Neat find of the week

[The Kid]

Happened into my not so local gunshop today to browse around while my wife was at an appointment. No intentions of actually buying anything as my goofing off fund is severely depleted.

But of course something S&W caught my eye so I had to have a closer look. The revolver didn’t catch my eye so much as its stocks. It appeared to be just one of the uncountable number of well worn M&Ps. But it showed on the side facing up both a very well shaped and fitted, as well as uncracked or chipped Mother of Pearl stock along with a tag with a misidentification and a ridiculously low price. I was shocked when I asked to see it to find the other stock in matching perfect condition, the asking price was less than what I have watched nice MOP stocks sell for so a deal was quickly struck and I was on my way to retrieve the Mrs.

Turns out that it is an M&P showing about half of its factory nickel plating. The frame beside the grip pin shows a small N with no rework dates present or signs of a refinish. Barrel, cylinder, and frame numbers match. Chambers are in fine shape and everything functions fine after a good bit of elbow grease to clean up 75 years worth of gunk, although the bore does have some pitting.

Be neat to know what kind of adventures it has been on, I’d guess many miles in a right handed cop’s holster judging by the finish wear. My mind was immediately drawn to the Wolf&Klar guns being a 4” nickel with pearls. Serial is 480083, anyone have a close guess for a ship date?

 

[robertrwalsh]

Seriously way cool. Congrats.

 

[glowe]

Very few S&Ws made in the 1920s shipped with MOP stocks, so most are distributor installed. If they are not as thick as the original walnut stocks, they are not factory. By the 1920s, quality MOP thick enough to make into stocks were no longer available so the company quit offering them as an option.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Serial is 480083, anyone have a close guess for a ship date?

Probably early 1924.

 

[shown50]

Very few S&Ws made in the 1920s shipped with MOP stocks, so most are distributor installed. If they are not as thick as the original walnut stocks, they are not factory. By the 1920s, quality MOP thick enough to make into stocks were no longer available so the company quit offering them as an option.

As far as I understand it, All S&W MOP stocks after the Chicago World’s Fair(1894?) had medallions. S&W put disclaimers in the lids of boxes talking about the inferior quality of aftermarket MOP stocks.
MOP was offered in the 1930s as well since 7 or 8 Registered Magnums had them along with a 44 HE second model I own(lettered). I’m still researching a hard date for MOP ending, right now I’ve got 1936 as the last lettered gun.
As everyone says anything is possible with S&W. I did see an N frame sold online that was engraved with what appeared to be 1930s era MOP stocks but couldn’t confirm from pictures if they were made by the engraver or factory. My guesstimate is under 10 pairs of factory N frame MOP stocks.

 

[The Kid]

Probably early 1924.

Thank you. 100 years on and still a good useable tool for its intended purpose.

Insofar as the stocks being original. I have seen the old adds wherein S&W stated that factory MOP would always have medallions. I’m certain these are aftermarket. But, they are very well fitted and shaped with no gaps or funky shape that is sometimes found on lesser quality stocks. They were made from what must have been a very large shell, as there is just the slightest hint of a hollow on the inside of each stock. The “hollow” area is less than 1/16” deep by 1/2” wide and approximately 1” long, so almost completely solid as opposed to some sets I’ve found over the years that are very thin due to the hollow contour of the inner shell.

In all it’s just a fun pickup for me that I can speculate on it’s past and maybe shoot a little here and there if I want. I certainly didn’t need it and I’m much more a stag stock man than MOP but the price was right.

 

[glowe]

As far as I understand it, All S&W MOP stocks after the Chicago World’s Fair(1894?) had medallions. S&W put disclaimers in the lids of boxes talking about the inferior quality of aftermarket MOP stocks.
MOP was offered in the 1930s as well since 7 or 8 Registered Magnums had them along with a 44 HE second model I own(lettered). I’m still researching a hard date for MOP ending, right now I’ve got 1936 as the last lettered gun . . .

The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair was held from May 5 to October 31, 1893. S&W had a large collection or revolvers at the Fair with MOP stocks. None had medallions. After the fair ended, S&W kept most of the collection intact and around 1898 replaced all MOP stocks with small gold medallion pearl stocks as they traveled from one exhibition to another. There are a few opinions on pearl stocks with and without medallions and they seem to be similar, but I will let you decide which is most probable.

• ORIGINAL OPINION: Premium ivory and pearl stocks had the small gold over brass starting in 1898. I believe that the larger gold washed medallions were only used in the 1910s when they became available on I, N, and K frame walnut stocks, then continued into early 1920s. Pearl stocks were also available as early as 1868 without medallions until 1898.

• Originally, Smith & Wesson pearl grips were made without any medallions, and no pearl grips at the 1893 Columbian Exposition had them. The company (S&W) discovered that rather than purchasing guns with pearl grips from Smith & Wesson, distributors bought guns with standard factory grips and installed cheaper third-party pearl grips. To protect its reputation (and profit), the company started placing gold-plated Smith & Wesson trademark medallions on all factory pearl and ivory stocks starting in 1898. At the same time, the factory also replaced the pearl grips on its Columbian Exhibition display guns with new medallion grips. Peter De Rose wrote the above an article on the Columbian Exhibition in an earlier SWCA Journal. He stated that medallions did not appear until 1898 and that no guns had medallions at the Exposition in 1893.

• Roy Jinks stated that he had never seen factory pearl grips with the large medallions in the past, but since S&W made pearl stocks, but since several other companies made the pearls, Smith & Wesson would supply the outside manufactures with the grip insert parts, they would send what was currently available. This would change depending on the date and they would send what was currently available.

• Robinson was one of the early suppliers of the pearl blanks to S&W and had been making pearl stocks as well as ivory going back to about 1868. The factory stopped purchasing pearl stocks in the teens and then worked off inventory until the early 1920s for some models. It is also stated that pearls were reintroduced for a very short time in the 1930s, then S&W stated they could no longer rely on obtaining quality pearl for stocks.

 

[shown50]

The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair was held from May 5 to October 31, 1893. S&W had a large collection or revolvers at the Fair with MOP stocks. None had medallions. After the fair ended, S&W kept most of the collection intact and around 1898 replaced all MOP stocks with small gold medallion pearl stocks as they traveled from one exhibition to another. There are a few opinions on pearl stocks with and without medallions and they seem to be similar, but I will let you decide which is most probable.

• ORIGINAL OPINION: Premium ivory and pearl stocks had the small gold over brass starting in 1898. I believe that the larger gold washed medallions were only used in the 1910s when they became available on I, N, and K frame walnut stocks, then continued into early 1920s. Pearl stocks were also available as early as 1868 without medallions until 1898.

• Originally, Smith & Wesson pearl grips were made without any medallions, and no pearl grips at the 1893 Columbian Exposition had them. The company (S&W) discovered that rather than purchasing guns with pearl grips from Smith & Wesson, distributors bought guns with standard factory grips and installed cheaper third-party pearl grips. To protect its reputation (and profit), the company started placing gold-plated Smith & Wesson trademark medallions on all factory pearl and ivory stocks starting in 1898. At the same time, the factory also replaced the pearl grips on its Columbian Exhibition display guns with new medallion grips. Peter De Rose wrote the above an article on the Columbian Exhibition in an earlier SWCA Journal. He stated that medallions did not appear until 1898 and that no guns had medallions at the Exposition in 1893.

• Roy Jinks stated that he had never seen factory pearl grips with the large medallions in the past, but since S&W made pearl stocks, but since several other companies made the pearls, Smith & Wesson would supply the outside manufactures with the grip insert parts, they would send what was currently available. This would change depending on the date and they would send what was currently available.

• Robinson was one of the early suppliers of the pearl blanks to S&W and had been making pearl stocks as well as ivory going back to about 1868. The factory stopped purchasing pearl stocks in the teens and then worked off inventory until the early 1920s for some models. It is also stated that pearls were reintroduced for a very short time in the 1930s, then S&W stated they could no longer rely on obtaining quality pearl for stocks.

Thanks for the more detailed info! I couldn’t remember the exact year of the world’s fair but have seen pictures with captions stating the same information about nonmedallion pearls being replaced when the medallions became standard(1898 sounds right). There’s a detailed article about the guns displayed I’ll see if I can find a link for. The amount of guns displayed shocked me.

As far as gold washed .500 medallions from what I remember those went from 1910ish to 1916 then replaced in 1920 for .400 silver(on wood stocks). I agree the .500 came back around 1930 and it’s escaping me the year they switched back to .400. I have a 1936 shipped M&P with .400 silver medallions in wood stocks so sometime before then. S&W didn’t throw much away so they could’ve used whatever size was available until they ran out. That’s one of the best things about collecting S&W firearms, there’s so many variations and oddballs you never know what you’ll run across.