Greetings all,
I photographed this 8 & 3/8 inch Pre-27 over three years ago, however, for the life of me, I can't find the images. I recently got a new lens and wanted to give it a test, so I decided to drag this beautiful old Smith & Wesson out and have a go at it.
This Pre-27 shipped from the factory on January 30, 1956 to Union Hardware Company in Los Angeles, California. I was fortunate enough to find it with its original numbers-matching grips and box with the anti-rust paper still in place. As is so often the case, the sight adjustment tool and Helpful Hints brochure were long gone.
This is the highest condition, most minty Pre-27 that I have ever seen in person. The bluing is phenomenal; no pictures could possibly do it justice. There is a very faint turn ring, and the slightest of handling marks here and there, otherwise it appears this revolver came out of the time machine. If I were to hand this revolver to you and ask you to find the handling marks it might take you some time because they are so minor. It appears I missed a few smudges during surface prep before snapping the shutter, but, in spite of that, I hope you enjoy:
A friend of mine and fellow collector has stated that he wants this in his herd. Quite frankly, I'm just not sure what would be a fair market value on such a package, or if I could bring myself to let it go. I'm still looking for an all numbers-matching 3 & 1/2 inch Pre-27; that would probably be the only thing that might give me cause to part with this mint gem.
What do my fellow forum members think in terms of value? They say condition is everything, however, the longer barreled Pre-27s don't seem to be as popular as their 3 & 1/2 inch brethren.
At the end of the day, no matter what it is worth, I am quite happy to be the caretaker of this 52 years-young revolver.
Best,
Michael
I photographed this 8 & 3/8 inch Pre-27 over three years ago, however, for the life of me, I can't find the images. I recently got a new lens and wanted to give it a test, so I decided to drag this beautiful old Smith & Wesson out and have a go at it.
This Pre-27 shipped from the factory on January 30, 1956 to Union Hardware Company in Los Angeles, California. I was fortunate enough to find it with its original numbers-matching grips and box with the anti-rust paper still in place. As is so often the case, the sight adjustment tool and Helpful Hints brochure were long gone.
This is the highest condition, most minty Pre-27 that I have ever seen in person. The bluing is phenomenal; no pictures could possibly do it justice. There is a very faint turn ring, and the slightest of handling marks here and there, otherwise it appears this revolver came out of the time machine. If I were to hand this revolver to you and ask you to find the handling marks it might take you some time because they are so minor. It appears I missed a few smudges during surface prep before snapping the shutter, but, in spite of that, I hope you enjoy:
A friend of mine and fellow collector has stated that he wants this in his herd. Quite frankly, I'm just not sure what would be a fair market value on such a package, or if I could bring myself to let it go. I'm still looking for an all numbers-matching 3 & 1/2 inch Pre-27; that would probably be the only thing that might give me cause to part with this mint gem.
What do my fellow forum members think in terms of value? They say condition is everything, however, the longer barreled Pre-27s don't seem to be as popular as their 3 & 1/2 inch brethren.
At the end of the day, no matter what it is worth, I am quite happy to be the caretaker of this 52 years-young revolver.
Best,
Michael
