Grandfather Left Me a Gorgeous .38 Special with an Inlay Gold Bear

[murphydog]

The gun is a model 60, also called a stainless (steel) Chiefs Special. From the serial number it was made in 1976.

It is obviously the product of a highly skilled professional engraver, and others on the Forum may recognize his (her?) work from the photos. If it was done by the S & W factory, it would be worth more than if someone performed the engraving and inlay work afterward, but a value is hard to determine. A professional appraisal may be in order. I'm sure as a family heirloom it is literally priceless to you and your mother.

 

[neon8]

Your GF was obviously a man of good taste. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Shadoe]

Isn't it just gorgeous? The detail of the engraving is amazing. I don't know anything about guns, but I am an artist, and the aging and depth of the engraving appears to be original to the gun. I didn't even know that they did such intricate work on these pieces of art. I thought it would be older than 1976, I am surprised.

 

[Jim Watson]

That is a very fine engraved revolver.
The bear is especially well done. I have seen a lot of engraving with good scrollwork and abstract design but falling down on animal or human portraits. This one is good. Not that you would go bear hunting with a .38, but it is fine work.

If you went over the gun with a magnifying glass, you might find the engraver's name or initials. Mine has a tiny "B.B. R.N." (Billy Bates, Registered Nurse, he is a part time engraver.)

 

[michael thornton]

wow that is a good looking j frame for sure!

 

[diamond_c]

Simply beautiful. Your grandfather had outstanding taste.

 

[P&R Fan]

Shadoe,
Welcome to the forum. That is a very nice Chief's Special, and the fact that it was your Grandfathers makes it extremely special. I will echo previous comments about not letting it go, but from the tone of your posts I can see that won't be an issue. Good for you.
One suggestion I will make though is when you find out all of the information previously mentioned, write it down. Someday you'll be a grandmother (I know, a LONG time from now) and you can pass this on to them. I have a lot of my Fathers and my Grandfathers guns. I know some of the stories but would give almost anything to spend a few hours asking them questions. I wish they had written some stuff down. Please do this for future generations. They will really appreciate it.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to follow my own advice.

 

[357larry]

Wow! Just Wow! Your Grandfather had nice taste.

 

[Shadoe]

Thank you P@R great advice. I nearly lost my very loved mother last year to cancer and it made me look at life differently. I have taken the time to learn stories from her life, my grandfather's life, recording anything I can so my 25 year old son can continue the stories to his children when he has some! Plus sharing the discoveries with my mother while she is here is the best part of the experience.

 

[tekarra]

Shadoe,
Let me welcome you to the forum as well. The revolver and the photos are superb, thanks for sharing with us. You have received some sound advice from the good folks here, so I hope you treasure your Grandfathers legacy and that you will stick around.

 

[Shadoe]

Does the gold grizzly bear signify anything?

 

[bullmack]

Does the gold grizzly bear signify anything?

Was your GF also a Californian? The bear is a Cali state symbol!

 

[Shadoe]

Yes we are all Californian LOL Can it be that simple?

 

[f8 crusader]

From a southern CA guy living in VA, Shadoe, welcome to our forum, your revolver is truly a work of art, I was given the same model revolver as yours except mine is a plain model, it was given to me by a dear friend who no longer is with us.
For that reason my M60 is priceless, enjoy yours.

This is what my plain M60 looks compared to yours.

 

[Shadoe]

Wow that is amazing! They look like totally different guns. I would love to find out if this one was born like yours then engraved or if it came from the factory with the engraving.

 

[Shadoe]

From a southern CA guy living in VA, Shadoe, welcome to our forum, your revolver is truly a work of art, I was given the same model revolver as yours except mine is a plain model, it was given to me by a dear friend who no longer is with us.
For that reason my M60 is priceless, enjoy yours.

This is what my plain M60 looks compared to yours.

By the way I lived in VA for several years myself, lived in the Richmond area and worked for Reynolds Metals before they became Alcoa.

 

[sheriffoconee]

Shadoe,
Mr Roy Jinks, the Smith and Wesson historian, can give you a factory letter telling you the condition of the gun when it left the factory, and where it was shipped. You may find clues there as to who did engraving. The letter is also important for future generations as to the identification of the Model 60. The charge for the letter is $50 bucks, which is a deal for a unique firearm like yours.
As for the grizzly bear, I urge you NOT to take that particular gun grizzly bear hunting, as shooting such a critter with it would likely infuriate the bear. You need a bigger gun for bigger critters.
I would also suggest your 60 has been fired some, as evidenced by the carbon rings around the front of the cylinder (the little black rings are shown in the pictures)
Those can be cleaned off in a number of ways.

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

Shadoe, I also welcome you. There was a gun similar to yours in one of our S&W Collectors Association magazines with a Golden Ram or Mountain Goat on the side. I would definitely get the gun lettered, which will come from the S&W historian. He may know if it was factory engraved. Send pics with your application. He may letter it just from your asking on the forum with those pics. That gun is so special I would never even think about selling it unless it were going in a museum for everyone to enjoy. Please insure it and store it safely.
Like one of the other members said, it would be priceless if it were my own Grandfather's.

 

[BUFF]

S&W will, for a fee of $50, write you a nice letter that will tell you when the gun was shipped, where it was shipped to and whether or not it was engraved and inlaid by them. While the date and destination of shipment won't be too exciting (you already know it was made about 1977, and most S&W handguns of that era will have been shipped to a distributor rather than an individual) whether or not it was engraved there may be good to know. As has been mentioned, factory engraving will elevate the gun's dollar value. I know you aren't likely to sell the gun, but replacement value will be a good thing to determine for insurance.

Your fiveshooter has been shot, so shooting it some more won't hurt it or it's value. If you do decide to shoot it, get some instruction, wear ear and eye protection and have fun!

 

[Shadoe]

Shadoe, I also welcome you. There was a gun similar to yours in one of our S&W Collectors Association magazines with a Golden Ram or Mountain Goat on the side. I would definitely get the gun lettered, which will come from the S&W historian. He may know if it was factory engraved. Send pics with your application. He may letter it just from your asking on the forum with those pics. That gun is so special I would never even think about selling it unless it were going in a museum for everyone to enjoy. Please insure it and store it safely.
Like one of the other members said, it would be priceless if it were my own Grandfather's.

Thank you, I will definitely get it lettered, I'd love to have that information to store with the revolver and pass to my son or his children when he has them. I will never sell it, it could be worth $25k and I wouldn't let it go, it means a lot to me, not at all about the money, its like holding my grandfather and my mother in my hands.