In the accompanying factory letter S&W historian Roy Jinks identifies this S&W .44 DA Frontier Revolver as a "club gun" that unfortunately lacks a factory record. "Club guns" are a special group of handguns S&W gave or loaned to factory personnel, shooting clubs and/or notable shooters as samples or test guns. These highly prized guns were generally assigned "zero" serial number prefixes. In the factory letter Jinks notes, "It is known that several club guns were made with only '0' serial numbers, but there are no records." The serial number "0" appears on the butt, both grip panels, and cylinder. The barrel and barrel latch are unnumbered. The revolver features a pinned blade front sight, notch rear sight on the barrel latch, and two-line address/patent dates marking on the barrel rib. This revolver is pictured in Supica and Nahas' "Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson" on page 336. Includes a period 6 inch barrel .44 DA Frontier box, and bore brush. Inside the box is a handwritten note: "This revolver belonged to (Mrs) Mary Norman Smith, who was reared near Smithton, Arkansas, lived at Searey from 1907 to her death here in 1926." Provenance: The Supica Collection
Excellent, retaining 95% original nickel plating with light cylinder drag lines and scattered light flaking on the balance. 80% original case colors remain on the hammer and trigger. 90% original blue remains on the trigger guard. The grips are excellent with minimal handling marks and overall crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. The box is fine with most of the end label remaining.
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