Inheritance Info

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BBall550

New member
Howdy Folks.
I'd like to pick your brains if I may.

I have a very old S&W. Passed down from my grandfather ,It was said to be his grandfathers before him and issued to him while he was the local law. Its not in the greatest condition but not in the worst either. I was wondering if you might be able to provide the caliber and model and maybe a ballpark figure for value. Im told the family has a certificate or something that shows it was issued to my Great Great Grandfather while he was the local law.

Any help or information would be greatly appreciated.

SN 239XX
 

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Six-shot .32 caliber, right?
If so, S&W No 2 Old Model Army; .32 rimfire.
Made 1861 - 1874 total of 77,155 guns.
SNs 1-35731 were made during the Civil War and were common sidearms. Flayderman says Wild Bill Hickock was wearing one the day he was killed.
You need a S&W expert to look at it. Blue Book value for a standard model in working condition with 80% blue is $900. Wartime guns like yours worth a bit more. More for better condition, less for more wear.
The tip-up action is not very strong and it should not be shot. Lots of these old guns with cracked hinges.
 
And whatever else you do ...

FIND THAT CERTIFICATE OR SOMETHING!!!

A personalized gun with a history is worth more than the gun, in any condition.
 
If I may be so bold.

Suggest you research the history of that gun as much as possible. Get any pertinant old papers with it. Write up the history of it and it's owners as best as you can.

And pass it down within your family.

So few these days have tangabile things that go back for so many generations. And even fewer have good histories for those treasures.

Sam
 
It's either a Model 1 2nd issue or a Model 2 Old Army

Model 1 is .22 caliber.

Model 2, as Jim notes, is .32 caliber.

If it's a numer 1 2nd issue and is marked "2nd Qual'ty" on the frame it could be worth as much as $2,000.
 
The paperwork should be stored in an acid free container. Handle it with clean hands (hot soap & water) before you touch it. This is to prevent transferring of greasy smudges (car, gun and breakfast). Keep it out of light (prevents fading) and away from insects (munch munch).

Also, the paper trail establishes a "provenance" that shows the history of ownership. It greatly enhances the value of the gun since there now a story that goes with it and shows it's not hot.

Congratulations!
 
The S&W No 1 and No 2 were the first handguns made with bored thru cylinders designed to accept self contained cartridges. That means in a real sense your Great Great Granddaddy's gun is the Great Great Granddaddy of all our modern handguns. Cool. -- Kernel

A link to some history on the No. 2: The Smith & Wesson Number 2 Army In The Civil War.
 
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Uh, Kernel?

Your link takes me to a Home Internet Shopping site.


Good point on the bored-through cylinder, though.

Rollin White came up with that design, and offered it to his employer at the time, Colt Firearms, but they stupidly, stupidly turned it down because they didn't see an application for it.

Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson, though, recognized that it was the PERFECT thing to complement the cartridge that they were designing, and arranged to license the patent from White.

In the patent agreement they also made White responsible for defending the patent against all infringers, and there were lots of them.

In the end, Smith & Wesson got wealthy, and White got pretty bitter and went broke.
 
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