Page 260 - Demo

LOT 376
Rare and Desirable Young Bros. General Engravers Challenge Card Advertising Piece - This interesting piece is a combination of a public challenge and business card used as advertising by the Young Bros. General Engravers firm c. the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The firm was founded in 1883 by Eugene Young, who was
the youngest son and younger brother of the legendary firearms engravers, Gustave and Oscar Young respectively. Eugene also employed his son, Robert G. Young. Eugene Young (1862-1924) was initially trained in engraving by his father Gustave and became a journeyman engraver at Colt from approximately 1880-1882. Upon leaving the employ of Colt, Eugene was given a personal letter of recommendation from the iconic Colt engraver Cuno A. Helfricht. Eugene then worked for various firms, including Wilcox Silver Plate and both the Elgin National Watch Co. and Aurora Watch Co., before entering the business partnership with his son Robert. Information on Eugene can be found on p. 133 of “Colt Factory Engravers of the 19th Century” by Houze where an example of this card is also pictured. The card itself measures 3 x 4 1/2 inches and at its core is a public challenge set out to other engraving firms, while also displaying their personal skill for advertisement. At the center of the front of the card is a very small stamp with the visible text reading “FIND NAME/INSIDE HERE”, surrounded by the printed text “EXAMINE WITH A/ STRONG GLASS”. When examined with “a strong glass”, the minuscule stamps “R. YOUNG” and “E. YOUNG” become visible within the designated area. Additional text on the card goes on to state that the letters in the names are 1/300 of an inch and that each name is 1/20 of an inch long. The back of the card states that the firm has issued
a challenge to the U.S. Mint’s engravers as well
as any other engravers to replicate the stamp,
and that up to that date, no duplicate had been produced.
CONDITION: Excellent, the card showing minimal wear and some very slight age darkening, clear printed text, and a crisp stamp. A very interesting and unique early advertising piece connected to the legendary Young family of firearms engravers!
258 Estimate: 1,800 - 2,750
LOT 377
Rare Smith & Wesson .44 Hand Ejector 3rd Model Post-War Transitional Double Action Revolver with
Scarce 6 1/2 Barrel and Factory Letter - Serial no. S71968, 44 S&W special cal., 6 1/2 inch solid rib bbl.,
blue finish, walnut grips. Also known as the 1946 Model .44 Target, the .44 Hand Ejector 3rd Model (Postwar-
Transitional) Target revolvers were manufactured from 1946 to 1949 with only 50-75 units reported to have
been produced. Matching serial numbers on the barrel, butt, cylinder and ejector shroud. The accompanying factory letter confirms the 6 1/2 inch barrel, Patridge front sight, adjustable rear sight, blue finish and checkered walnut Magna grips. This rare example was shipped on March 21, 1947, and delivered to Lou Eppinger Co., Detroit, MI.
CONDITION: Excellent, retaining 97% original blue finish with some muzzle and high edge wear and cylinder drag line. Nearly all original case colors remain on the hammer and trigger. The slightly undersized replacement grips are fine with a few blemishes in the checkering. Mechanically excellent. One of the rarest post-war S&W target models.
Estimate: 4,000 - 7,000
LOT 378
Historic, Documented Gold
Inlaid Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police Double
Action Revolver Submitted to the Court in a Landmark Infringement Case - NSN, 38 S&W special cal., 5 inch round
bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. By the early 1920s, the tremendous popularity of S&W K-frame revolvers had attracted a number of European manufacturers to flood the
market with cheap knockoffs. No other foreign competitor made more S&W copies than Spain. In “The K-Frame Revolver: The S&W Phenomenon, Vol II” author Timothy J. Mullion explains that “it was quite clear
that these revolvers were intended to gull the purchaser into thinking he was buying a legitimate Smith &
Wesson product. Naturally they could be sold at a substantially lower price, and still yield a good profit for the
retailer. Apparently these weapons deceived enough people that sales of genuine Smith & Wessons began to be impacted to a degree. More
critically, the poor quality of these weapons, along with their close approximations to the real thing, began adversely affecting the reputation of the U.S.-
made product, which was even worse as far as Smith & Wesson was concerned” (page 325). S&W turned to the courts for help but options were limited as
the patents covering the copied revolvers had expired, so infringement suits were not possible. Instead, injunction suits were brought against the importers
for unfair competition in trade. Hearing the case was U.S. District Judge Learned Hand who delivered his opinion against the importers on March 27, 1922.
In Judge Hand’s own words: “These imitations were designed for the express purpose of cheating the purchaser; the man who sells one of them to a would-be marksman is... palming off on his customer a weapon that is useless for target practice, and the dealer who carries this line at all is dong an injury to his own future business by helping bring the pistol and revolver into general disrepute and thus paving the way for objectionable anti-firearm laws.” The revolver offered here is identified in Mullin’s aforementioned book on page 331 as “a genuine S&W M&P, submitted on March 22, 1922 as an exhibit to establish for the court just what a real Smith & Wesson looked like, and how deviously the copies were designed to be easily confused with the real thing by a gullible consumer.” It is the revolver that Judge Hand reviewed before making his historic decision that turned the tide against the flood of imported S&W copies to the U.S. “LMB” is marked in electric pencil on the back strap. “Lon Bazck” is marked in electric pencil on the left side of the barrel. The revolver carries no serial number. Matching assembly number on crane and web.
CONDITION: Fine, retaining 70% original blue finish with thinning to brown on the balance. 40% of original case colors remain on the hammer and trigger. The grips are very good with a couple chips, minor handling marks and soften checkering. Mechanically excellent. A significant piece of S&W and American history noted for turning the tide against “the scourge of ‘those Spanish Imitations’.” Definitely worthy of placement in a museum or a major Smith & Wesson collection!
Estimate: 2,500 - 5,000