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LOT 1553
Smith & Wesson
Non-Registered
.357 Magnum Double Action Revolver
with Box and Factory Letter - Serial no.
61677, 357 Magnum cal., 5 inch solid rib
bbl., blue finish, checkered walnut grips.
The accompanying factory letter states the revolver
was shipped on June 13, 1940, delivered to Duersch
Cycle Co. of Hamilton, Ohio, and confirms the 5 inch
barrel and blue finish. Additional features include a
humpback hammer, Call bead front sight, adjustable square notch rear sight, and
“S&W” medallion checkered magna grips (right panel numbered to a different
gun). Matching serial numbers appear on the butt, cylinder, and ejector shroud.
Comes with a Smith & Wesson .357 Registered Magnum box, two bore brushes,
knurled screwdriver, Smith & Wesson “Caution” leaflet, and an eight page .357 Registered Magnum advertisement. Non-Registered
.357 Magnum revolvers are even rarer than their Registered Magnum model counterparts with only about 1,400 manufactured compared about 5,400
Registered Magnums.
CONDITION: Excellent with 95% plus original finish, light cylinder drag line, some minor handling wear, and crisp checkering on the otherwise very fine
grips. Mechanically excellent. Box is very good.
Estimate: 6,000 - 8,000
LOT 1552
Outstanding Smith & Wesson
.357 Registered Magnum Double
Action Revolver with Factory Letter,
Registration Certificate, and Box - Serial
no. 54978, 357 Magnum cal., 6 1/2 inch solid rib bbl.,
blue finish, checkered walnut grips. Manufactured
in 1937, this is an outstanding example of the iconic
Smith & Wesson “Registered Magnum” that was originally
shipped to New York and later registered in Chicago, Illinois. These revolvers were
the first production revolver chambered in the new and very powerful .357 Magnum
cartridge and thus, were very popular at the time among anyone that felt they
needed an edge should a gunfight
occur. These Registered Magnums
were custom built and hand fitted
to special ordered specifications,
whether from a retailer or an individual
customer, and were then individually registered to the owner by the
vice president of the company, D.B. Wesson. Due to this extensive level
of customization and craftsmanship, the revolvers were expensive
to make, leading to the certificate and registration numbering being
discontinued in 1939-1940. The included factory letter lists this revolver,
Reg. #3231, as originally purchased by H&D Folsom in New York and
shipped on 19 November 1937. The included Registration Certificate lists the revolver with a 6 1/2 inch barrel, 3 1/2 pound single
action trigger pull, 10 pound double action trigger pull, a Call gold bead front sight, as well as a square notch rear sight, sighted at 20
yards for a 6 o’clock hold, and the registered owner as A.M. Brenner of Chicago, Illinois. There is an A.M. Brenner listed in Richmond,
Indiana newspapers from the period as a doctor who may have originally registered this revolver. The left side of the barrel has the Smith & Wesson marking, while the caliber marking is on the right.
The right side of the frame has the trademark and “MADE IN U.S.A.” The matching serial number is on the butt, rear face of the cylinder, inside the ejector rod shroud, and stamped inside the right grip
panel. The registration number is on the frame under the crane, and the matching assembly number is on the frame and crane. The patent marking is on the rear of the hammer. The top of the barrel
and top of the frame are matted with the standard fine checkering. It is fitted with the Call gold bead blade front sight, adjustable notch rear sight, standard grooved hammer, and a pair of matching numbered checkered walnut
grips with “S&W” monogram medallions. Includes the original factory blue ‘picture’ box, with a label on the bottom numbered with both the serial and registration numbers.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 98% plus of the bright original high polish blue finish and 95% plus of the original case colors on the hammer and trigger, with a few scattered very light handling marks and a light cylinder turn line.
The grips are exceptionally fine with a few light handling marks, a light lower edge chip, and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. The box is fine with mild storage wear.
Provenance: The Ray Cheeley Collection; A Private Collection.
Estimate: 8,500 - 11,000
Collector’s Fact
According to the article "Registered .357 Magnums"
by Roy Jinks in the 2010 Smith & Wesson Collectors
Journal, only 1,439 Smith & Wesson Registered
Magnum revolvers were produced with a
6 1/2 inch barrel.