Well, here we go again--and there's a BIG clue from H Richard right up above! It ain't about the what, it's about the who---and the first answer is neither you nor ANYBODY else knows whether or not to get a letter until AFTER you have the letter!!
I lettered every single gun in my collection---target guns from the beginning (NM #3's) right on through to the end of the "five screws"----considered the letters as frosting on the cake-----part of the package. Were many of the letters plain vanilla? Of course, that's simply confirmation of the way S&W distributed their products.
Now, back to the who: S&W sold their products to any and all who had the money to pay for them----and back the day they sold a goodly number of guns direct to individuals------all of whom are more interesting than the XYZ Distributor---and some of whom are even more interesting.
Let's talk about K-22's---common as dirt, right? One of the more than a few in my collection wasn't sold---it was given away. It was given to the fellow S&W credits with the development of the 357 Magnum cartridge. The last sentence of note in that letter said "This is a very important revolver." I about wet my pants!!
How about the cost of the letter? The next question is "Compared to what?"
I paid $3700 for this particular K-22 (a 2nd Model)----bought it because it was better than the one I already had. It sold along with the rest of my collection after I decided it'd be best to leave behind a pile of money rather than a pile of guns. It sold sight unseen with one phone call that might very well have lasted for 2-3 minutes---and it sold for the price the buyer said he'd be willing to pay------before any mention of an asking price---and it was A LOT!!!!
Now for the bad news---the sad news really: The fellow I bought the gun from had owned it for TEN YEARS---and never lettered it. After learning what he'd had, he said "I guess that'll teach me!"
Does it teach you anything---besides making decisions about things you don't know the first thing about?
Ralph Tremaine
