My one and only nickel RM came to me on the cheap waaaaaaaay back when from a RIA auction. I forget what the price was, maybe $1100---maybe $1600. It was noted as "original finish". It showed up all frosty, but a half hour later with some bronze wool and oil, it was STUNNING!!!!
The letter arrived, and said it was one of 15 shipped to the Indianapolis P.D., care of Lt. So & So, Director of Training. ALARM bells went off in all directions!! How does a P.D. gun end up looking like this?!!!!
Fast forwarding to its disassembly for its welcome bath, and I found out how it ended up looking like this----other than maybe the Lt. took it home and put it in his sock drawer. Here's a teeny, tiny little star---A BUNCH smaller than usual----way up at the top of the left grip frame where it meets the frame----damn near invisible. UH-OH!! Then there's another one hidden under the ejector star, one more on the barrel, hidden away inside the ejector rod shroud. one on the yoke somewhere I don't remember, and the last one the inside of the sideplate. Then, as an extra added attraction, everything under the sideplate looked brand spanking new! The only possible conclusion was it had been completely rebuilt and refinished by the factory----and they did one hell of a fine job!!
I kept that gun for five years, which is how long it took to come up with a pair of pre-war Magnas worthy of the rest of the gun, and then I sold it-----$3000 maybe, telling them what it most certainly was.
That gun sold at auction not too long ago, presumably with full knowledge of what it really was (because the seller is a straight arrow) for a bit over $8000.
The moral of this story is "Too soon we get old, and too late we get smart!"
Ralph Tremaine
that is if one exists.
