I have been asked several times in the last month about the originality of some nickel Smith & Wesson revolvers. How do you know it is original? Where do you look to find out.? Is there a premium for nickel finish S&W revolvers?
First, let me say that I am not an expert. Anything I write, and any opinions given are just what I have read, or observed and are just my opinions. So with that said, here is how you can determine if you can verify that your Smith & Wesson revolver is original.
First, take the grips off the gun, and on the left side of the frame where the grips were, there will be a “N” stamped in the frame of the gun. It will be very visible, and easy to see. That means that the frame is original nickel. There will be other numbers on the frame as well. Most of those numbers or symbols or markings are just assembly numbers and mean nothing.
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Secondly, using the latch, open up the cylinder, then look on the cylinder and in between where you would load the rounds, there will be a small “N” stamped. It may be lightly stamped, or heavily stamped, but it should be there and confirms that the cylinder is an original nickel finish.
There are exceptions. There are always exception when dealing with S&W. For example, I own a Pre-Model 30 from 1956. There is a “N” stamped on the frame, under the grips, but there is no “N” stamped on the cylinder. However, the cylinder has the serial number of the frame stamped on the cylinder. Which would confirm that the cylinder and the frame match and it is original to the gun and therefore original nickel.
If the S&W you are holding is nickel, and does not have these markings, it is safe to say that it is probably not an original nickel finish. I personally, have never seen an original nickel finish that did not have these markings, but I have heard that there maybe some out there. If that were to be the case, the only way to verify the originality of the finish would to contact Roy Jinks, S&W Historian, for a letter verifying the finish.
Nickel re-finishes are common, some are even done to a high standard. But most guns re-finished in nickel will have a “rounded” or “soft” look. The edges are not crisp, the S&W stamp will be somewhat muted, or rounded. Also, the trigger and the hammer, on a lot of the older re-finished guns will be nickel as well. Most S&W nickel guns will have a case colored hammer and trigger. If the hammer and the trigger are nickel, caution should be taken if it is being sold as an original nickel S&W.
The Standard Catalog of Smith &Wesson, will show that most nickel guns will have a slight premium over the blued guns. It has been stated by S&W historians that nickel finishes make up around 10% to 15% of the total production run of that particular model. But that is just a rule of thumb and I do not have any hard evidence to verify those numbers. If a model has been re-finished in nickel or another finish,, the value of that gun drops significantly. Despite how well the re-finish looks, the value of the model drops by about half, sometimes even more.
Lastly, and just to because I want to make sure everyone knows this, There were 25 nickel finished M28’s produced for the Florida Highway Patrol. The serial numbers for these 25 guns are documented. Also, there were 5 satin nickel M28s produced for Adolph Blaick Incorporated. So that is a total of 30 nickel finish M28s made. I have never seen one and I do not know anyone who has one. If you see a M28 with a nickel finish, it would more than likely be re-finished, and do not pay a premium for it. Refer back to what I said about re-finished Smiths.
Hope this helps.
EDIT: B Byrd brought up a great point and it should be added. In the second picture, notice that the extractor star is blue, on most, but not all, refinished nickel Smiths, the extractor star is also nickel. Another sure sign that you need to investigate further before buying.
First, let me say that I am not an expert. Anything I write, and any opinions given are just what I have read, or observed and are just my opinions. So with that said, here is how you can determine if you can verify that your Smith & Wesson revolver is original.
First, take the grips off the gun, and on the left side of the frame where the grips were, there will be a “N” stamped in the frame of the gun. It will be very visible, and easy to see. That means that the frame is original nickel. There will be other numbers on the frame as well. Most of those numbers or symbols or markings are just assembly numbers and mean nothing.
.
Secondly, using the latch, open up the cylinder, then look on the cylinder and in between where you would load the rounds, there will be a small “N” stamped. It may be lightly stamped, or heavily stamped, but it should be there and confirms that the cylinder is an original nickel finish.
There are exceptions. There are always exception when dealing with S&W. For example, I own a Pre-Model 30 from 1956. There is a “N” stamped on the frame, under the grips, but there is no “N” stamped on the cylinder. However, the cylinder has the serial number of the frame stamped on the cylinder. Which would confirm that the cylinder and the frame match and it is original to the gun and therefore original nickel.
If the S&W you are holding is nickel, and does not have these markings, it is safe to say that it is probably not an original nickel finish. I personally, have never seen an original nickel finish that did not have these markings, but I have heard that there maybe some out there. If that were to be the case, the only way to verify the originality of the finish would to contact Roy Jinks, S&W Historian, for a letter verifying the finish.
Nickel re-finishes are common, some are even done to a high standard. But most guns re-finished in nickel will have a “rounded” or “soft” look. The edges are not crisp, the S&W stamp will be somewhat muted, or rounded. Also, the trigger and the hammer, on a lot of the older re-finished guns will be nickel as well. Most S&W nickel guns will have a case colored hammer and trigger. If the hammer and the trigger are nickel, caution should be taken if it is being sold as an original nickel S&W.
The Standard Catalog of Smith &Wesson, will show that most nickel guns will have a slight premium over the blued guns. It has been stated by S&W historians that nickel finishes make up around 10% to 15% of the total production run of that particular model. But that is just a rule of thumb and I do not have any hard evidence to verify those numbers. If a model has been re-finished in nickel or another finish,, the value of that gun drops significantly. Despite how well the re-finish looks, the value of the model drops by about half, sometimes even more.
Lastly, and just to because I want to make sure everyone knows this, There were 25 nickel finished M28’s produced for the Florida Highway Patrol. The serial numbers for these 25 guns are documented. Also, there were 5 satin nickel M28s produced for Adolph Blaick Incorporated. So that is a total of 30 nickel finish M28s made. I have never seen one and I do not know anyone who has one. If you see a M28 with a nickel finish, it would more than likely be re-finished, and do not pay a premium for it. Refer back to what I said about re-finished Smiths.
Hope this helps.
EDIT: B Byrd brought up a great point and it should be added. In the second picture, notice that the extractor star is blue, on most, but not all, refinished nickel Smiths, the extractor star is also nickel. Another sure sign that you need to investigate further before buying.
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