Hi guys,

I'm new here and have been lurking for years but never had a reason to actually register and post until I picked this up in trade along with a few Colt's. I got a letter for it from Mr. Jinks for authentication. I'm not interested in selling it because I know it is a "scarce" gun but I would like to know what the market value of it is. I have never come across one for sale so I jumped on this one quick when I had the opprotunity. I have searched via Google and only found a year+ old auction where the starting bid was $3150 and it doesn't specify if it sold for that or not. Anybody willing to give their opinion on what this puppy is worth? Thanks.

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The pictures are small but they should open bigger if you click on them. If not let me know and I'll crop some to fit better. Sorry about that...I'm a new guy

Please Post some more images, so we can enjoy seeing it and see some of the details!

Welcome to the Forum.

That's a neat way to introduce yourself to this site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Well I just tried to add some bigger pictures but they still show the small ones, but if I put my cursor over the image for a few seconds or I click it then it automatically opens a larger image. Is that working for you guys? I hate computers

I'll try to mess with it tomorrow, sorry 'bout that.

Three to four years ago, the prices were $3000 to $4000. I know that
for a fact, because I sold the one I had for about $4000. It wasn't
clear to me why they sold for so much, but they did.

As far as I know, the 2" guns were sold in the US. They went to
train stations, to power utility companies, etc, to be used as guard
sidearms. The ones I'm aware of did not see WW2 military use.

Mike Priwer

That's the way that the imbedded images work so don't worry about it.

Congratulations sir, that is a nice find. Certainly not too many of those around and authenticated as well. Thats the first one I have seen, though I knew they existed.

Welcome to the forum. I agree that you made a very cool introduction with that gun. Maybe my education has been neglected, but I didn't know that 2-inch Victories even existed.

It's always hard to set a value for an uncommon model. While it is usually possible to dig up a couple of recent transaction prices, there is no guarantee that a buyer can be found at those levels the next time a specimen becomes available. Then again, there is also no guarantee that the last price paid won't be exceeded at the next auction if two or more guys with deep pockets and a burning desire for that particular model show up to bid.

Based only on what I have heard here and what I know of the price behavior on other scarce or rare models, I'd say your gun probably has a $2000 floor; if you offered it at that price, it wouldn't take too many hours (or minutes) to get a buyer. On the other hand, I imagine you could eventually sell it if you offered it at $5000 -- but you might have to wait a few months to find the buyer at that level. But neither sale would set "the market value" for that model. It would set a specific value for a particular specimen under the circumstances that prevailed for that particular transaction.

I know, fuzzy answer. But hey, that's economics.

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David Wilson

Very nice, it is only the second one I have seen. The other one (about 3-4 years ago) sold for much less than $4K, but I didn't have the funds at the time. The Standard Catalog of S & W 3rd edition states 4-5X standard value and 300 being shipped to the DOJ, but obviously defense-related plant security agencies also received them. Welcome to the Forum!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Very nice Victory! Thanks for sharing it with us, and Welcome to the forum!

Congratultations on the purchase and it's a beauty and a rare one at that.

I agree with Mike. This is perhaps the 4th or 5th example of an original 2 inch barrel Victory model I've seen anywhere during my lifetime. It was a pleasure to see your revolver and the accompanying provenance. Some guy with deep pockets will cough up plenty of dough for that piece, and all the usual market pricing parameters sort of fly out the window. Best of luck!

Cheers;
Lefty

Edited to add:

The first one I saw was back in the early 70's. Owned by a retired NYPD Lieutenant who bought it just after WWII (1946) when he went on the job. He told me he purchased it along with a 4 inch Victory together, in nearly new condition, for the princely sum of $70.00, how bout that! He said he bought them from John Jovino's gun shop.

that is very cool! welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the input guys. I realize that price is determined by who wants it most and who has the deepest pockets, at that particular time of sale. I am supprised at some of the numbers you guys have said; I was thinking $1200 max!

I guess I'm just trying to figure out how much I can tell my wife it's worth so maybe some day I'll stop hearing her say "you bought another gun!" "Yes dear, but they are collectable investments"

If anybody knows of any past auctions where one has sold I would very much appreciate the link to it. Thanks.

Murphydog, it seems that you have the Standard Catalog of S&W 3rd. I don't have that. Would you be willing to share what it lists for prices for a Victory? Thanks.

OMG!! I know this post is old but I just saw it. I live in Brunswick, Ga. and my grandfather worked for J. A. Jones shipyard before joining the Merchant Marines during WW2. To see something actually attributed to my hometown is amazing. What good luck you found an actual 2" Victory.

From what I have read, the original 2" Victories went to non-military destinations and were DSC guns. I have two others on my list, both also being DSC guns. I have never seen one, or if I did, I didn't recognize it as being one.

I thought they were mainly for the FBI, as at least one reference states. Why would they issue snubs to plant guards?

Someone here said that DOJ did get 300. Those are probably the FBI guns.

It's too bad there seems to be so little information available on the Defense Supply Corporation. I'm really curious how exactly a customer qualified for ordering through them. Some of the companies I've seen on letters for DSC Victorys don't appear to be what one would consider defense contractors. I was wondering about J.A.Jones Construction, but since rob26ga mentions a shipyard, I guess that would make some sense. I have a picture of another letter for a DSC Victory that went to the Marion Steam Shovel Co. in Ohio, which is kind of hard to imagine as a target for German or Japanese saboteurs.

One of those on my list lettered as going to the Tulsa PD, probably to a detective. I suppose any defense contractor or LE agency could order a snubbie if that's what they wanted.

The first 2 inch barreled Victory Models were indeed military and not DSC guns. They were shipped to Fort Mason at San Francisco in December of 1942. The DSC 2 inch guns did not appear on the scene until 1944. The USGI 2 inch guns are easily distinguishable from the DSC 2 inch Victories.

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

Charlie, you say the USGI are easily distinguished from the DSC guns, What are the distinguishing differences?

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I also have a 2" Victory I acquired from my grandmother. I haven't lettered it yet, but I guess it is about time to do so.

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Why yes, yes you should . Very nice!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Could be, but it has postwar Magna grips. What's the serial number? Any property stamping on the topstrap?

Very nice. It would be helpful to those of us who track rare models if you would be willing to share the serial number.

There are other threads in the forum archives about the true two-inch Victory models, as well as lots of threads about the cut-down two-inch guns that are easily recognized and not at all what we are talking about here.

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David Wilson

I previously posted about this a year ago so it should already be in the Victory database here. Yes, the grips are not original but were on it when I received it. No property marking other than the bomb next to the "V".

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That SN would put shipment in (probably) September 1944, therefore likely to be a DSC gun. If so, it would not have any topstrap property stamping. It is worthy of getting a factory letter to see where it went and also to establish that it shipped as a snubby.

My father packed us up in Boise, Idaho, and we trundled off to Stockton, California----where he became Director of Purchasing (if memory serves) of Harris Manufacturing Co. (ditto). Harris Manufacturing Co. made farm machinery----usually. The time was 1942. Harris Manufacturing Co. was making tank treads/tracks, and machine gun barrels. Maybe Marion Steam Shovel Co. was making the rest of the tanks.

Ralph Tremaine

During WWII, virtually every factory which had made anything in peacetime was awarded government contracts (or subcontracts from larger contractors) for producing war material or components of same, even though it wasn't closely related to what it made before the war. I have no idea as to the qualifications for ordering revolvers through DSC. Probably not much beyond establishing you were a defense contractor, a law-enforcement agency, or another civilian government agency.

Here are the differences.

The USGI military shipped 2 inch Victory Models are in the V175000 range. They have the left top strap marking of "UNITED STATES PROPERTY" (not U.S. PROPERTY GHD). That makes them the only .38 Special Victory Models with that left top strap marking.

On the other hand the DSC shipped 2 inch Victories are above V500000 in serial range and have no left top strap markings at all.

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215