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LOT 1165
Extremely Rare Tiffany Shipped and Deluxe
Embellished Smith & Wesson .32 Safety
Hammerless 1st Model Double Action
Revolver with Factory Letter - Serial no. 23990,
32 S&W cal., 3 1/2 inch solid rib bbl., nickel/silver
finish, silver/ivory grips. From the 1880s to the early
1900s, the self-described “American multinational
luxury jewelry and specialty retailer” Tiffany & Co.
created spectacular and expensive highly embellished
deluxe handguns and rifles for America’s leading firearms
manufacturers such as Colt, Winchester and Smith & Wesson.
The “rich and elaborate decorations” on handguns alone set a
customer back $50.00 to $300.00 or about $1,400.00 to $8,600.00 in today’s
money. The number of surviving Tiffany firearms remain unknown, but studies
clearly show that S&W benefited the most from Tiffany’s world renowned
master craftsmanship. Tiffany S&Ws are arguably the rarest and most
desirable of the late 19th century American high art firearms, and offered
here is one of those rare prizes in firearms art collecting that help define a
private or public collection. The largest public display of Tiffany embellished
19th century arms can be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in
Gallery 372. The lion’s share of the display was donated and/or sold by
Dr. Gerald Klaz. Tiffany marked each piece they made on special order.
The sterling silver grip on this revolver features fine etched Art Nouveau
style floral scrollwork. The grip is signed “TIFFANY & CO./10076M7806/
STERLING.” The numbers refer to the pattern and order, and the letter
“M” denotes Tiffany products which were made from 1873 to 1891.
The etching extends to the rear of the frame with the original owners
initials “P.D.O.” amongst the embellishment on the left side. The serial
number appears on the cylinder and barrel. The accompanying
factory letter lists this fine and highly sought after piece of 19th
century firearms art with a 3 ½ inch barrel, nickel finish, and
checkered black hard rubber grips when shipped on October 30,
1889, and delivered directly to Tiffany & Co. of New York City.
CONDITION: Excellent, retaining 95% original nickel finish with some
flaking. 97% original blue finish remains on the trigger guard. Some
strong traces of original case colors remain on the trigger. The grip
is also excellent with an attractive aged appearance and a few minor
handling marks. Mechanically needs work, as the ejector does not
extend when action is opened, otherwise the action functions fine.
An exceptionally rare Tiffany embellished revolver.
Provenance: The Dr. Gerald Klaz Collection;
Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 45,000 - 60,000