Registered Magnum vs .38/44 Heavy Duty blue picture boxes
This is a bit of a “What came first? The chicken or the egg?” thread.
On page 181 of SCSW4, it states that the .38/44 Heavy Duty revolver originally shipped in a maroon box, from 1930 to 1935, and then in the blue picture box from 1935 to 1940. The blue .38/44 Heavy Duty picture box is very similar to the blue picture box of the Registered Magnum. And the Registered Magnum was introduced in 1935. So, was the .38/44 Heavy Duty box redesigned simultaneously with all others, or at least simultaneously with the introduction of the Registered Magnum in 1935, or was the .38/44 Heavy Duty revolver issued in a redesigned box prior to the introduction of the Registered Magnum revolver in 1934, and the design proved popular enough to use for the Registered Magnum revolver?
I ask this question as I have a top notch .38/44 revolver that shipped in July 1934 and it now resides, and may always have resided, in the blue picture box. Or maybe not. I can’t prove if it’s just A box or THE box.
While I’m at it, the instructions on the inside lid are bilingual—English and Spanish. Presumably for sales to the Mexican or South American market. How strong were sales of this revolver south of the border if at all?
All photographs are of the .38/44 Heavy Duty revolver and box as I don’t have a Registered Magnum revolver in its original box at this time. And, unfortunately, any serial number on the underside of the box has worn away to the point where it is not legible, making proof of originality difficult.
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