Schofields set of 2. Curious on value?

Originally posted by radrennan737:
OK. New information....The serial #'s are F00895 and F00887. Not consecutive.
These serial numbers also make me feel that these were some of the guns made up by the Franklin Mint. Google Franklin Mint for more information. Don't know if it will do you any good or not.

There is writing on the top of the barrel in Russian, and on the side of the barrel it say's. CAL. 44 S&W Russian
If this were a Smith & Wesson it would have a Logo somewhere on it. You should realize that there were many folks making copies of the Smith & Wessons especially during the time frame of the Schofields and the .44 Russians.
 
There is writing on the top of the barrel in Russian,
Does the writing match any of these? If so, which one?
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Not exact, but the top writing was close. opy*eUBaR< R being backwards was exact. As well as I can read 3-R[ R-backwards) pycckaR[R-backwards) opy*eUBaR< oa6pVIKa A.V6epTN NTanuR<. ALL R's are backwards. Some N's look backwards. I'm sorry for not having pictures. My father lives 3hrs away and is not computer savy. We are working on the problem. Pics soon to come Thank you for your help.
 
Originally posted by KKG:
Originally posted by radrennan737:
OK. New information....The serial #'s are F00895 and F00887. Not consecutive.
These serial numbers also make me feel that these were some of the guns made up by the Franklin Mint. Google Franklin Mint for more information. Don't know if it will do you any good or not.

Thanks. Looked up Franklin Mint. Couldn't find anything with S&W or Schofields. I did find a logo on the guns. It is very small but we are in the process of taking good pictures of these weapons. Thank you for all your help and interest.

There is writing on the top of the barrel in Russian, and on the side of the barrel it say's. CAL. 44 S&W Russian
If this were a Smith & Wesson it would have a Logo somewhere on it. You should realize that there were many folks making copies of the Smith & Wessons especially during the time frame of the Schofields and the .44 Russians.
 
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I think I will wait for the pictures.
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Also, as far as my research has gone to date, I can't find any reference of S&W, Ludwig Lowe or Tula using letters in their serial numbers. All I've found are references to purely numeric serials.
 
radrennan737, First of all, I'm not offended, I've been around too long to get offended by honest people who are attempting to learn, and I think you are one of these. The info above from various posters is pretty much on the money. These are guns that are capable of being fired, it appears, with .44S&W Russian caliber ammo., so that lets' out Franklin Mint as the maker, as they can only make non-gun replicas, as the are not licensed by BATF as manufacturers of real firearms. While the barrels have some sort of Cryllic ( Russian) markings, I'm not too sure these marks are genuine and not an attempt to copy Russian looking stampings. More research by Russian scholars is necessary, Fred Datig could tell you in a minute, what it says, or doesn't say, and where these came from. Didn't you wonder why a Russian gun would have Russian barrel rib marks and on the same barrel have the caliber marked in English? Dead giveaway that these are copies of the third model S&W Russian model made up as replicas. Also, the close up pictures of the engraving now tell me these guns were not produced as period pieces in the middle east , The engraving is a typical modern copy of the New York style Nimschke engraving popular in the late 1800s. I'm leaning towards modern made copies, perhaps Italian or Russian, and the engraving has removed the proof marks indicating such. Perhaps Val Forgett, Navy Arms, or Walter Craig had their fingers in the pie on these guns. Tell us what the is history of how your father acquired these guns and any provenance you might know about. You stated they were "registered Schofields" but haven't explained where that nonmenclature orginated. Can you please enlighten us on that? I think you probably know now, from the above photos, that the differences between your guns and a real Schofields are distinctive and obvious to collectors. Schofields are also .45 caliber, not .44S&W Russian. Apparently the early info. you received on this pair was from a source that knew very little about S&Ws but were hoping to pass these guns off to the unwary at a high price. My suggestion of a no reserve auction was to get the market place to respond in an arena that sometimes brings high hammer prices from bidders that are not collectors, per se. Serious S&W collectors would pay very little for this pair, so there's not chance we are trying to steal these at an auction! Good Luck. Ed.
 
Clear close ups of the barrel rib markings, the serial number, the back of the cylinder and any other markings on the gun.
BTW, I don't think those grips are pearl. They look more like ivory (or a composite), but are too white for an old gun.
 
Originally posted by radrennan737:
Not exact, but the top writing was close. opy*eUBaR< R being backwards was exact. As well as I can read 3-R[ R-backwards) pycckaR[R-backwards) opy*eUBaR< oa6pVIKa A.V6epTN NTanuR<. ALL R's are backwards. Some N's look backwards. I'm sorry for not having pictures. My father lives 3hrs away and is not computer savy. We are working on the problem. Pics soon
to come Thank you for your help.


FWIW, My pair of "Uberti" Russians that I use for CAS have the same stamping on the top rib.
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Looks like that's the answer - these are a pair of Uberti copies of the S&W 3rd model, made in Italy for Navy Arms. Proof marks are obliterated by the engraving, a common tactic when one intends to deceive! And the deceiver did not know a Schofield from a 3rd model Russian, and hoped the buyer would not either, so they were dubbed "Registered Schofields!"
 
radrennan737;
I had one of the excellent Uberti 3rd Model Russians and I can tell you this is exactly what you have. While it is, indeed, difficult to reproduce Cyrillic characters on a Roman keyboard, I was able to decipher enough of your transcription to recognize it as the inscription applied by Uberti. It transliterates approximately as "Treeya Russkaya oruzheniya fabrika A. Uberti Italiya" which means "Third Russian Model Made by A. Uberti Italy". Cool-looking set, but not Schofields.
Larry
 
Gentleman, first of all.... Thank you for taking the time to help me figure out if my father had something. In short, he has what he paid for.... to fake Schofields. We have figured through research that the pistols are worth about what he paid for them and now we will post them in a (NO-reserve auction.) Who wants guns you can't shoot. Ed and Larry, the Smith & Wesson family is proud. Thank you, and shootem straight. radrennan737, from Cape Coral, FL.
 
Nobody said that you can't shoot them, but they were intended to be display pieces. (and impressive ones, at that
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I wouldn't be ashamed to own them, but I would have to have inherited them as replicas aren't in my area of interest.

Maybe one of our barbeque or CASS guys would be interested. Very showy!!
 
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