38 M&P HE model 1905 38 special

[IBSandy]

Hi all,

Picked up a 38 M&P Hand Ejector 38 special in Nickle. It appears to be all original including the finish. Someone did some filing under the left grip so I cannot say for sure. Roy said it was shipped March 1906.

Serial # is 75814, Any swags on what it may be worth? I appreciate your help.

Many thanks,
Sandy Jacobs SWCA 1509

 

[IBSandy]

Hi all,

Picked up a 38 M&P Hand Ejector 38 special in Nickle. It appears to be all original including the finish. Someone did some filing under the left grip so I cannot say for sure. Roy said it was shipped March 1906.

Serial # is 75814, Any swags on what it may be worth? I appreciate your help.

Many thanks,
Sandy Jacobs SWCA 1509

 

[Muddyboot]

If sold on Gunbroker, I would guess between 350.00 to 450.00 dollars, could go as high as 500.00 on a good day. The Grips are what really grab my attention. They look to be in very good condition. Case colors on trigger and hammer are excellent. Hard to tell the condition of the nickel from your photo, but a very nice pick up on your part. If you ever wish to sell, please let me know.

 

[mikepriwer]

Did you get a letter, to confirm that it was
shipped nickel ? And also - does it have
an N stamped on the grip straps, or under the
barrel near the serial number, or under the
extractor star ?

Later, Mike Priwer

 

[IBSandy]

Hi Guys,

Yes, I am going to sell it. No, it has not been lettered. I can take some better pictures in the morning.

I will dig it out tomorrow in the am and answer all of your questions.

Thanks,
Sandy Jacobs

 

[mikepriwer]

Sandy

My reason for asking about the N markings is
that, as early as this gun is, it may be before
the N mark was used. Or, it may not !

So, it would be interesting to know if the
gun has the N marks anywhere, and it would also
be interesting to know how it was shipped.

Later, Mike Priwer

 

[IBSandy]

Here are some closeups of my 1905 38 Special HE.
Someone ground off all of the markings under the grip panels.

The grips are numbered to the gun on the RS grip. I was not able to see anything but numbers under the barrel. Overall, about 90-93 % of the Nickle is good with some rust freckles here and there. don't know if it is original but it all looks right.

Open for discussion.
Thanks,
Sandy

 

[mikepriwer]

That certainly is a nice pair of pre-1910 stocks !

Later, Mike Priwer

 

[MikeyL]

Nice grips, and the gun looks good overall. I would rate it certainly NRA "Very Good" up to "Excellent" (without seeing it personally, of course) under the NRA antique guidelines (it is over 100 years old, after all). I suspect the value is in the $400 to $600 range; JMHO, of course. Mike Priwer, do you agree? You have a great sense for the values on these older K frames.

MikeyL
S&WCA #2010

 

[mikepriwer]

MikeyL

I would not have guessed that high. Its a 1905 1st chg M&P, not a target.
I don't know what is going on with the filed grip straps - maybe it was nothing
more than rust removal, maybe something else. Either way, all the nitty-gritty
markings are gone. We don't know if that is the original finish. The grips ,
while very nice, are almost too nice, as though they have been nicely refinished.
And possibly the checkering cleaned up at the same time. Maybe, maybe not.


Its not uncommon to find a target in really nice condition, but an M&P with the
grip straps filed is kind of puzzling. With no letter, it probably did not come out
of an estate, where in had been kept in a drawer for the last 100 years ! Had that
been the case, its common for a dealer to get a letter - not always, but common, for
really nice pieces.

The case coloring on the hammer, particularly, and also the trigger, is very vivid-
again almost too vivid, for the rest of the gun. If I had to guess, and its only
a guess, I would say that the grips and the case-coloring look too good to be original.
Without knowing more about the gun, that would be my guess.

Either way - original or refinished - I would think this to be about a $300 gun -
maybe a few buck more, but not a lot. There are just too many M&P's around - in mint
shape and in their original box.

Later, Mike Priwer

 

[IBSandy]

Hi guys,

Maybe Roy can tell us without a letter if it was shipped with a Nickel finish. I will ask him.

Thanks for the feedback.
Sandy Jacobs
SWCA 1509

 

[mikepriwer]

Sandy

That would be a good idea.

As I said earlier, I don't know when they started stamping an N
on the various parts, for Nickel finish.

Later, Mike Priwer

 

[DWFAN]

The grips have been refinished. If you look carefully at the bottom border you can see the over run from the checkering tool. The original checkering would have been very high, uncut, on the top and lower borders. Notice the top of the checkering on the right hand panel near the border. See how it's rounded up and un cut? That's the way the bottom should look. Some stocks are finished better on the bottom but most aren't. I'd also hazard a guess as to the gun being refinished also.
DW

 

[beanbean]

Mikepriwer,
I have a M&P 4th Change 38 4" RB Nickle that I am reasonably sure in factory nickle.Upon thorough inspection it has a capital N in only one place.The N is 1/32" to the right of the grip post on the right side.The #is 5050XX.I have checked all other places mentioned and there is no sign of N in those areas

 

[mikepriwer]

Paul

You have a good eye - and provided hard evidence that confirms my guess
about the grips being redone. I missed the over-run cuts on the bottom
edge.

Bean

Probably - an N in that location is not the factory mark for nickel.
Typically there are several letters, numbers, characters, stamped around
the stock pin. Those are the assemblers/fitters marks, and are applied
as their operations are completed.

All of the N's I have seen, on the grip strap, are fairly large letters -
much larger than the letters stamped around the stock pin. 505xxx is
about a 1924 or 1925 gun. I would think that, by that date, the N was being
stamped on the barrel, cylinder, and frame.

A factory letter will confirm the original finish.

Later, Mike Priwer

 

[MikeyL]

Good eyes, you guys! That's the value of this forum; we get lots of good input. It is interesting to see how these older M&Ps get valued. I think location has some impact. I was offered a 4" round-butt 1905 M&P First Change, in an old black "cop" holster last week. Good mechanicals, but worn. Guy wanted $595, and was not interested in hearing that there were a lot of these out there, and that it was worth $300.00 or less. Goes to show you! As always, the factory letter is the best confirmation.

MikeyL
S&WCA #2010

 

[mikepriwer]

Sandy

There is one other thing about this gun, and that is the tone of the finish.
Maybe its just the lighting, but this finish seems to have a bluish tint to it.
Its ever-so slight, and it may just be the light.

If you have another similarly-finished gun, would it be possible to get one
picture of them side-by side ? I would have expected a nickel finish to have
a slight greenish-yellowish tint, but not a bluish tint.

Thanks, Mike Priwer

 

[IBSandy]

Mike,

I have Nickel, 44 HE 2nd model that is lettered as factory refinished. I will take a few pictures tomorrow with them side by side. Good Idea!

Regards,
Sandy Jacobs
SWCA 1509

 

[Texas Star]

The bluish tint may represent a refinish in chrome, not nickel.

T-Star