S&W Grip Medallions?

andorra · #1 09-25-2022, 10:39 PM

I have a S&W top break .38 with pearl grips. The gun was made in 1900, the pearl grips look original, but have the early medallions. Isn't this too early for medallions?

wheelgun610 · #2 09-26-2022, 02:08 AM

Good detailed pics that show the medallions and also how well the grips are fitted to the frame would be a big help. If they're factory grips, they'll fit the contour of the grip frame perfectly. Does the right side panel have the gun's serial number hand written in pencil on the inside?

Mark

andorra · #3 09-26-2022, 02:42 AM

I was just checking to see when S&W started using medallions in the grips.

Alk8944 · #4 09-26-2022, 06:23 AM

S&W started installing Gold medallions in MOP stocks at least in the 1880s. This was a proof that the stocks were genuine factory issue and not lesser quality after-market MOP which were quite common even then.

cmansguns · #5 09-26-2022, 08:06 AM

The below posted note was pasted inside of the cover of the original box for my 22-32 HFT that shipped September 20, 1915 so evidently, as posted above, S&W had for years been experiencing fakes and maybe complaints, enough so that they made this factory statement strictly about MOP grips.

Note the medallions could be silver or gold.

glowe · #6 09-26-2022, 10:04 AM

From the research I have done, gold washed medallions did not appear until after the 1893 Chicago Exhibition. Many of the highly engraved S&Ws shown had pearl stocks, but all were plain, without medallions.

Gold washed medallions were started in the late 1890s and continued into the early 1900s. There are several threads on the subject and below is one of them.

S&W medallions

andorra · #7 09-26-2022, 11:14 AM

Thanks. Great forum.

mrcvs · #8 09-26-2022, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glowe

From the research I have done, gold washed medallions did not appear until after the 1893 Chicago Exhibition. Many of the highly engraved S&Ws shown had pearl stocks, but all were plain, without medallions.

Gold washed medallions were started in the late 1890s and continued into the early 1900s. There are several threads on the subject and below is one of them.

S&W medallions

My understanding was that medallions in mother of pearl stocks began in 1893, as well.

glowe · #9 09-26-2022, 02:18 PM

I am attaching the pdf from Peter detailing the 1893 Exhibition. His comment about medallion pearl stocks is below:

Originally, Smith & Wesson pearl grips were made without
any medallions, and no pearl grips at the Columbian
Exposition had them.

Well, I cannot add the pdf of Peter's presentation since the Forum only allows pdf files under 1.93 MB and my file is 2.03 MB

. I did download the text only pdf if you want to read the transcript.

Keith Brown · #10 09-28-2022, 06:57 PM

Out of my wheelhouse really but the factory pearl stocks I’ve seen have very precise frame matching cuts on both sides of stock circle with an equally precise chamfer around the top. I imagine they had a jig to aid in alignment as it’s difficult to do freehand. After market sometimes don’t have any at all or a quick unbalanced swipe easily separated from factory.
Here is a pic I pulled and enlarged to better show the cuts.