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LOT 3564
Scarce Post-World War II Transitional Smith & Wesson .22/.32 “Kit Gun” Double Action
Revolver Inscribed to Congressman Cecil King with Box and Factory Letter - Serial no. 601686,
22 LR cal., 4 inch round bbl., blue finish, rosewood grips. Manufactured in 1953, this is a very scarce
example of a post-World War II Transitional Model of the Smith & Wesson .22/.32 “Kit Gun” revolver,
with the added desirability of being inscribed to a U.S. Congressman. The included factory letter
with this revolver notes that it is a “post-war transition variation special production presentation”.
It lists the revolver with a 4 inch barrel, NRA target front sight, Pre-World War II adjustable rear
target sight, blue finish, smooth rosewood round-butt grips, and Congressman Cecil King’s name
engraved on the side plate when shipped to Cecil King in Inglewood, California, on 15 December
1953. Roy Jinks further notes that this may be the last of this transitional style as the .22/.32 Kit Gun
Model of 1953 was introduced in the summer of 1953. Knowledgeable collectors indicate that as
few as 20 of these Transitional Model Kit Gun revolvers were produced. The barrel has the Smith
& Wesson marking on the left and the caliber marking on the right. The right of the frame has the
standard four-line address as well as the factory engraved signature of Cecil R. King. The matching
serial number is marked on the butt, bottom of the barrel, and rear face of the cylinder. It is fitted with the
documented “NRA” type blade front sight, adjustable notch rear sight, and a smooth pair of rosewood grips
with “S&W” monogram medallions. Cecil R. King (1898-1974) joined the U.S. Army and served as a private during World
War I. After the war, King was involved in local business in California before being elected to the California State Assembly. In 1941, he was elected to U.S. Congress
representing California’s 17th District and served in that role and on various committees in congress until 1969. Among his many accomplishments in the Congress,
King co-authored the Medicare Act in 1965 and was publicly recognized by President Lyndon Johnson for his work on this important legislation. Includes a correct
factory box numbered to a different gun.
CONDITION: Excellent overall, retains 98% plus of the original blue finish and 95% plus of the vibrant original case colors on the hammer and trigger with very
minimal handling evidence and a faint cylinder turn line. Mechanically excellent. The box is very fine with some light handling/storage wear and a minor scuff on
the label. A rare variation of the Smith & Wesson .22/.32 “Kit Gun”!
Provenance: Congressman Cecil R. King; The Michael Priwer Collection.
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,500
LOT 3563
Rare Documented
Congressman Cecil R. King Owned Factory Pinto Smith & Wesson .44 Hand
Ejector Fourth Model Military (Pre-Model 21) Double Action Revolver with
Bird’s Eye Maple Grips, ATF Exempt Smoothbore Barrel, and Factory Letter - Serial no. S106284, 44
S&W special cal., 6 1/2 inch round bbl., blue/nickel finish, maple grips. The accompanying factory letter states the
revolver was shipped on October 14, 1954, and delivered to Walter Lookabaugh, S&W’s manufacturing representative
for California (Los Angeles), with a 6 1/2 inch barrel, red post front sight, rare two-tone or pinto finish (bright blue and
nickel), target hammer and trigger, and special order smooth bird’s eye maple target grips. In the letter
S&W historian Roy Jinks provided additional information related to ownership: “This revolver was special built for Congressman
Cecil R. King from Englewood, CA. There were two guns in this shipment, the second was a .44 Target Model of 1950 serial number
S118087 that was equipped with a 4 inch barrel. Congressman King was a close friend of Smith & Wesson’s President Mr. C.R.
Hellstrom and the company built many special and unusual guns for the Congressman.” The included copy of the S&W invoice
confirms that this “Special Production Presentation Model,” as Jinks referred to it in the letter, was sold to Congressman King
while also confirming the rare, highly attractive bird’s eye maple stocks. Nicknamed pintos, these special order factory blue and
nickel finished guns are highly sought after by collectors. The factory two-tone finish and bird’s eye maple stocks make for a rare
combination of features that are also just as attractive. The revolver is fitted with a smooth bore barrel, judged by the BATF as factory original, featuring
a threaded choke. Although the threaded smooth bore barrel is not mentioned in the letter, this feature was done in a manner that almost certainly
indicates it being completed at the S&W factory. The Congressman’s close ties to Hellstrom strengthens the writer’s conclusion that this rare, unusual
barrel configuration is factory. In a 2019 dated email Jinks confided that if the S&W factory had performed the work, it would not have been put on the
invoice and the barrel would have been taken off the production line before it was rifled. An included Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms letter
exempts this revolver from the purview of the National Firearms Act and classifies it as a curio and relic. Congressman Cecil R. King (1898-1974) served
as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California’s 17th congressional district for 14 terms (1942-1969). He enlisted in the U.S.
Army during World War I and served as a private from 1917 to 1918. His first run in politics came in 1933 when he became a member of the California
State Assembly where he remained until 1942 when he was elected by special election to the U.S. House of Representatives. King was one of the first
members of Congress to get involved with the issue of Medicare. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s King was at the forefront for the push of Medicare
legislation. As a member of the House of Representatives, King was the co-author of the King-Anderson Act along with Senator Clinton Anderson of New Mexico laying
important groundwork for Medicare and was credited by President Lyndon Johnson at the signing the Medicare & Medicaid Act into law on July 30, 1965.
CONDITION: Excellent, retaining 99% plus original blue and nickel finish with minimal handling marks and a light cylinder drag line. The grips are also excellent with very
attractive grain pattern. Mechanically excellent. A very unusual, very intriguing documented ATF exempt smoothbore, factory pinto Smith & Wesson Pre-Model 21 revolver
documented to a member of the U.S. Congress that will make a welcomed addition to any collection no matter how advanced.
Provenance: Congressman Cecil R. King; The Mike Priwer Collection.
Estimate: 8,500 - 13,000
According to knowledgeable Smith
& Wesson collectors, as few as 20
Smith & Wesson Transitional
.22/.32 "Kit Gun" Double Action
revolvers were produced.
Congressman
Cecil R. King