Originally Posted by muddocktor

Pics would help (yes, we love gun porn here too ). As for the box, it sounds like the seller had bought another box and erased the original serial number and printed in the one for your gun. That ain't too kosher in my book. As to pricing, $1600 for a an earlier 5 digit N serial like yours is a bit high, but not grossly so. Yours should have been made around the late 60's to 1971 or so according to the SCSW. As far as the flat head screw, that is what should be there under the grips. It wasn't until way later that S&W used dome head screws in that spot. I don't know when they stopped using the flat head screw there, but they still were using the flat head screw under the grip area on my 27-5 of 1991 vintage and also my 629-3 Classic of 1991-1992 vintage.

BTW, just to give you another data point on pricing for 3 1/2" barrel 27-2 guns, I bought a nickel gun a few months ago with original box (real original box) and it also came with a presentation case (didn't originally come with the gun and seller stated so in the auction) and was in at least the same condition as yours and I gave $1800 for the package (GB buy). Mine is a little later gun than yours, with a serial # of N162XXX, which puts a manufacture date of somewhere around 1974.