RM Vivas
US Veteran
In a post, I wrote:
“SERENDIPITY
Through diligence, perseverance, and a suicidal abandonment of sound fiscal practices, I have managed to put together a collection of just about one of every handgun NYPD ever used.
As most collectors will tell you, there is a progression to collecting. First, we get the representative example. The one with replaced grips, %75 blue and maybe some light freckling. Thats our "placeholder" gun; that is the gun that lets us say "Yea, I have one of those but I'm looking for a better one.". Then we move up to the nicer condition gun. Then we get the near mint gun. Then we get the near mint-in-box with paperwork ("box & docs") gun. Finally, at the rarified levels, we have the engraved gun with box & docs and at the very top of the gun food-chain-pyramid, the engraved gun that is historically significant with box & docs.
I'm not there yet (goals!) but I do try to upgrade…”
Well, today was an upgrade day.
At night it is oft times productive for me to cruise the internet gun auctions sites. Since I have copies of the NYPD records, if someone posts a gun that I think may be NYPD and they post an image of the serial number or put it in the ad copy, I can look it up and see if it’s worth bidding on.
I’ve had a good bit of luck with this lately, as witnessed by my current crop of ---5--- NYPD S&W Model 36-1 3” SB HB revolvers that went, ostensibly, to NY Policewomen.
So, now, having acquired almost one of everything I search for the uniques, the upgrade in condition, the ones with box & docs, the ones with history (M36-1 #458815) or ones that are priced too low to pass up.
So it comes to pass that this fellow popped up on my screen:
A straightforward S&W Model 10-3. Lanyard loop on the bottom caught my eye. Highway and Mounted had their guns fitted with loops. It seems worth investigating so I find the serial number C573846 and 3-4 minutes digging through my records finds a note that this gun appears in Book 56-63 page 200. I pull up the digitized records and….voila…:
EB# A2602 C573846 NAME ILLEGIBLE Shield #286 20th Pct. 16JUL63
All righty, documents as an NYPD gun from 1963 that has had a lanyard attached. Nice, but I already have one.
That’s where the upgrade part comes in.
This gun comes with the original box:
Note that aside from the serial number on the label matching the gun, in the information block for FRONT SIGHT it reads in red ink 2602; the Equipment Bureau # is on the box as well.
****, now I have to buy this! NYPD guns with the original box are hard to find. When the kids would buy their guns, I would always tell them “save the box and paperwork, it’ll increase the value one day”. They never listened.
Well, I’m committed now, so lets read the rest of the ad and see what it says:
Holy freakin' cannoli! The ---ORIGINAL SALES RECEIPT FROM THE EQUIPMENT BUREAU---!!! I have NEVER seen one of those. OK, that’s it, truck payment for this month gets deferred if I have to. I. Am. Getting. This. Gun!
When you put the whole package together, it looks like this:
This is a gol darn thing of beauty! Gun, box (inked NYP on back), docs, cleaning rod & brush and Equipment Bureau receipt. For what I collect, this is pretty much perfection.
Auction ended and I was the high bidder. Paperwork starts tonight. I consider this one a good catch.
I have to try and decipher the officers name, but I have a couple avenues to try on that. Setting up the paperwork tonight. Eventually when I have more deatils I'll try to post them, or you can just try to read about it at Concord next year, because I'm going to -try- to have a display.
So, there you have it. If you collect NYPD guns, this one is hard to beat for its completeness. Only thing that would make it better would be original belt rig, duped shield and a nightstick with a piece of someone’s orthodonture stuck in it. Seriously, when you get right down to it, I didn’t pay a pile of shekels for the gun, I paid them for the receipt. Still, gonna look good in a frame at Concord!!
Best,
RM Vivas
“SERENDIPITY
Through diligence, perseverance, and a suicidal abandonment of sound fiscal practices, I have managed to put together a collection of just about one of every handgun NYPD ever used.
As most collectors will tell you, there is a progression to collecting. First, we get the representative example. The one with replaced grips, %75 blue and maybe some light freckling. Thats our "placeholder" gun; that is the gun that lets us say "Yea, I have one of those but I'm looking for a better one.". Then we move up to the nicer condition gun. Then we get the near mint gun. Then we get the near mint-in-box with paperwork ("box & docs") gun. Finally, at the rarified levels, we have the engraved gun with box & docs and at the very top of the gun food-chain-pyramid, the engraved gun that is historically significant with box & docs.
I'm not there yet (goals!) but I do try to upgrade…”
Well, today was an upgrade day.
At night it is oft times productive for me to cruise the internet gun auctions sites. Since I have copies of the NYPD records, if someone posts a gun that I think may be NYPD and they post an image of the serial number or put it in the ad copy, I can look it up and see if it’s worth bidding on.
I’ve had a good bit of luck with this lately, as witnessed by my current crop of ---5--- NYPD S&W Model 36-1 3” SB HB revolvers that went, ostensibly, to NY Policewomen.
So, now, having acquired almost one of everything I search for the uniques, the upgrade in condition, the ones with box & docs, the ones with history (M36-1 #458815) or ones that are priced too low to pass up.
So it comes to pass that this fellow popped up on my screen:
A straightforward S&W Model 10-3. Lanyard loop on the bottom caught my eye. Highway and Mounted had their guns fitted with loops. It seems worth investigating so I find the serial number C573846 and 3-4 minutes digging through my records finds a note that this gun appears in Book 56-63 page 200. I pull up the digitized records and….voila…:
EB# A2602 C573846 NAME ILLEGIBLE Shield #286 20th Pct. 16JUL63
All righty, documents as an NYPD gun from 1963 that has had a lanyard attached. Nice, but I already have one.
That’s where the upgrade part comes in.
This gun comes with the original box:
Note that aside from the serial number on the label matching the gun, in the information block for FRONT SIGHT it reads in red ink 2602; the Equipment Bureau # is on the box as well.
****, now I have to buy this! NYPD guns with the original box are hard to find. When the kids would buy their guns, I would always tell them “save the box and paperwork, it’ll increase the value one day”. They never listened.
Well, I’m committed now, so lets read the rest of the ad and see what it says:
Holy freakin' cannoli! The ---ORIGINAL SALES RECEIPT FROM THE EQUIPMENT BUREAU---!!! I have NEVER seen one of those. OK, that’s it, truck payment for this month gets deferred if I have to. I. Am. Getting. This. Gun!
When you put the whole package together, it looks like this:
This is a gol darn thing of beauty! Gun, box (inked NYP on back), docs, cleaning rod & brush and Equipment Bureau receipt. For what I collect, this is pretty much perfection.
Auction ended and I was the high bidder. Paperwork starts tonight. I consider this one a good catch.
I have to try and decipher the officers name, but I have a couple avenues to try on that. Setting up the paperwork tonight. Eventually when I have more deatils I'll try to post them, or you can just try to read about it at Concord next year, because I'm going to -try- to have a display.
So, there you have it. If you collect NYPD guns, this one is hard to beat for its completeness. Only thing that would make it better would be original belt rig, duped shield and a nightstick with a piece of someone’s orthodonture stuck in it. Seriously, when you get right down to it, I didn’t pay a pile of shekels for the gun, I paid them for the receipt. Still, gonna look good in a frame at Concord!!
Best,
RM Vivas
