Pre War Large Medallion K Frame Grips

[bullmack]

Another set of large medallion stocks

I read this thread when it first appeared and the 'bells' failed to go off. Re-read it today when it popped back up and thought maybe I should take a look at my assemblage of M&P's to see if I have anything in the 611xxx range. Sure enough - I have M&P, Model 1905, 4th Change S/N 611490

So I scroll over to my computer's gun inventory to take a look at the pictures and, there they are, large medallion grips. Run upstairs to my gun room and pull the grips (probably did this before but failed to note it in my electronic file) and they number to the gun

I have not lettered the gun nor asked Roy for a ship date. I purchased it off GB for $385 from Vermont where I was born and lived till age 34. Double Karma. Not the best picture quality!

 

[DCWilson]

I was wondering about these grips when I came across this thread. Here's a picture of my model 1905 4th M&P #6103xx range.

Yup, large medallion.



And Dennis, you have just officially used up your luck issuance for the year. Nice gun! Great price!

I like Vermont, where some early Wilson ancestors who tolerate cold better than I do spent a few generations a couple of centuries back.

 

[brigham33]

Large medallion Nickel's

About 18 months ago found the K frame in the upper right on GB -serial 610953. It's lettered to August of 1932 and was shipped with "walnut silver medallion square butt grips". The grips are not numbered but fit so well and are in comparable condition to the revolver, I believe they are original. Shipped to Bluefield Hardware in Blue Field, WV. Though the picture is poor, its in very nice condition.

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The other "nickles" are a 22/32 and 2 ladysmiths

 

[DCWilson]

Beautiful gun and large medallion stocks. Check the back of the stocks under bright light for hard to read pencil notations. The first digits should be 610 or 611.

Can you check the first digit of the serial number again? A gun with a number beginning with 8 would be a wartime contract gun that shipped in 1940 or 1941. I bet it is a 6, in which case those might be the original stocks.

I love that Target Ladysmith. There just aren't many of those, and the ones that exist usually don't look that nice. I have one that needs a little work. But even after I get it fully tuned up, it won't look anywhere near as good as that one.

 

[brigham33]

Thank you! Yes the first digit is a 6 not an 8. I've looked but the wood is dark and I do not see any writing on the R grip...

Rick

 

[Drknobhead]

I have a large medallion S &W 38 special with a SN of 610033, Pencil markings on handles match the butt plate. However,it also has a stamped hammer with Reg. US Pat. Off....Mike wrote:
"the patent markings on the hammer (and the trigger) refer to the case color hardening technique used on S&W revolvers. It was a fairly short-lived practice to mark those parts in this way and was discontinued shortly after it began."

Wondering if there is any correlation with the large medallion and the stamped hammer? Does anyone else have a stamped hammer with their large medallion 1905 m & P?

 

[DCWilson]

I can't at this moment recall the actual beginning and ending dates, but the era of patent registration stamps on hammers lasted for several years. You see them on most revolvers produced in the 1930s.

 

[Drknobhead]

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What kind of estimated value would having these large medallion's add to the gun? Esp if serial numbers inside handles match the gun?

 

[Drknobhead]

Or how much do these handles sell for by themselves?

 

[Texas Star]

I know little of such subtleties, but are the large silver medallions the same size of the older gold ones?

I'm thinking that S&W may have found some remaining K-frame stocks originally made for the gold medallions but which had never been completed with the medallion installed. Could have been due to the pressure of tooling up for WW I, etc.

If they realized that the large silver medallions would fit, they'd use them and avoid wasting those grips. Or, maybe they had extra large ones from a time when fewer N-frame guns were being sold and needed K-frame grips when small medallions weren't in stock. They'd use available resources.

Is this totally unlikely? Just a thought from an admitted non-collector...

 

[crsides]

Can't recall if I have posted these previously. I got them from Lee Jarrett a year and a half ago during the great Handejector accessory sale.

No. 611127. Interestingly, the numbering is hybrid, with the last three digits stamped into the wood under the hard-to-read pencil equivalent. The first three pencil digits are easy to read.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought the large medallion K-frame stocks were limited to 1930. I had supposed that the silver medallion magnas were introduced for the N-frames, then the design was ported to the K frame guns. I bet a lot of wood was split and wasted getting those larger medallions properly seated in the smaller K-frame half rounds, after which the decision was made to go to smaller medallions for the K guns. Both my K-22 ODs have the smaller medallions; the earliest one is from 1932.

My hypothesis is that any large medallion stocks numbered 610xxx or 611xxx will be original, but that large medallion stocks with later serial numbers may not be. I'd like to see a census of all serial numbers from stocks that have large silver medallions.

Just found a loose set # 611278 that are marked as David's, pencil marked the full serial number (which I couldn't make out) and the last 3 digits stamped. Medallions are in great shape, the wood is drowned in poly or something. Do I now have to buy a gun for them, use the medallions in a custom set, restore and put in the box ????

Charlie

 

[paplinker]

I think restoration for sure. The right person could certainly make them very presentable.

 

[Shootingmaster]

Concerning large silver medallion pre-war K frame grips. I have a set with serial number 609744 written in pencil. Hope this information helps.

 

[goatsnguns]

Here is a set that has been in my collection for a few years. I can not make out the serial number just some very faint marks. I have been meaning to clean up the checkering one of these days, once I complete the honey do list.

 

[DCWilson]

So the high-low on the large-medallion Ks is 609544 (post 55) and somewhere near 615750 (post 32). The majority live in the 610xxx and 611xxx ranges.

It would be interesting to see how many small-medallion service stocks are known with intervening numbers in both the wide and tight ranges here.

 

[goatsnguns]

THE LARGE MEDALLIONS ARE .500" AND THE SMALLER MEDALLIONS ARE .400"

 

[handejector]

609966 is a 38 Target with Large medallions numbered in pencil.
Shipped July, 1929

 

[Muley Gil]

I sure miss Charlie Sides. This coming weekend is the Labor Day Flea Market in Hillsville, Virginia and he would have been there and we would have had a nice chat.

 

[4K2022]

Charlie was mentioned recently in another thread, that caught my attention. And look where this one ended!

Great detailed information on the early stocks here. But it's been awhile,,,