I was not really looking for my latest S&W; it was kind of like a stray that found its way to me. A month or so ago I was on GB, right after finding my last S&W, a 4” Transitional Heavy Duty. I was just price checking 2nd Model .44 Hand Ejectors, as usual not many and the few that were there were high condition, top end guns, or .455 British. There was one, a rather ratty ,flaking nickel, 6 ½” with what looked like real ivory grips and lanyard ring that looked interesting. Serial # 24880, placing it in 1926. The seller, a LGS with a low number(approx. 150) positive rating from the upper middle of Michigan, had posted good pictures and had what I felt was an accurate description. It even included a period looking holster. On the inside of each grip was a name and city, Capt. J E Boyd Johnson City Texas. The seller stated that the gun had a tight lock up and from the pictures looked all there and correct, just very finish challenged. The auction was no reserve, starting bid was $500 and ended on a Friday morning, three days from when I first saw the auction. There were no bidders.
I did a quick search of the name and came up with Captain James Erroll Boyd, a Canadian aviation pioneer – the Canadian Lindbergh. He was the first Canadian to fly across the Atlantic, the first pilot to fly across the Atlantic in the winter, WWI Royal Navy pilot, early night fighter pilot and Zeppelin hunter. In 1927 -28 he was a pilot for Mexicana Airlines. He would fly payroll to remote mining and oil camps. They would drop leather bags full of silver pesos out of the aircraft to the camps and oil field offices below, could he have had this .44 to protect the payrolls from the banditos of the day?
I said to myself that if no one had bid on this by the morning of the auction close, I would place a bid. Friday came around and there were no bidders and hour out of end of the auction, I placed the bid and waited, there were no other bidders and I won for $500. With CC fees, shipping and transfer I am into it for about $580, at worst I figured that I would have another 2nd Model shooter, with a little Texas provenance, brought back to Texas.
I picked up the .44 the following Tuesday and found that it also came with a period gun belt as well as the holster, although I would describe the belts condition as “relic”
I now have a brace of Smith & Wesson 2nd Model Hand Ejectors in .44 Special, one blue and one funky nickel, that is pretty cool. I suppose that I could get El Paso Saddlery to make me another 6 ½” 1917 holster and I could become two gun Glashaus, or not.
There is a star after the serial number on the butt and a barrel mark that looks like an R in a circle. There are no numbers under the grips that would signify a return date to the factory. There is no N on the frame for nickel finish. I sent off for a factory letter with the information that I had before actually receiving the pistol. I got the letter back this past weekend and as usual, the most important piece of information that it contained was which hardware store it was shipped to and the date. It was shipped on December 13, 1926 with a 6 ½” barrel, checkered non medallion walnut grips, nickel finish to Frank Budge Co, Miami Florida. No mention of a return to the factory. Now what?
Captain Boyd had lived in New York but had travelled extensively to further his aviation career.
The man that he went to work for at Mexicana Airlines in 1927, was George Rihl, (later senior vice president of Pan American). Mexicana had the mail contract between Mexico City and Tampico and also Matamoros. In 1927 Rihl also had flown mail from Miami to Havana, Cuba.
Could this be the possible Miami connection? Maybe Rihl bought it and then gave it to Boyd?
Boyd did this Mexican gig for about two years before his most famous flight across the Atlantic.
In the mid 30’s he was in Miami and the aviation editor of a paper in Florida and also ran a few hotels.
He was an early snow bird and spent the winters in Florida after WWII.
Captain Boyd passed away in 1960, aged 69. His signature on the grips looks a lot like this signed card.
Could this 2nd Model have been in the possession of one of Boyd’s four daughters’ or even his grandchildren as a family heirloom until their passing and then no one in the family wanted it? Could it even be this Capt. J.E. Boyd’s pistol? Collecting older firearms can be a most educating experience. I have had an interesting month of hunting down information and learning about one of Canada’s aviation hero’s. I found a book on Captain Boyd’s life and times and have been reading about his exploits, but no mention of this nickel S&W anywhere.
The ivory grips are in great shape with a wonderful aged patina. I suppose that it would be best to not shoot this .44 with the ivories on, I do have a set of wood copies that I can use for shooting. Any suggestions on the best way to deal with the surface rust? I have not cleaned this at all since receiving it.
I know that a lot of you guys like factory fresh S&W’s with boxes and docs and no turn lines but to me it is the firearms like this that show they have been used that are truly interesting versus ones that sat in a safe or a shelf for 90 years. Having a S&W like this is like holding history in your hands.
I did a quick search of the name and came up with Captain James Erroll Boyd, a Canadian aviation pioneer – the Canadian Lindbergh. He was the first Canadian to fly across the Atlantic, the first pilot to fly across the Atlantic in the winter, WWI Royal Navy pilot, early night fighter pilot and Zeppelin hunter. In 1927 -28 he was a pilot for Mexicana Airlines. He would fly payroll to remote mining and oil camps. They would drop leather bags full of silver pesos out of the aircraft to the camps and oil field offices below, could he have had this .44 to protect the payrolls from the banditos of the day?
I said to myself that if no one had bid on this by the morning of the auction close, I would place a bid. Friday came around and there were no bidders and hour out of end of the auction, I placed the bid and waited, there were no other bidders and I won for $500. With CC fees, shipping and transfer I am into it for about $580, at worst I figured that I would have another 2nd Model shooter, with a little Texas provenance, brought back to Texas.
I picked up the .44 the following Tuesday and found that it also came with a period gun belt as well as the holster, although I would describe the belts condition as “relic”





I now have a brace of Smith & Wesson 2nd Model Hand Ejectors in .44 Special, one blue and one funky nickel, that is pretty cool. I suppose that I could get El Paso Saddlery to make me another 6 ½” 1917 holster and I could become two gun Glashaus, or not.

There is a star after the serial number on the butt and a barrel mark that looks like an R in a circle. There are no numbers under the grips that would signify a return date to the factory. There is no N on the frame for nickel finish. I sent off for a factory letter with the information that I had before actually receiving the pistol. I got the letter back this past weekend and as usual, the most important piece of information that it contained was which hardware store it was shipped to and the date. It was shipped on December 13, 1926 with a 6 ½” barrel, checkered non medallion walnut grips, nickel finish to Frank Budge Co, Miami Florida. No mention of a return to the factory. Now what?



Captain Boyd had lived in New York but had travelled extensively to further his aviation career.
The man that he went to work for at Mexicana Airlines in 1927, was George Rihl, (later senior vice president of Pan American). Mexicana had the mail contract between Mexico City and Tampico and also Matamoros. In 1927 Rihl also had flown mail from Miami to Havana, Cuba.
Could this be the possible Miami connection? Maybe Rihl bought it and then gave it to Boyd?
Boyd did this Mexican gig for about two years before his most famous flight across the Atlantic.
In the mid 30’s he was in Miami and the aviation editor of a paper in Florida and also ran a few hotels.
He was an early snow bird and spent the winters in Florida after WWII.
Captain Boyd passed away in 1960, aged 69. His signature on the grips looks a lot like this signed card.


Could this 2nd Model have been in the possession of one of Boyd’s four daughters’ or even his grandchildren as a family heirloom until their passing and then no one in the family wanted it? Could it even be this Capt. J.E. Boyd’s pistol? Collecting older firearms can be a most educating experience. I have had an interesting month of hunting down information and learning about one of Canada’s aviation hero’s. I found a book on Captain Boyd’s life and times and have been reading about his exploits, but no mention of this nickel S&W anywhere.

The ivory grips are in great shape with a wonderful aged patina. I suppose that it would be best to not shoot this .44 with the ivories on, I do have a set of wood copies that I can use for shooting. Any suggestions on the best way to deal with the surface rust? I have not cleaned this at all since receiving it.
I know that a lot of you guys like factory fresh S&W’s with boxes and docs and no turn lines but to me it is the firearms like this that show they have been used that are truly interesting versus ones that sat in a safe or a shelf for 90 years. Having a S&W like this is like holding history in your hands.
