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LOT 1118
Extremely Rare, Civil War Themed, Deluxe Tiffany & Co.
Embellished Sterling Silver Grip Smith & Wesson .32 Double Action Third
Model Revolver - Serial no. 190892, 32 S&W cal., 6 inch solid rib bbl., blue/silver
finish, silver grips. Manufactured c. 1883-1898, this is a very attractive example
of a Smith & Wesson .32 Double Action revolver that was embellished by the
legendary Tiffany & Co. 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. It is interesting to note that,
unlike Tiffany embellished guns done for Colt, all the
examples done for Smith & Wesson are believed to
have been unique, one-off pieces of art and done on an
individual basis. 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 remains unknown,
but studies clearly show that the partnership between Smith & Wesson and
Tiffany was the most prolific. Tiffany Smith & Wessons are arguably some
of 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. Many of these
arms featuring Tiffany’s world renowned craftsmanship made appearances
at some of the various trade fairs and exhibitions around the turn of the
century, before being sold to discerning and affluent customers. The largest
public display of Tiffany embellished 19th century arms can be viewed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in Gallery 372.