Compared to "letters" from other gun makers, I think S&W letters, plus now that we have the SWHF chiming in with info in some cases, is equal, or better, than the other gun makers. Having said that, there are several models, such as Victories and very early antiques, where specialized info available for a letter is minimal requiring educational guesses by Roy. $100 for a letter on an early Model One may leave one sorry they sent for it, however the letter you usually get for a Registered Magnum is a bargain at $100 ! Ed (We are never going to catch up with the Brits, however. Order a letter from, say, Holland & Holland on your elephant rifle and you get a history from Day One on the gun, who has owned it, how many times it's been shot, by whom & where, and their family tree going back to the Knights of the Round Table !) Ed