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LOT 135
Phenomenal, Extremely Rare Oscar Young Factory Chiseled, Engraved,
Gold Plated, Pearl Stocked Smith & Wesson Model 1899 .38 Military
& Police First Model Double Action Revolver Commissioned for the
1901 Pan-American Exposition with Factory Letter - Serial no. 11587, 38
S&W special cal., 6 1/2 inch round bbl., gold finish, factory medallion pearl
grips. From the late 1880s to the early 1900s, American gun makers such as
Winchester, Colt and Smith & Wesson produced highly embellished deluxe
handguns and rifles showcased around the world. These masterworks in
firearms artistry were viewed by tens of millions of people attending the likes
of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, the Exposition Universelle in
Paris of 1900, and the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY in 1901. This
wondrous S&W piece was specifically handcrafted for the 1901 Pan-American
Exposition, and the bold chiseled floral motifs break from the traditional
factory scrollwork patterns established by Gustave Young. As confirmed by
the accompanying factory letter, “factory records list this revolver going to
[S&W] distributor M.W. Robinson of New York City, NY from the Pan American
Exposition, Buffalo, NY on October 28, 1901. The records indicate that this
revolver was shipped with a 6.5 inch barrel, gold plated finish, engraved by
Oscar Young, and pearl grips.” The back strap is inscribed “G.R.D. NOV. 7TH
1901,” likely the initials of the original owner added by M.W. Robinson at the
time it was purchased. The gold S&W medallion pearl grips are
numbered to the gun.
Factory engraved in a most unusual floral pattern, this .38 Military &
Police First Model Double Action revolver is regarded by knowledgeable
collectors and students of firearms engraving as one of Oscar Young’s true
masterpieces. Oscar trained under his father, the world renowned master
engraver Gustave Young, and began engraving for S&W in the early-mid
1880s, succeeding his father as the factory’s master engraver in 1895. Along
with his younger brother, Eugene, Oscar continued the family dynasty
at S&W until his own untimely death in 1912. He executed the special
embellishments seen on this revolver in late 1900 for exhibition at the
then upcoming 1901 Pan-American Exposition. At the expo the revolver
was awarded the Gold Medal for Revolvers. The expo was the largest of its
kind to date and featured the finest and most modern convenience items,
fashionable clothing, and new products of all types, as well as palace-
like buildings and structures unimaginable in earlier times. International
manufacturers from nearly every product endeavor showcased their finest
offerings to the public and touted their companies as “the best of the best”
and “leaders without equal”. On a more somber note, the exposition served
as the location where U.S. President William McKinley was assassinated by
anarchist Leon Czolgosz. S&W, as in past expositions held in Philadelphia,
New York City, Chicago, and Paris, was again in Buffalo at the forefront of the
firearms industry’s efforts to leave lasting impression in the minds of both
their established and future customers. This revolver certainly
did not disappoint.
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