The first thing I would do if the revolver was mine is obtain a letter of authenticity from the Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation. The letter will tell you if the revolver was shipped as custom engraved with gold inlays, and provide the shipping date and location. Since the .357 Magnum has the small S&W logo on the left side of the frame, chances are quite good it was shipped as it is now. Factory engraved and gold inlaid revolvers are scarce to rare and are quite valuable. I have seen them sell at auction for over $10,000.

Bill