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LOT 1011
Very Scarce Factory Engraved Smith & Wesson Large
Frame Volcanic No. 2 Type I Lever Action Pistol with
Factory Letter - Serial no. 129, 41 Volcanic cal., 8 inch
part octagon bbl., brown/blue finish, rosewood grips.
Per the included factory letter, this Smith & Wesson
Volcanic pistol was manufactured in 1854, and indicates
that all of these pistols were sold through J. Dixon & Co.,
who was the sole agent for Smith & Wesson. Smith &
Wesson of Norwich, Connecticut, manufactured fewer
than 500 of these .41 caliber large frame No. 2 Volcanic
pistols between 1854-1855, per page 25 of “Volcanic
Firearms” (2011) by Lewis and Rutter. They are based
on a patent of Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson, and
were manufactured prior to the subsequent renaming
of the company to Volcanic Repeating Arms in 1855. The
company was then reorganized by Oliver Winchester as
the New Haven Arms Company in 1857, which would
ultimately become the Winchester Repeating Arms
Company in 1866. Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson
continued to pursue their own development of revolvers
starting around 1856, and the rest is history. Surviving
examples of these early Smith & Wesson Volcanics are
scarce and extremely desirable in any condition, as part
of the beginning of the development of lever action
repeaters that evolved into the Henry and Winchester
rifles, and they also mark the very beginning of Smith
& Wesson. This factory engraved, early production
large frame No. 2 Volcanic lever action pistol has an 8
inch barrel, and the distinctive “Type I” features
which include an uncrowned flat muzzle, flat front
magazine locking spring retained by a screw at its
bottom, and one carrier block spring screw on the
bottom of the frame. The frame has a hump behind the
lever, the loading lever has a finger spur, the barrel has an
integral 10-shot magazine below, a “pinched” blade front
sight blade, a screw-fastened notch rear sight on top
of the frame, and flat magazine follower. The top barrel
flat is roll-stamped with the three-line legend “SMITH
&WESSON/NORWICH. CT./CAST-STEEL” ahead of “PATENT”.
The hammer has fine hand-knurling on the spur. The
receiver sides, top, backstrap, sideplates, and back of the
hammer are decorated with the well-executed, open
scroll factory engraving. The matching serial number
“129” is marked on the back of the rear sight, the left side
of the grip frame, and handwritten on the interior of the
left grip.
CONDITION: Very good plus, with an attractive natural
aged appearance, retains 40% original brown finish on
the barrel and magazine tube assembly, with smooth gray
and brown patina on the balance, and distinct markings
and engraving. Grips are very good as refinished, with
some light handling marks. Mechanically functions. This
scarce factory engraved Smith & Wesson Volcanic No. 1
pistol serves as an important evolutionary step in the
history of lever action repeating firearms!
Estimate: 16,000 - 25,000
According to "Volcanic Firearms" by Lewis and Rutter,
fewer than 500 of the Smith & Wesson .41 caliber
large frame No. 2 Volcanic pistols were manufactured.