sipowicz
Member
I have a pair of Smith cuffs my dad gave me...they might be his original pair from 1954 but I can't be sure...the serial number is 37372...anyone a cuffie?
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Handcuff date code?
- Thread starter sipowicz
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Terry C
Member
The five digit serial indicates very early production.
So the '54 date is certainly plausible.
Sorry I can't pin it down to an exact date. There isn't a lot of reliable data on production dates.
The '50s Model 90 cuffs are significantly different from the later model 90, which were still being manufactured as late as the early '80s.
Study the photo below, you can see the difference. The '50s cuff is on the left.
So the '54 date is certainly plausible.
Sorry I can't pin it down to an exact date. There isn't a lot of reliable data on production dates.
The '50s Model 90 cuffs are significantly different from the later model 90, which were still being manufactured as late as the early '80s.
Study the photo below, you can see the difference. The '50s cuff is on the left.
OP
sipowicz
Member
It's definitely the same as the one on the left...thanks guys.....
Terry C
Member
n4zov, I'm not seeing anything in my inbox.
I'm currently re-learning how to walk as a long hospital stay has left me wheelchair bound for now. My cuffs were stored in an area where the chair can't go. I had to get my wife to bring them out so I could go through them and find my two pairs of '50s era cuffs.
At least I knew that these were in old cuff cases (oiled and wrapped first), so that excluded any that were in the original boxes, or in new-looking leather.
I now have serial numbers.
The Set in the photo above is 44036.
The other set is (are you ready for this?) 11650.
1952 is the correct startup date. If the guy with 22916 is sure that his was made during the first year of production, then he knows something that I don't. I don't doubt it, I just can't verify it.
Try resending the PM, I'm curious to see what they go for.
At least with these old cuffs, serial numbers actually mean something. Once they went to the six digit serial number that rolls over, they became moot. Handcuffs, unlike firearms, don't have to have a unique serial number. I have a '60s era 90 and an '80s era "Pat's. Pending" 100 that are only a few numbers apart.
sipowicz, you have a cuff that is not only a collector's item, it's also a family heirloom. Take good care of them and cherish the memories they hold.
They really don't make them like they used to.
I'm currently re-learning how to walk as a long hospital stay has left me wheelchair bound for now. My cuffs were stored in an area where the chair can't go. I had to get my wife to bring them out so I could go through them and find my two pairs of '50s era cuffs.
At least I knew that these were in old cuff cases (oiled and wrapped first), so that excluded any that were in the original boxes, or in new-looking leather.
I now have serial numbers.
The Set in the photo above is 44036.
The other set is (are you ready for this?) 11650.
1952 is the correct startup date. If the guy with 22916 is sure that his was made during the first year of production, then he knows something that I don't. I don't doubt it, I just can't verify it.
Try resending the PM, I'm curious to see what they go for.
At least with these old cuffs, serial numbers actually mean something. Once they went to the six digit serial number that rolls over, they became moot. Handcuffs, unlike firearms, don't have to have a unique serial number. I have a '60s era 90 and an '80s era "Pat's. Pending" 100 that are only a few numbers apart.
sipowicz, you have a cuff that is not only a collector's item, it's also a family heirloom. Take good care of them and cherish the memories they hold.
They really don't make them like they used to.
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OP
sipowicz
Member
Will do Terry...
And get well soon!
And get well soon!
Terry C
Member
Thanks, sipowicz, and sorry for the IM confusion.
You've been here long enough that you should remember the "karma" giveaways we used to have.
I actually gave away a set of these cuffs, serial number 67937, in a karma drawing. They weren't in pristine condition as far as finish (rough edges), but they weren't too bad and mechanically perfect. I included the case and original key that came with them.
BTW: My post count is misleading. I've lurked, but this is the first thread I've responded to since the board lost my post count. I had over a thousand posts when it reset to zero.
You've been here long enough that you should remember the "karma" giveaways we used to have.
I actually gave away a set of these cuffs, serial number 67937, in a karma drawing. They weren't in pristine condition as far as finish (rough edges), but they weren't too bad and mechanically perfect. I included the case and original key that came with them.
BTW: My post count is misleading. I've lurked, but this is the first thread I've responded to since the board lost my post count. I had over a thousand posts when it reset to zero.
OP
sipowicz
Member
Nice karma....
OP
sipowicz
Member
I'm sure they could, but most likely you'd get a simple letter telling you yours was one of a few hundred that went to this gun store or that police supply...don't think it would be personalized enough to be worth it...
Glock 'em down
Member
I own two pair of 6 digit S&W cuffs. Mine are not so much family heirlooms, but they get used quite often.
I remember when I first bought them...I took them to my local jeweler and had her engrave my name in nice print on them.
When I picked them up a few days later, she asked me, "uh...can I ask you a personal question?"
"Of course," I replied.
"Uh...why did you want your name on these handcuffs?"
I told her that without my name on them, they could be stolen and I couldn't verify that they were mine.
She made a comment about the serial number. I told her that yes, I could jot down the serial number of them and HOPE they turn up, but with my name as big as life on the side, that is a deterrent enough to keep them from walking away.
She then asked me, "you mean - you put the cuffs on a bad guy and he steals them?"
I told her, "no, if a bad guy takes off running with my cuffs on, the PD would buy me a new pair. I have my name on them to keep the other cops from taking them."
Appalled, she replied, "what?! You mean other cops will steal your handcuffs?!"
"Of course," I answered. "'Trust me with your life, but not your money or your wife' is the cop's motto."
She got a good chuckle out of that.
I learned that lesson after I had a set of 5 digit model 90's stolen that my uncle gave me when I first donned a gun and badge way back in 1989. I know it was another cop that stole them, because my model 629 was lying right beside them when they got lifted, but the revolver was still there when I returned.
I remember when I first bought them...I took them to my local jeweler and had her engrave my name in nice print on them.
When I picked them up a few days later, she asked me, "uh...can I ask you a personal question?"
"Of course," I replied.
"Uh...why did you want your name on these handcuffs?"
I told her that without my name on them, they could be stolen and I couldn't verify that they were mine.
She made a comment about the serial number. I told her that yes, I could jot down the serial number of them and HOPE they turn up, but with my name as big as life on the side, that is a deterrent enough to keep them from walking away.
She then asked me, "you mean - you put the cuffs on a bad guy and he steals them?"
I told her, "no, if a bad guy takes off running with my cuffs on, the PD would buy me a new pair. I have my name on them to keep the other cops from taking them."
Appalled, she replied, "what?! You mean other cops will steal your handcuffs?!"
"Of course," I answered. "'Trust me with your life, but not your money or your wife' is the cop's motto."
She got a good chuckle out of that.
I learned that lesson after I had a set of 5 digit model 90's stolen that my uncle gave me when I first donned a gun and badge way back in 1989. I know it was another cop that stole them, because my model 629 was lying right beside them when they got lifted, but the revolver was still there when I returned.
OP
sipowicz
Member
Funny!
I never worried about mine being stolen but often someone else would transport a prisoner and then when you got to the jail, your cuffs would be hanging on the outer cell door...so most guys mark their cuffs for easy ID...
I never worried about mine being stolen but often someone else would transport a prisoner and then when you got to the jail, your cuffs would be hanging on the outer cell door...so most guys mark their cuffs for easy ID...
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Brings back memories of my daddy's set of handcuffs that I have now-only his are much prettier and still have about half the fur left. 
