I picked-up this Commemorative Nickel 29-3 last year. These were done up and sold in the mid 80's by the Orange Co. Sheriffs' Dept. (CA) and commemorate the 1st Lawman (Under Sheriff Robert Squires) killed in the the line of duty at Tomato Springs in Orange Co., CA. Today is the 100 anniversary (Dec. 16th, 1912) of that shootout and loss of life.
Here's a link to the story of what happened:
Lawman gunned down a century ago - Local - The Orange County Register
I've been told there are less than 300 of these and they originally sold for $750 (about $1550 adjusted for inflation). From what I understand, they were sold as a fund raiser (Project 999) to gather money for peace officers killed or wounded in the line of duty. I also heard the late Georgia Frontiere the than owner of the Rams (who were still playing in Anaheim at that time) was involved in this project.
My particular gun was taken in by my local shop from the daughter of the late Chick Iverson (who she inherited from). Mr. Iverson (a well known car dealer in the area) was best friends with John Wayne and an avid gun collector. My gun is # 169 and is numbered on the inside of the crane, badge, and medallion.
These originally sold with a belt buckle and paperwork which I didn't receive. A forum member here who owns one of these commemoratives was kind enough to photo copy his paperwork and send me a copy.
The original gun used in the 1912 shootout by Robert Squires was a nickel plated .44 Spl. I guess in the mid 80's the model 29 was the closest S&W had to use to best duplicate that gun. The grips are custom made and numbered (75?) using the OCSD badge as the grip medallion.
When these guns came out, one was given to a local shop (Grants Guns in Costa Mesa, a local John Wayne hang out) for display and order purposes. I spoke to the shop owner who recalled a story about the display gun. He had noticed a customer was trying to conceal a shiney gun under his jacket. Sure enough, the display gun was missing from behind the counter. When the owner confronted the thief, the thief pulled the revolver on him and dry fired it towards his face. The owner grabbed the gun out of his hands and the thief fled the store.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. Here's some Pics.
Here's a link to the story of what happened:
Lawman gunned down a century ago - Local - The Orange County Register
I've been told there are less than 300 of these and they originally sold for $750 (about $1550 adjusted for inflation). From what I understand, they were sold as a fund raiser (Project 999) to gather money for peace officers killed or wounded in the line of duty. I also heard the late Georgia Frontiere the than owner of the Rams (who were still playing in Anaheim at that time) was involved in this project.
My particular gun was taken in by my local shop from the daughter of the late Chick Iverson (who she inherited from). Mr. Iverson (a well known car dealer in the area) was best friends with John Wayne and an avid gun collector. My gun is # 169 and is numbered on the inside of the crane, badge, and medallion.
These originally sold with a belt buckle and paperwork which I didn't receive. A forum member here who owns one of these commemoratives was kind enough to photo copy his paperwork and send me a copy.
The original gun used in the 1912 shootout by Robert Squires was a nickel plated .44 Spl. I guess in the mid 80's the model 29 was the closest S&W had to use to best duplicate that gun. The grips are custom made and numbered (75?) using the OCSD badge as the grip medallion.
When these guns came out, one was given to a local shop (Grants Guns in Costa Mesa, a local John Wayne hang out) for display and order purposes. I spoke to the shop owner who recalled a story about the display gun. He had noticed a customer was trying to conceal a shiney gun under his jacket. Sure enough, the display gun was missing from behind the counter. When the owner confronted the thief, the thief pulled the revolver on him and dry fired it towards his face. The owner grabbed the gun out of his hands and the thief fled the store.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. Here's some Pics.
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