Smith Wesson Model 32-1 ?

[MIR]

I have acquired a S&W 32-1 in the original box, the woman who sold it to me said her grandmother had it for self protection and it appears that it has not been fired little if at all. I do see the faintest indication of a drag mark around the cylinder and an extremely faint wear mark on the side of the cylinder where it has been laying in the box for who knows how long.
the box had a leather pouch or something on it when it was found in the closet and when they went to lift the pouch off the box it pulled some of the paper off the top, other than that the box is in excellent condition and it matches the firearm inside as well.
the box is marked: .38 TERRIER
BLUE FINISH MODEL 32
2 INCH BARREL

It has all the paperwork in the box--
The Pistol has a R58885 stamped n the bottom of the grip
it also has a 32-1 stamped inside when you open the cylinder.

Can anyone tell me about this firearms---when it was made and about what it is worth
It is also marked on the barrel .38 S&W

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Howdy MIR, and welcome aboard.

Your little Terrier is both an anomaly and desirable.

The experts will be along to date your little gem, and maybe give you a value assessment. I would suggest you shoot a few photos and post those because value judgements without seeing even a photo are always suspect.

What I'll offer is that the caliber is exactly as you said, ".38 S&W," and not .38 S&W Special. There's a difference in diameter and length of the cartridges, and they are not interchangeable.

 

[MIR]

Yes, I knew that the cartridge was different than the more popular .38 special.... I tried looking on the internet somewhere to see when the handgun was made based on the SN# but I cannot find anyplace to do that. Its too bad that the leather pouch lifted some of the cardboard box paper, I would imagine that it has probably sitting in a closet for a very long time.

 

[JP@AK]

R58885 stamped n the bottom of the grip

The R prefix serial numbers started in 1969. They reached R100000 in 1974. So extrapolation would put your serial number sometime about 1972, give or take. Only a letter from the Historical Foundation can tell you for certain.

 

[moralem]

Hard to say on the value but if you got it for $500 you should be good. I just don’t see these as a $600-650 gun. I have a pair BNIB that I paid just under a grand for the two......nice little novelty pieces. But for carry I prefer my 37.

 

[s&wchad]

R58885 stamped n the bottom of the grip

The R prefix serial numbers started in 1969. They reached R100000 in 1974. So extrapolation would put your serial number sometime about 1972, give or take. Only a letter from the Historical Foundation can tell you for certain.

That seems to be a really good estimate of the ship date. The OP might make some incorrect assumptions based on the serial number range, so I'll add to your comments. R prefix Terriers are not common.

The R serial number prefix was used for both the Terrier (32-1) and the Chiefs Special Stainless (60, 60-1). By 1969, the.38 Special was probably the most common LE cartridge in use and model 60's were in high demand. The .38 S&W cartridge was bordering on obsolete and sales of the Terrier were a dog (pun intended)!

I'd be surprised if S&W made 1000 Terriers with the R prefix and it could only be in the hundreds. My 32-1 is in the R50,000 range and the few others I've seen were in the R58,XXX range. I doubt S&W produced more than a few short runs of the R prefix 32-1, before discontinuing it in 1974.

 

[MIR]

The one I have definitely has the "R" prefix before the SN#...... I also got to looking at it last night and the grips also are numbered the same way...I was told that in many cases the grips are also numbered to the gun as well, this one is.

 

[s&wchad]

Yes, this style grips are called Magnas. Until around 1980, magna stocks were fitted to the gun before the gun and stocks went to different departments to receive their finish. They stamped the numeric portion of the serial number on the back of the right grip panel to facilitate reuniting them.

Target stocks overlapped the bottom and front of the grip frame and didn't require fitting. Only some of the earliest larger frame target stocks were fitted and numbered.

 

[Green Frog]

I think s&Wchad has already said pretty much all I was going to, except a word of explanation on “Why?” While S&W was making the I frame, it was possible to squeeze 5 rounds of the relatively short 38 S&W round in the original cylinder, but not the longer 38 Spl. So for about 20 years or so, the Terrier had the position of being Smith’s smallest 38. When the I frame (which by then had become the “improved” and then the “new model”) was totally discontinued and the Model 32-1 Terrier built on a J frame became basically a Chiefs Special in the “lesser” 38 S&W cartridge, it was no longer Smith’s smallest 38 revolver, so it died a fairly quick death... no longer any real reason to be.

Of course collectors being the obstinate lot they are will want to have a nice example of the 32-1 just so they have one of everything, and yours looks like it should attract any but the most finicky collector.

 

[RGNewell]

Here is mine, Serial Number R28762

 

[Hondo44]

The highest # I know of a 32-1 Terrier is R1698XX, nickel, smooth grips, narrow trigger, and since manufacturing was discontinued 1974, it likely shipped later from inventory. Maybe even a couple of years later.

 

[tjpopkin]

mine is in the R46,000range and was shipped in April 1971, it is NIB

 

[raljr1]

I look for these on a regular basis and seldom see a nice one with an asking price under $700....

Robert