S&W mania
Member
It was late Nov 2005 and I was searching the auction site Gun Broker looking for old Smith & Wesson's revolvers in California area when I came across this auction advertising a Smith & Wesson M28 .357 Magnum. Well, it wasn't a M28 as listed. However it was an nice looking 38/44 Heavy Duty prewar revolver at a pawn shop in Riverside county of which is about an hour, or so drive from me.
I called the pawn shop up and asked them if the would take my credit card over the phone since no one had bid on the revolver and they said they would have to ask the owner. When the gentleman came back on the phone after a brief, but painful wait, he said he would. I gladly paid him the $250 dollar asking price and drove out (more like raced) to his shop the next morning along with a brand new copy of the 2nd addition of the Standard catalog of Smith & Wesson for him as I felt bad that he didn't realize what he had just sold me.
As a side note another Smith & Wesson Collector Association member whom shall remain nameless, beat me to the shops opening and tried to convince the owner to sell it to him! Go figure! The owner held to his agreement (and ethics) with me and did not sell it to him before I could arrive.
Much to my surprise when I lettered the pistol it shipped March 12, 1940, and was delivered to O'dea Hardware & Paint Store, Des Moines, Iowa for the Des Moines Police Department! A policeman's gun to boot! Wow! The records indicate that this handgun was shipped with a 5 inch barrel, blue finish and checkered walnut grips.
It still has the original numbered grips and last week and I found a nice blue Heavy duty box for it on ebay with serial number 60058 which is close to my handguns serial number! I email Roy Jinks to ask him if the box was in the same shipment and as the box went to Philadelphia on March 6, 1940 and was definitely not in the same shipment. Bummer! You can't win them all! I did pay more for the box than the handgun. I have a feeling it will all work out in the end though!
I took some pictures for you all to look at of the handgun and box, and I hope you will all enjoy them! The ammo is also original 38/44 was their boxes for added enjoyment!
S&W Mania #1756
I called the pawn shop up and asked them if the would take my credit card over the phone since no one had bid on the revolver and they said they would have to ask the owner. When the gentleman came back on the phone after a brief, but painful wait, he said he would. I gladly paid him the $250 dollar asking price and drove out (more like raced) to his shop the next morning along with a brand new copy of the 2nd addition of the Standard catalog of Smith & Wesson for him as I felt bad that he didn't realize what he had just sold me.
As a side note another Smith & Wesson Collector Association member whom shall remain nameless, beat me to the shops opening and tried to convince the owner to sell it to him! Go figure! The owner held to his agreement (and ethics) with me and did not sell it to him before I could arrive.
Much to my surprise when I lettered the pistol it shipped March 12, 1940, and was delivered to O'dea Hardware & Paint Store, Des Moines, Iowa for the Des Moines Police Department! A policeman's gun to boot! Wow! The records indicate that this handgun was shipped with a 5 inch barrel, blue finish and checkered walnut grips.
It still has the original numbered grips and last week and I found a nice blue Heavy duty box for it on ebay with serial number 60058 which is close to my handguns serial number! I email Roy Jinks to ask him if the box was in the same shipment and as the box went to Philadelphia on March 6, 1940 and was definitely not in the same shipment. Bummer! You can't win them all! I did pay more for the box than the handgun. I have a feeling it will all work out in the end though!
I took some pictures for you all to look at of the handgun and box, and I hope you will all enjoy them! The ammo is also original 38/44 was their boxes for added enjoyment!
S&W Mania #1756
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