Page 228 - 4094-BOOK3

226
LOT 3340
Historic Documented Extremely Early Production Factory Presentation Reg. No.
6 Smith & Wesson .357 Registered Magnum Double Action Revolver Delivered
to Pioneer Political Consultant “Wizard of Washington” Emil Hurja with Box
and Factory Letter - Serial no. 45795, 357 Magnum cal., 8 3/4 inch solid rib bbl., blue
finish, walnut grips. Offered here is an extremely early Smith & Wesson Registered
Magnum revolver, Reg. No. 6, documented in the included factory letter as made as
a factory presentation piece delivered to Emil Hurja through the office of Douglas B.
Wesson for presentation on May 7, 1935. The records also confirm the 8 3/4 inch barrel,
Patridge front sight, square notch rear sight, blue finish, and checkered walnut grips
with grip adapter attached. This is one of only 735 Registered Magnums manufactured
with 8 3/4 inch barrels. The extremely low registration number “REG. 6” is stamped on
the inside of the frame. Matching serial numbers appear on the butt, right grip panel,
cylinder, and ejector shroud. The original box is numbered to the gun by serial number
and registration number. In the factory letter, S&W historian Roy Jinks noted, “Douglas
B. Wesson ordered this revolver built at the same time he requested registration
number 1 built for Mr. J. Edgar Hoover. This would lead me to believe that Mr. Hurja
was a very important and powerful individual. The revolver was a presentation
and charged to Smith & Wesson’s advertising account.” Low registration numbered
Registered Magnums were generally presented to prominent individuals such as FBI
Director Hoover, exhibition shooter Ed McGivern, and Western Cartridge Company’s
John M. Olin. Reg. No. 6 is identified in Supica and Nahas’ “Standard Catalog of Smith
& Wesson” as delivered to Emil Hurja (1892-1953). Hurja was a key figure in the New
Deal Era. The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research notes, “Beginning with the
run-up to the 1932 election and continuing on through the election of 1936, Franklin
Delano Roosevelt sought Hurja’s advice time and time again and incorporated it into
his thinking, strategizing, and policymaking. Hurja’s innovative polling methodology
subsequently became foundational to the development of modern, scientific,
statistics-based public opinion polling such as we know it today.” The first-generation
Finnish-American and veteran of World War I served as the executive director of the
Democratic National Committee in 1932 to 1937. The accuracy of his polling stunned
the political world and public. Reporter Thomas Sugrue of the Saturday Evening Post
dubbed him the “Wizard of Washington.” Hurja was featured on the cover of Time
Magazine on March 2, 1936. The magazine stated: “Democracy’s Emil Hurja: He counts
his elections before they are hatched,” and the biography inside detailed Hurja’s career,
including his accurate election predictions in 1932 and 1934, and indicated Hurja was
already predicting Roosevelt was certain of re-election in 1936 as later proved true. In
addition to his forecasting of elections,
Time indicated that Hurja calmly but
boldly informed the president and his
advisors when the administration was
out of step with the American people,
allowing the president to adjust
his policies and messaging. He also
helped guide the Democrats to focus
their campaign efforts on the states
that were actually up for grabs based
on careful statistical analysis, thus
paving the way for the polling that
plays a key role in our political system
to this day.
CONDITION: Excellent, retaining 97%
plus bright original blue finish with
some spotting on the right side of
the barrel, a light cylinder drag line,
and minimal handling marks. 98%
plus original case colors remain on
the hammer and trigger. The grips are
excellent with minimal handling marks
and crisp checkering. Mechanically
excellent. The box is fine with edge
wear. As an early production S&W
Registered Magnum, Reg. No. 6 is well-
deserving of the finest private or public collection. As a factory presentation piece
delivered to the “Wizard of Washington” who forever changed the American political
landscape, Reg. No. 6 is a national treasure.
Provenance: Emil Hurja, “Wizard of Washington”; Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 10,000 - 15,000 Emil Hurja as seen on the cover of
"Time Magainze" from March 1936