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LOT 1598
Smith & Wesson Non-Registered .357 Magnum Double Action Revolver with Factory Letter -
Serial no. 61162, 357 magnum cal., 6 inch solid rib bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. The Non-Registered
.357 revolvers are much more rare than their Registered Magnum model counterparts with only about 1,400 manufactured compared to about 5,400 Registered Magnums. The included factory letter states
the revolver was shipped on February 13, 1940 and delivered to A.F. Stoegers Co. of New York City and confirms the 6 inch barrel, King front sight, blue finish and checkered Magna grips. The revolver features a
King reflector front sight, white outlined “U” square notch rear sight, and matching serial numbers on the butt, right grip panel, cylinder, and ejector shroud.
CONDITION: Excellent, retaining 98% original blue finish with mild muzzle wear, a cylinder drag line, and scattered handling marks. Nearly all original case colors remain on the hammer and trigger. The grips are also excellent with minimal handling marks and overall crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. Provenance: The Dave Ballantyne Collection.
Estimate: 6,000 - 8,000
LOT 1599
Well-Documented Sheriff Shipped Smith & Wesson .357 Registered Magnum Double
Action Revolver with Extremely Rare 4 1/4 Inch
Barrel and Factory Letter - Serial no. 54125, 357 magnum cal., 4 1/4 inch solid
rib bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. This .357 Registered Magnum (reg. no. 2968) has
an extremely rare factory documented 4 1/4 inch barrel. Common barrel lengths for this
model were 3 1/2, 4, 5, 6 1/2, and 8 3/4 inches. Short barrel lengths were popular with law enforcement, as clearly proven on this example as it was ordered by Newberry County, South Carolina Sheriff Tom N. Fellers. The accompanying factory letter
shows the revolver was ordered by Sheriff Tom M. Fellers of Newberry County, South Carolina, and shipped on September 29, 1937 to Lominack’s Hardware Co., of Newberry South Carolina with a 4 1/4 inch barrel, Call gold bead front sight, square notch rear sight, blue
finish, grip adapter, and checkered walnut grips. The accompanying Monroe Hardware Co., Inc. purchase order and S&W invoice confirm the 4 1/4 inch barrel and indicate that this revolver is one of two .357 Magnums procured by the Newberry County Sheriff’s department on
this order. The second revolver (reg. no. 2969) had a 3 1/2 inch barrel and was for a deputy sheriff. Tom Fellers was a World War I veteran and sheriff of Newberry County from 1936-1944 and from 1948-1968. He died in 1980 at the age of 85. The S&W order form for both revolvers are included, and again the 4 1/4 inch barrel is confirmed. The butt has a S&W factory rework star, and the grip frame has the S&W factory September 1945 (“9.45”) return date. The grip frame is also stamped “DTC 9.07” and confirms refinish and restoration by the noted S&W restorer David T. Chicoine of Gastonia, North Carolina, in September 2007. The right grip panel is numbered to a different gun. The matching serial number is on the butt, cylinder, and ejector shroud.
CONDITION: Very fine, retaining 99% plus of the professionally reapplied blue finish with very limited light handling marks. The grips are also very fine with a tiny surface chip near the top (right panel), some minor handling marks, and overall crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent.
Provenance: The Dave Ballantyne Collection.
474 Estimate: 5,500 - 8,000