Engraved First Year Combat Magnum

[Doc44]

K261672, Class "A" engraved by Virginia Le Blanc and shipped to Olympic Wholesale, Los Angeles, on December 10, 1956. This may be the first Class "A" engraved .357 Combat Magnum shipped by S&W. A unique feature of this revolver is a scene engraved on the side plate of a hunter with a dog in a mountain scene. I have quite a few factory engraved S&Ws, but I have never seen one with a scene engraved on the side plate like this. Click on the photos for a closer look.

Bill

 

[sophie]

Fantastic. I do see the Hunter and his dog. Very Pretty.

 

[SVT28]

Thanks for sharing! What does the other side look like

SVT28


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[boykinlp]

K261672, Class "A" engraved by Virginia Le Blanc and shipped to Olympic Wholesale, Los Angeles, on December 10, 1956. This may be the first Class "A" engraved .357 Combat Magnum shipped by S&W. A unique feature of this revolver is a scene engraved on the side plate of a hunter with a dog in a mountain scene. I have quite a few factory engraved S&Ws, but I have never seen one with a scene engraved on the side plate like this. Click on the photo for a closer look.

Bill

That is very cool, Bill. Do you have any idea why the scene was engraved on this revolver? Was it requested on the invoice, or was Olympic Wholesale a special S&W distributor? Were engravers given somewhat free rein on what they created?
Larry

 

[Doc44]

Larry...there is nothing on the invoice to indicate why a scene was engraved on the side plate and there is only the standard charge of $100 for Class "A" engraving. Olympic Wholesale did receive a lot of engraved and early 44 Magnums and Combat Magnums. I would put them in the same category as Rex Firearms and H. H. Harris.

Engravers were given quite a bit of latitude with what they engraved on a firearm, but a scene within the engraving is very unusual.

Bill

 

[John Patrick]

Maybe the fellow who ordered it hunted mountain lions?

 

[Club Gun Fan]

Bill
Very nice, glad you got it!

 

[Doc44]

Thanks for your help, Don. I appreciate it.

Bill

 

[Doc44]

A Model 19-3, Class "C" engraved and shipped to Rex Firearms in New York in October 1971. This is also the only .357 Combat Magnum to letter as being shipped with a mahogany presentation case. Click on the photo for a better look.

Bill

 

[bigl1911]

Hi Bill,

I think you saw this one I picked up last year..

 

[RKmesa]

Very nice guns Bill and Mark.

Bill:

Did Virginia sign that one somewhere? I believe she did sign Mark's.

Thanks for sharing,

 

[jscheck]

Absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Doc44]

Richard...She put a VL on both sides of the grip frame. Guess she wanted to make sure she was credited with engraving this Combat Magnum.

Mark...Yes, I saw it. Very nice Combat Magnum.

Bill

 

[RKmesa]

... This is also the only .357 Combat Magnum to letter as being shipped with a mahogany presentation case.

Bill:

The spec sheet for the 19-3 Texas Ranger Custom Deluxe (engraved) packages showed them also shipping with a mahogany case... (different from the regular sets that shipped in a walnut case).

 

[ZGrand]

Very nice. Took me a minute to spot the hunter/dog.

 

[Doc44]

Richard...I was referring to regular production Combat Magnums, not commemoratives. I know commemoratives shipped in a variety of presentation cases.

Bill

 

[RKmesa]

Richard...I was referring to regular production Combat Magnums, not commemoratives. I know commemoratives shipped in a variety of presentation cases.

Bill

Makes sense. Do you know of many Combat Magnums that shipped in presentation cases (other than the commemoratives)? That in and of itself has got to be pretty rare.

The two that you show in this thread are truly outstanding examples of Factory work. Any thoughts on who engraved the Class C 19-3 (probably Russ Smith, Tom Freyburger)?

Thanks again for sharing,

 

[Camster]

At one time, I had a very similar K38 done by her in the same era.(no scene)
I lettered it. Initially, it was a display gun for a distributor in Va,if memory serves.. Returned to the factory after a year or two, and then sold.
Her initials were under the grips.

 

[Doc44]

Richard...The Class "C" engraved Combat Magnum is the only production gun I know of that shipped with a mahogany case. I favor Mr. Freyburger as the engraver.

Bill

 

[handejector]

Bill:

The spec sheet for the 19-3 Texas Ranger Custom Deluxe (engraved) packages showed them also shipping with a mahogany case... (different from the regular sets that shipped in a walnut case).

Richard,
Look at the flyer you posted again.
Note the phrase "Walnut finished wood". Also look at the edges of the open case pictured in the flyer. Notice that the wood looks just like the wood of any mahogany case you have ever seen. The TR cases were mahogany stained with walnut stain.
Kinda ironic, really- the cheaper version came in a cheaper wood than walnut stained to look like walnut, and the higher priced guns came in the cheaper wood that was not stained. Maybe they ran out of stain while the engravers were working....

Note the typical mahogany grain and texture on this case-

Lid of same case.
This ain't walnut. It is mahogany stained.