Hi There,
I'm trying to date a what appears to be a new mod 3.6 1/2 in barrel,blued,a .44 cal, walnut grips. Excellent condition.
Top rib is just marked smith & wesson,mass USA.
Cylinder is marked 16506,butt is marked 30791.
I read different cylinder # not uncommon. Are the values listed the smith book of 1700 fine,4000 exc reasonable? Thanks !
The mismatched cylinder does affect value. One should also check
the barrel and latch to see if they have the correct serial numbers.
A mismatched cylinder will have less effect on NM#3's that were
shipped to Japan because Japanese armorers sometimes did swap
cylinders during a rebuild process and it is considered part of its
historical providence. The serial number on the butt is the revolver's
serial number. The cylinder, barrel and barrel latch should have
the same serial number but there are possible exceptions (like the
NM#3's that were shipped to Takata & Co. in Japan for the Japanese
Imperial Navy).
All NM#3 frames were manufactured before 1899 and are considered
antique but to know when it was shipped from the Factory takes
a Factory letter.
Value is always subjective. Right now, the antique gun market
is somewhat soft and most firearms are not pulling full value unless
they have some special features or historical significance. Having
said that, NM#3's have been less affected in general but the econ-
omy has an affect on the market and items that are judged as
luxuries suffer the most. Also, it is hard to give advise on value
when one hasn't seen the firearm in question. "Excellent" refers
to the original finish and not to a re-finished revolver. But in the
end, it is what it's worth to you. To get a "feel" for the market,
go to an auction site like GunBroker and look at completed auc-
tions (of ones that actually were sold) and see what they went for.
This will give you a more realistic idea of the current value.
Cheers!
Webb
