Picked up a special order 19-5 serial num. AYY4XXX. 4 in blued round but. In the big S&W book it says it was made for the State Dept. Does anyone know more about this gun ? The gun is 99% with the box. Any value estimates ? Thanks.
Info on rare model 19
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No less than $700. Is it polished blue or matte?
Kernel Crittenden
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
Can you post pictures? Including the box label.
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i would love to see pictures of the revolver and box label also.
Kernel Crittenden
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
Very nice. 100704 was the Diplomatic Security Branch (State Department) gun. In that same AYY s/n range S&W also made a matte 2 1/2-inch Connecticut Stat Police gun 100728. It retailed for $269.99. Smith was also making standard production 4-inch M19-5's with AYY prefixes, pc 100705 (black ramp, black rear blade). Other guns, also. A lot going on in one s/n prefix range in 1988.
Why does the label list SB under the stock heading?
About all these "special commemorative" runs...
There's a zillion of them. OK, maybe I exaggerate.
There are a LOT of smaller size runs that have been made over the years, many for particular police departments, many to commemorate some event or other.
The thing to keep in mind is that if a pistol is stated to be a "special" piece, it probably not that special because anyone can do a run of any size and make a new declaration of rarety or specialty.
The REALLY rare guns are those that have fallen through the cracks and actually WERE a part of important history, or maybe some that were meant to be the beginning of a larger production run but were discontinued almost immediately, resulting in only a handful of that variant in existence.
Yes, most of these declared "special" variants might bring a little more than it's completely original counterpart, but often that's because the "special" gun was put away and is in almost new condition.
The bottom line is that the OP gun is worth AT LEAST what another 99% gun would be worth, and maybe some small change more, but that's usually it.
If you want to know the absolute honest truth of what that gun is worth, take some great pictures and put it up on Gunbroker.com as an auction.
An item isn't worth what someone "says" it's worth, it's worth what someone is actually willing to PAY for that item.
A GB auction in which thousands of gun enthusiasts, collectors, and profesionals get to have an opportunity to bid on it will tell you EXACTLY what it's worth.
If it brings $30,000, great, then that's what it's worth. But I think it would end up bringing in the $700 to $850 range (I'd be surprised if it brought that much), not so much that it's a State Dept. marked gun, but because of it's 99% condition and that it has it's original box and I will assume all the paperwork and cleaning brush etc. as well.
I have to say that I'm surprised that you found one in 99% because if that was an issue gun, it should show a lot of holster wear (which I personally think might make it even more interesting to a collector).
All that said, if I came across a 99% Model 19-5, I think I'd keep it and shoot it some but keep it well maintained.
Being a -5, it was probably made in the 80's, and so it's not a terribly old handgun from a historical standpoint anyway, and to me makes it a great shooter to use the way it was built to be used.
There's a zillion of them. OK, maybe I exaggerate.
There are a LOT of smaller size runs that have been made over the years, many for particular police departments, many to commemorate some event or other.
The thing to keep in mind is that if a pistol is stated to be a "special" piece, it probably not that special because anyone can do a run of any size and make a new declaration of rarety or specialty.
The REALLY rare guns are those that have fallen through the cracks and actually WERE a part of important history, or maybe some that were meant to be the beginning of a larger production run but were discontinued almost immediately, resulting in only a handful of that variant in existence.
Yes, most of these declared "special" variants might bring a little more than it's completely original counterpart, but often that's because the "special" gun was put away and is in almost new condition.
The bottom line is that the OP gun is worth AT LEAST what another 99% gun would be worth, and maybe some small change more, but that's usually it.
If you want to know the absolute honest truth of what that gun is worth, take some great pictures and put it up on Gunbroker.com as an auction.
An item isn't worth what someone "says" it's worth, it's worth what someone is actually willing to PAY for that item.
A GB auction in which thousands of gun enthusiasts, collectors, and profesionals get to have an opportunity to bid on it will tell you EXACTLY what it's worth.
If it brings $30,000, great, then that's what it's worth. But I think it would end up bringing in the $700 to $850 range (I'd be surprised if it brought that much), not so much that it's a State Dept. marked gun, but because of it's 99% condition and that it has it's original box and I will assume all the paperwork and cleaning brush etc. as well.
I have to say that I'm surprised that you found one in 99% because if that was an issue gun, it should show a lot of holster wear (which I personally think might make it even more interesting to a collector).
All that said, if I came across a 99% Model 19-5, I think I'd keep it and shoot it some but keep it well maintained.
Being a -5, it was probably made in the 80's, and so it's not a terribly old handgun from a historical standpoint anyway, and to me makes it a great shooter to use the way it was built to be used.
A 4 inch factory round butt 19 is a great find.................wanted one for years. It and a 4" fixed sighted 19 made for the French Police.....
Not doubting you Kernel........ but that gun doesn't look "as matt" as pictures of other DSS guns I've see. there is a thread right now with a 2 1/2" DDS gun in it....... see 18DAI's thread on the DSS guns
Not doubting you Kernel........ but that gun doesn't look "as matt" as pictures of other DSS guns I've see. there is a thread right now with a 2 1/2" DDS gun in it....... see 18DAI's thread on the DSS guns
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Lonestar57
Member
No expert here but there are collectors that really like these kind of things. Look at what the 686 Customs Service guns are bringing these days. It's a neat item in great condition with the box and confirming end label. I think it would have no problem bringing a number extra hundred dollar bills of what a standard 19-5 in the box would sell for. A very nice find indeed.....
Kernel Crittenden
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
The gun I refereed to as matte was the Connecticut State Police gun 100728.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I've seen half a dozen and to me it looked like it had a Highway Patrolman type finish. Some individuals might not even notice the difference.
Kernel Crittenden
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
In that era, that was S&W's two-letter feature code for "square butt".
I would like it just because I have a set of very expensive grips that would look gorgeous on that gun. Because.....I have bought more than one gun to fit grips.....
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