Unusually high original condition Smith & Wesson Model 1, second issue tip-barrel revolver with blued barrel/cylinder and silver plated brass frame, caliber .22 Short black powder, with factory letter signed and sealed by Smith & Wesson historian Roy G. Jinks. ANTIQUE!

Description:

Smith & Wesson Model 1 Second Issue revolver manufactured from 1860 to 1868, SN: 17133, caliber .22 Short black powder, with dual tone blued barrel/cylinder and silver plated frame, tip-up 3 3/16" barrel, seven-shot cylinder, and smooth walnut grips. Top of barrel marked "SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS" with cylinder bearing patent marking "PATENTED APR. 3.1855 & JULY 5.1859 ", SN: "17133" stamped on butt and repeated on the inside of the right wooden grip. Complete with factory letter from Smith & Wesson, signed and sealed by Roy G. Jinks, stating this pistol was probably shipped March 2, 1861 to S&W sole agent, J. W. Storrs in New York. The Model 1 was the first commercially successful revolver to use rimfire cartridges instead of loose powder, musket ball, and percussion caps, and with the outbreak of the American Civil War, soldiers from all ranks on both sides of the conflict made private purchases of these revolvers for self-defense. ANTIQUE!

Condition:

VG+ bright original finish on barrel and cylinder with sharp edge wear, handling marks, and toning/oxidative flecking as carefully imaged. The plated frame has tarnished with no attempt at cleaning. Comparable condition color case hardened hammer with fading and operational wear. Fire blued trigger and screws have largely toned to gray. VG+ grips retaining vast majority of original varnish with a very light scattering of handling marks. Bright bore with a few small areas of oxidation. Correct manual mechanics, all cylinders indexing properly.