Serial number: A622505

Model 59

Looks like 1981.

Thank you! What about A4647XX?

Early 1978 on the A4647xx.

One more?

You guys are great!

A3689XX

Edit: 1976 - 1977?

Yeah, I'd say late 1976 or early 1977.

Of course, all of these are always approximations. In the mid 1980's and through now, date codes on the box end labels give much more precise dates. It has also been suggested that S&W can offer ship dates over the phone but I have never actually tried this.

By the way, I must add...
We usually reply to these questions simply by looking in the back of our favorite reference book, the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, by Jim Supica and Richard Nahas, now in it's Fourth Edition.

Get it from Amazon, it's worth every penny.

On items newer that late 1986 they can but on anything earlier they look in the book too.