A True Bekeart

Goony · Apr 20, 2023

Sometimes the "big boys" really don't know as much as they want you to think they do. The Rock Island Auction Co. sold this Heavy Frame Target model back in 2018. What they failed to emphasize was that serial number 139178 was one of those precious 294 actually shipped to Philip Bekeart in 1911 (on August 31 of that year to be precise). They noted the number "856" stamped into on the bottom of the left stock, but for some reason deemed the stocks to be replacements. So for no good cause the hammer price came up shy of the estimated range, and somebody got a bargain. See: Smith & Wesson 22/32 Bekeart Model Hand Ejector Revolver | Rock Island Auction

mrcvs · Apr 21, 2023

One would need a letter to prove this revolver shipped to Phil Bekeart and not to someone else. Also, being from nearly five years ago now, and hammering at $1380, once one adds in shipping, sales tax, and FFL fees, one is close to or over $1500–hardly a bargain!

Goony · Apr 21, 2023

It'll letter to Bekeart, all 294 having already been identified by serial number. It was one of 50 in Order #5815. In its condition, I'd still contend a price in the $1,500 range would qualify as a bargain.

JSR III · Apr 21, 2023

According to my research of the factory records in Dr. Jink's office a few years ago I can also confirm that it was shipped to Bekeart on 8-31-1911. That stock imprint number is in line with others that I have gathered. Unfortunately either S&W did not keep records of those numbers or they have not surfaced.

Any gun within the first run will have an imprint number between 1 and 1,050.

In my database I have seen imprinted stocks appear on a much later gun but obviously they were added at a later date.

I show 428006 with imprint 581, 444688 with 2071 and 483925 with 1467. All of these guns were made in the 1920's and I show no other .22/32's with imprint numbers after the gun went into production in 1914/1915. I also show that 2071 appears in my database on gun 163973 shipped in 1913 so either it was reported incorrectly or someone was trying to fake a Bekeart gun. The stocks were also reported to be without medallions which placed them in the 1920's and all of the imprinted stocks had gold medallions.

This is the first time that I noticed the duplicate 2071 imprint so I will need to do some follow up to see what I can find.

*Well I did a forum search and 444688 was listed in a thread from 2022. It was being sold on GB and links were provided. Unfortunately so much time has passed that the links are no longer valid. Seems like it was discussed in that thread and deemed to be a fake. If you search the forum using 444688 and look at POSTS, 3 will appear. Read the second one for the details. Someone must have had a set of number stamps and tried to create something that never was.....

mrcvs · Apr 21, 2023

Okay, I stand corrected. I didn’t realize this was confirmed to be a true Bekeart without the factory letter.

JSR III · Apr 21, 2023

mrcvs said:
Okay, I stand corrected. I didn’t realize this was confirmed to be a true Bekeart without the factory letter.

As I have posted in other threads, thanks to the graciousness of Dr. Jinks I was able to review the factory records a few years back and have recorded all of the serial numbers for the first run of 1,050. There are shipping dates and destinations for almost all 1,050 however a handful (5) were not readable in the handwritten record and therefore we will never know where they went. Perhaps further study and a different set of eyes may be able to read the writing but for now this is what we have.

Collectors continuing need to have all of the facts and details about our favorite gun company have helped to uncover the fact that the original Bekeart count of 292 was off by 2 and he actually received 294 from the first run.

He also received a majority of the second run in 1912 but those numbers are only based on information gathered outside the factory records and as more details are collected we may find that he only received a portion of the second run also believed to be 1,050. These guns fall into the range of 161XXX to 165XXX.

The third run in 1914 for 490 all went to M.W. Robinson in 5 shipments on Jan 31, Feb 18, 21, 27 and March 19 starting at 207926 and ending at 208415.

A True Bekeart

Goony

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