This is an early production example of the 2,072 New Model No. 3 Frontiers manufactured in their own serial number range (1-2072) starting in 1885. The revolver remains in its original .44 WCF configuration. An estimated 786 were converted to .44 S&W Russian and exported to Japan. Finding an example in original .44 WCF is becoming difficult. Adding to this revolver's rarity and desirability is the New York style floral scroll engraving which covers 80% of the surface. The backstrap has a blank inscription panel. The revolver has the two-line S&W address/patent dates barrel rib marking, rare 5 inch barrel, correct 1 9/16 inch cylinder, and matching serial numbers on the butt, cylinder, barrel and barrel latch. Noted S&W historian and author Jim Supica states the barrel length and engraving makes this revolver extremely rare, possibly a one-of-a-kind. The revolver is pictured in Jesse Hardin's "Old guns and Whispering Ghosts" on page 134 and certainly has the appearance of spending a lifetime on the Western frontier. Provenance: The Supica Collection

Good overall, exuding a classic patina of a revolver that spent a "lifetime in the saddle" with slight traces of silver plating remaining in the sheltered areas and grips with attractive color. Mechanically fine. This revolver has all the hallmarks of a working gun of the period that brings to life the spirit of the Old West and proves all art does not hang on the wall!