed codex. My eye never stops finding something new to admire.

Thanks for sharing. Congrats, and may Sal R.I.P.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

Wow, just wow! You can quit collecting now because anything else you find will be a lesser piece. Super find.

Froggie

Dave:

That is a spectacular TL!!! I love the perfectly executed intertwined scroll engraving, the two tone finish and the attention to all the details, like the nickeled studs and screws. And the condition on a 100+ year old gun is amazing. It has to be one of my favorite S&Ws of all time (if only they made a TL in .357 Magnum...).

I do have to say that I think the initials on your gun are pretty clearly "C F B" (there is no "foot" on the bottom of the F and the B clearly has the double "bumps" on the right side)...



...whereas, the initials on Lee's 38 M&P Target are clearly "C E H"



I am super excited for you to have added this gun to your impressive collection. WOW!!! It would be fun if you were to bring that one, along with your other engraved 44s to Tulsa in a couple of weeks. I would love to see them in the flesh.

Once again CONGRATS!!! And a HUGE Thank You for sharing with the rest of us.

Attached Images

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

As always sir, you are right!! I stand corrected. Thank you for bringing the better analysis forward, and will be in touch with information updates. Unfortunately, no Tulsa trip this year, and very much looking forward to gathering as much information as possible on this revolver. I really appreciate all observations and communication on this one.

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SWCA #2948
SWHF #431

Richard, I agree; I see a C, an F and a B.

But I'm baffled as to how to tell in which order to read them, the way they are intertwined.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

That’s prob one of the most interesting-looking S&Ws I’ve ever seen...very cool indeed.

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Some Might Say.

Amazing!

Any story as to how you came to acquire it?

Perhaps this individual with initials CEH owned it? 1916 Presidential candidate and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

The era is correct for when he lived and may have purchased or been presented this firearm.

Charles Evans Hughes - Wikipedia

Wow! That is stunning! Very nice flowing engraving.

Please give a Range Report when you go to the
Shooting Range.

Thank you for sharing and taking the time to post
pictures.

The Best to you and your Endeavors.

Attached Images

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SD social distanc'n since 1889

Well, ain't that special.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I believe CEH stands for C. E. Heath of Endicott, MA.

Bill

What's the story with the 1896 and the Single Shot. Did you get them from George also?

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Don Mundell

Totally breathtaking Dave! Did it come already cased, or will you be contacting Mr. Huey?

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Terry Lester

I'd have to change my name to match the monogram.

The big surprise to me is that this beauty isn't in Kennelly's Smith & Wesson Engraving book! How could it have been missed?

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Alden
Guns N' Rosés

Mr. Kennelly asked collectors to contribute photos for his book. If not contributed, photos and descriptions were not published in the book. It was really up to the collector if he or she wanted their guns in the book.

Bill

Lots of great engraved S&Ws did not make it in Michael’s wonderful book. At one time Mike was thinking that there would be a second volume. If so, I know at least one collector that would be better at getting Mike some photos of his collection.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

That is the most awesome Triplelock I have ever seen. Years ago I worked in one of the largest gun stores in the West. We often had 2,000 to 3,000 guns in stock and a large used gun section. I saw one Triple there that I shot in our underground test range. The only other one I have ever seen in person is mine, gun shows included. Yours is stunning!

super nice !

That should be my revolver!!! I am SWCA Member 3204, which matches the serial number.

You will be missed!

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

I think the SN gets you close - but if you blow up the photo and look closely it appears that the SN is 3264... (a lot of the pre-war serial numbers are sometimes hard to read as they were stamped so deeply).

My SWCA member is 2027, and I don't care that it is not even close, that beauty would be welcome in my collection any day... BUT I actually think this TL is perfect in Salox's collection of engraved pinto 44's. Since he's not bringing them to Tulsa in a couple of weeks, I hope that he will someday soon post a photo of them all together.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Wow Dave, That Triple Lock is UNREAL! What a find.

That's a fantastic TL Target. Rampant envy is all I feel!

Curly

'Stacked Monograms' they are sometimes called because of the simple fact that the letters (initials) are placed one on top of another.

A 'Monogram' is the 3 initials but separated,,sometimes intertwined but still able to be seen as separate letters.
Those letters are written or cut with the Last name initial as the largest or boldest placed in the center.
The first name initial on the left,,the middle initial on the right.

Those first and middle initials can be slightly smaller in height. But there are artistic rules to all of this,,which means do anything you want to do..

Extra added intertwining & decorative cuts to take up space where the basic shape of the letter does not look balanced when placed beside another.
Also done to pull the three letters together for a more intertwined look, especially when one of the script fonts are used.

These are still 3 letters read left to right. But they are the First, Last, Middle (initials)

On a Stacked Monogram as on these revolvers, the rules really go out the door.
Many times these are long time tradition initial markings of an individual or even a family.
Often custom designed and frankly done with a touch of 'try and figure it out if you can'.
The more complicated but yet still artistic correct it is,,the better the customer would have it.

The same general rules would apply as the standard Monogram in that the Last name initail would be the dominant letter in the stack of 3.
This is often the one letter that is the largest in height.
It can often be the one that is most fancy as far as shading and extra decoration as far as the letter it self is cut.

The first initial letter and the middle initail letter are often not much different except that the first inital will also have some extra decorative cut to the letter itself.
Something to make it stand out from the middle initial letter.
But at the same time not take the spotlight off of that all important Last Name initial


There is one more effort to try and place the letters so that the Last Name initial stands as the prominent letter (last name initial).
That is to make it appear at the top of the 'stack' of the three.

Not an easy thing to do as the three always are overlapping each other in one way or another.
Interpretations of 'I think this particular one is over the top of that one' and the other way around usually lead to several opinions on what order the initials were actually meant to be read.
Even the designers/engravers interpretation can differ with what many will eventually view the order as when finished.
Can make for some twisted looks at times.
That's a challenge of doing them in this fashion.

Hands down this is the finest swing out cylinder S&W extant!