Any Smith & Wesson revolvers shipped to tobacco companies, especially 1900 to 1904?
Before I begin, I would think the most likely candidate for this might be the Safety Hammerless models, but early Hand Ejectors, such as the .22 and .32 Hand Ejector Models or the Model of 1903 might have been candidates as well.
I have posted photographs of a Catalogue of Presents dating from late 1901 or 1902, as my research indicates these Catalogues were issued November of each year for the following year, and this Catalogue was for incentives available from November of 1901 through November of 1902. One could redeem cigar tags from Floradora Cigars and other makers, and my understanding is that each tag was for two cigars, and so the redemption of 1500 tags would have required one to smoke, or at least purchase, 3000 cigars.
This catalogue is approximately 72 pages in length and I posted the colour graphics, with the exception of those pertaining to revolvers, as the colour graphics tend to be quite good, and the black & white ones are less exciting.
You could redeem these tags for virtually any conceivable household item that was necessary (or unnecessary) for day to day live in the first few years of the 20th Century.
The revolver black & white graphics are posted (and longarms were available as well). As one can see, the Colt Model 1877 with a 4 1/2" barrel, blued finish, with ejector, in .38 cal (the Lightning Model) was an incentive that was available in 1902, when this catalogue dates from, and probably at least 1900 to 1904, as the following information suggests:
By 1894 production of the Colt Model 1877 had trickled to less than 5,000 units yearly, in most years well under this number. Here are production figures (approximate) from 1898 until the end of production:
1898--2300, approximately 107,500
1899--4000
1900--7200
1901--7600
1902--9700
1903--8500
1904--7700
1905--2800
1906--3000
1907--2000
1908--1000
1909--1849, to serial number 166,849 and the end of production
So, is the serial number range from 1900, approximately 115,500 to the end of 1904 (1905 begins with approximately 156,200, "prime" range for tobacco guns?
What, otherwise, would account for the upsurge? It would be interesting to know if the VAST majority of production was Lightnings in that time frame, IF, as it seems, only Lightnings were available by redeeming tobacco tags.
I am really, really surprised that Smith & Wesson revolvers were not available as an incentive, as they were vastly more popular (vis a vis the Safety Hammerless Model, and others) during this time frame than the Colt Lightning Model. Many shipments of 25 or 50 revolvers, or even more, are lettering during this time frame as having shipped to a tobacco company. Now, in 1902, it appears that Smith & Wesson revolvers were not offered as a redeemable incentive. My question is were they ever available at all, during other years, or I guess to solve the question, do any of you own a Smith & Wesson revolver that shipped to a tobacco company as per a Roy Jinks letter?
Before I begin, I would think the most likely candidate for this might be the Safety Hammerless models, but early Hand Ejectors, such as the .22 and .32 Hand Ejector Models or the Model of 1903 might have been candidates as well.
I have posted photographs of a Catalogue of Presents dating from late 1901 or 1902, as my research indicates these Catalogues were issued November of each year for the following year, and this Catalogue was for incentives available from November of 1901 through November of 1902. One could redeem cigar tags from Floradora Cigars and other makers, and my understanding is that each tag was for two cigars, and so the redemption of 1500 tags would have required one to smoke, or at least purchase, 3000 cigars.
This catalogue is approximately 72 pages in length and I posted the colour graphics, with the exception of those pertaining to revolvers, as the colour graphics tend to be quite good, and the black & white ones are less exciting.
You could redeem these tags for virtually any conceivable household item that was necessary (or unnecessary) for day to day live in the first few years of the 20th Century.
The revolver black & white graphics are posted (and longarms were available as well). As one can see, the Colt Model 1877 with a 4 1/2" barrel, blued finish, with ejector, in .38 cal (the Lightning Model) was an incentive that was available in 1902, when this catalogue dates from, and probably at least 1900 to 1904, as the following information suggests:
By 1894 production of the Colt Model 1877 had trickled to less than 5,000 units yearly, in most years well under this number. Here are production figures (approximate) from 1898 until the end of production:
1898--2300, approximately 107,500
1899--4000
1900--7200
1901--7600
1902--9700
1903--8500
1904--7700
1905--2800
1906--3000
1907--2000
1908--1000
1909--1849, to serial number 166,849 and the end of production
So, is the serial number range from 1900, approximately 115,500 to the end of 1904 (1905 begins with approximately 156,200, "prime" range for tobacco guns?
What, otherwise, would account for the upsurge? It would be interesting to know if the VAST majority of production was Lightnings in that time frame, IF, as it seems, only Lightnings were available by redeeming tobacco tags.
I am really, really surprised that Smith & Wesson revolvers were not available as an incentive, as they were vastly more popular (vis a vis the Safety Hammerless Model, and others) during this time frame than the Colt Lightning Model. Many shipments of 25 or 50 revolvers, or even more, are lettering during this time frame as having shipped to a tobacco company. Now, in 1902, it appears that Smith & Wesson revolvers were not offered as a redeemable incentive. My question is were they ever available at all, during other years, or I guess to solve the question, do any of you own a Smith & Wesson revolver that shipped to a tobacco company as per a Roy Jinks letter?
