Value question please

[critter44]

I have a couple of S&W's that I prize highly, but they may not be prize-worthy to anybody else. I would like, however, to have an idea of their commercial worth.

First: a S&W N-frame .44 Mag with the 8 3/8" barrel. It is a PRE-29 gun and in really good shape. Barely visible turn line. It has been fired, but sparingly. NO dings, no flaws whatseover, but it does have a very small bit of bluing wear on the sides of the barrel near the muzzle.

Second: a S&W victory model, 4" .38 special marked "U. S. Navy" on the topstrap. I have an archival letter from S&W where it was shipped to a Navy base in California. I believe it to be UNFIRED and know that it 'lived' in a safe in a hardware store (for protection) for about 40 years. It does, therefore, have some VERY SMALL 'handling dings' but no turn line visible and no finish wear.

Thanks for any input you can offer.

 

[DWalt]

I can't say too much about the pre-29, but a good one can bring some serious money. Post some pictures. If documented and original, an unfired condition Navy-marked Victory should easily sell for north of $800 in a private sale. Some have additional post-factory Navy property engravings on the left side of the frame (usually paint-filled), and if yours is one of them, there would be additional value premium involved. There were only about 80,000 made between early 1942 and early 1943. After that, Victories for Navy use had no specific Navy markings, just "United States Property" or (later) "U. S. Property" stamped on the topstrap.