Irresistible Safety Hammerless

[Modified]

I don't care for nickel or pearl in my revolvers. I find them to be an inferior aesthetic to that gorgeous old bluing and walnut.

However, this gun was something i simply had to make an exception for. If I ever only have one Nickel gun this will probably be it.

The condition is overall very good considering the age, the leather has attacked the bluing of the trigger guard a bit, and the edges of the nickel are not perfect, but living in the purse for the past century really did preserve the gun pretty well. The stocks appear to be 100%.

I have a few top breaks here and there, but I'm usually a hand ejector guy, it takes either a Model 3 or an exceptional top break to get me interested. I think this one counts as exceptional, at least in my limited experience.

I would certainly appreciate your guy's input on the gun. I can also go get some better pictures if there is interest in it. Having a hard time with my camera tonight.

 

[Chief Sapulpa]

WOW, most-exceptional...especially with a pistol purse!

 

[Masterpiece]

Sixgun,

Absolutely Gorgeous...A New Departure Collector's Dream...Nickel 2-Inch w/ Factory Pearls "Plus" a Near Pristine Purse to boot...What a Combo...Who could ask for more...Congrats!!

 

[TNDave]

Wow! That is a stunning little gun!

 

[H Richard]

OH MY!! As I sit here waiting for FedEx to arrive sometime today bringing my 2" nickle safety hammerless from SC, I know it won't hold a candle to this one. Absolutely beautiful. And the original purse! You don't see those every day. Whatever you paid for it, it was worth it.

 

[Modified]

Thanks for the confirmation that I didn't screw up guys.

I bought this pretty much based purely on how much I liked it, as I mentioned I mostly know about hand ejectors and not top breaks.

I've taken more pictures. I hope you enjoy them. You can click on any of them for a large version.

I do have one request, I try to maintain a spreadsheet with the current estimated value of my guns and notes about rarity/disposal if I should die. Usually I don't have a problem with this, pricing, but in this case I am not certain. About the only thing I have in my notes right now is to come to this forum and put it in the classifieds. It seems to me this is the kind of gun that should go to someone who really loves it.

Can you guys help me with a price?

 

[twaits]

Wow thats nice. Can't help you with a price but I would probably trade my blue Baby Russian for it. But it probably isn't worth as much as yours. The grips aren't original to the gun. But blue Russians are kind of uncommon:









Heres a couple of pics before I changed out the grips

 

[Modified]

The letter for it arrived.

Any idea who this fellow was who ordered it?

Edit:
This fellow seems to be about right for someone who would have owned this gun:

http://books.google.com/books?id=TU...tein"&f=false

Social Directory Savannah Georgia from 1902 Mr. Stein Bryan
9 Gordon St. E

Mr Stein Bryan in 1902
http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/26972877/
Savannah social news
The quarterly meeting of the Alumni Association of the Sigma Alpha Epsison was held Friday evening at Bannon LooKe. thunderbolt. After the regular meeting the members of the fraternity. were guests of Mr. Stein Bryan at a. supper serve a tne lodge. Covers were laid for forty guests and a delightful evening was scent.

More Savannah social registry
http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/34213250/
Dr. J. O. Van Marter and Mr. Stein Bryan left Wednesday for a ten days' trip to Philadelphia.

Mr. Stein Bryan was also an amateur golfer
http://library.la84.org/SportsLibra.../1912/ag76i.pdf

He also appears as an assistant cashier of
Oglethorpe Savings and Trust Company—8 Bryan, e. Branch— Thomasville.
Organized 1877. Paid up capital, $125,000. Authorized, $500,000. J. J. Dale,
president; Herman Myers, vice president; J. M. Bryan, cashier; Stein Bryan,
assistant cashier. Directors: J. J. Dale, H. Myers, S. Meinhard, C.C. Schley, R.
J. Nunn, David Wells, J. Paulsen, A. Leffler, J. E. Grady, Jr.

http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/ch...431savannah.txt
http://books.google.com/books?id=Nv...avannah&f=false

Also he and his buddies ran a yacht ashore in Massachusetts


PirGEure Yacht Ran Aground. fJJr A»»ool»it«J Pr-«O VINXYARD HAVEN. MASS., Sept. 5.— The schooner yacht K. C. Knight, from jXmHUIx, N. S., for Newport, ran ashore

on L'Homirie'dlou ChoAl. Vineyard Sound, j late yostenlay evening. She was floated off at high water a.nd the tug Pallaa towed her into this portThe Knight wTis chartered for a pleasure cruise 10 the roast of New FOundland by Dr. Van Martor and wife John F. Sciiiey, Stein Bryan. J- r - Guerard and George XV. oßcklctt,- all of Savannah. They were on their trip home from X«;w Foundland when the yacht ran .'.shore. They still remain on board tho vosaM.
http://virginiachronicle.com/cgi-bi...d=T19010906.1.3

Also an early car guy
See page 2 discussing him travelling with a Savannah car club from Savannah to Charlotte
http://library.digitalnc.org/cgi-bi...&CISOMODE=print

 

[opoefc]

Many times single order guns shipped to an individual whose name only is listed in the shipping records are tough to research and find any relevant data about the owner. Google has solved that problem quite well nowadays. Ed.

 

[H Richard]

I personally don't know the real value of your great little .32, but I did see one in like condition and with the same pearl grips for sale at a gun show in Denver about a year ago. It was listed at $1500. That probably isn't too far off. It did not have the purse (which adds a lot in my opinion).

You forced me into sending off for a letter for my Nickle .32 2", (but with black hard rubber grips).

 

[Askeladden]

Hmm. Does the second model .32 hammerless have thicker cylinder walls than the first model?

 

[Modified]

On a lark this morning I decided to do a little search on our friend Stein. To see if anything new had been digitized since I last looked into him.

First thing I find: The morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, February 12, 1898, Page 8, Image 8 << Georgia Historic Newspapers

Savannah Georgia, The Morning News, Feb 12 1898:

 

[H Richard]

Never get tired of looking at these vintage S&W's. I can compare to my Bicycle gun. I sold it Via David Carroll on Gunbroker and it brought $2500 in 2020. It might have been a little cleaner than yours, but with black hard rubber grips, and no purse or box. Keep it as long as you can, my age prompted me to be gradually selling off my collection.
Here's my former Bicycle.

 

[raljr1]

I bought this one a little over a year ago. I bought it with another top break for $900. I got a couple hundred out of the other so I estimate that I am into this one for $750.

 

[gmborkovic]

Wow! this is where I should have put my money 40yrs. ago. Back in the 50s and 60s these little gems just sat and sat at gun shows.

 

[Modified]

I got some time to keep digging. There's more to this story!

Enjoy dear readers, a wilder tale then I ever expected to find when I bought this gun...

Awww, no duel?

 

[singleshot1891]

What an incredible story.
I wonder what a "French ball" is (was) ?
Apparently not something to be attended by upstanding young ladies !
Am I correct in assuming that a "cowhide" is a bullwhip of some sort ?

Unfortunately your .32 Bicycle pistol wasn't shipped until 4 years after this incident occurred. Otherwise it would be easy to assume that your pistol was present at the beatdown which occurred !

WB

 

[Modified]

Yep, bullwhips.

I don't know that the French Ball itself was the issue, so much as that it was one that was masked and attended by people of low social standing.

I an just keep clipping too. Stein was in these news papers a lot. He appeared to be quite good at Golfing, drilling with the Georgia Hussars, Bowling, Car Racing (must have been quite the thing back then), sailing (crashed a yacht sailing to Cape Cod), and of course throwing lots of lavish parties.

The crazy thing to me at least is that most of his mentions in these papers are in the society gossip column. Which often is just listing him as an attendee of a party.

I really need to get around to asking the Savannah Historic society to see if there is more information about him, maybe a picture.

Regarding my pistol it looks like he bought it just before he moved to California. Or at least I found a mention of him doing so in the society column and it seems to be line up with his purchase of the gun. Guessing he may have bought it for personal protection on the trip.

 

[gmborkovic]

I believe "French ball" makes ref. to a lawn game much like bocce ball.

 

[Kinman]

Ain't that just the cutest thang?