I inherited these two several years ago and would love information on what exactly they are and also what they might be worth.

First up is a 7 shot .22 rimfire Serial #93498 (pearl grips)
On the ridge above the barrel in one line of text it has:
Smith&Wesson Springfield Mass PAT.APR.3.55 jULY 5.59 DEC.18.60


Second is a 5 shot .32 centerfire Serial #77509 (black S&W grips)
On the ridge above the barrel in two lines of text it has:
Smith&Wesson Springfield Mass U.S.A PAT'S JAN 17&24.65
JULY.31.65 AUG.24.69 FEB.26.1877 REISSUE.25.1871

The second line is pretty hard to read, but I'm close with the numbers, any help would be greatly apreciated.

Thanks
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Welcome to the forum. Your .22 is a Model 1, 3rd issue. Made 1878 to 1892. Ser. No's 1 to 131,163. Your .32 is a Model One-and-a -Half. 1878 to 1892. Ser. No's 1 to 97574. Just the photos are not enough for me to give an accurate value. Someone else might give you a ballpark value.

Thanks, I appreciate the info. All I was looking for was a ballpark figure. Just curious.

They were given to my grandfather by a member of the jury of the Sacco-Vanzetti murder trial who purchased them for self defense during the trial because of threats made to the jurors. I just wish my family would have gotten the name of the juror, as it is the provenence is lost - so they are just a couple of antiques.

Looks like both are around 50% condition. Each these S&Ws are part of around 100,000 manufactured, so are not rare. Your .32 was manufactured in the mid-1880s and your .22 was around 1874+/-.

Pricing of these is a best guess, but I would think they are under the $200 mark each. Popular gun websites often ask much more for these, but they do not sell. Actual sold guns seem to be bought at the above prices. As others on this forum have stated, these pistols often sat in dresser drawers for decades, so there are many in excellent condition out there for the serious collector.

Hope this helps,

Gary

I think the previous value estimate is about right, maybe a little high. Tough to establish a value from a picture, also, the concept of value is nebulous - basically, value is the highest price someone will pay, and you can't know that until you try to sell them. Lots of people listing guns on Auction Arms and Gun Broker have delusions about what they are worth, which is why there are so many multiple relistings. They are hoping for a sucker to come along. My feeling is that every gun listed should have a starting price that is realistic (or less), then let the bidders decide what it's worth to them.

Provenance is everything on common specimens like these. If there was hard documented evidence of a link to the S-V trial (such as a bill of sale to a person who was established to be a juror, dated at the time of the trial), that might increase their value some. Hearsay is worth nothing as provenance.