Page 300 - Auction84-Book1

Excellent, Documented Special Order Smith & Wesson .357 Registered Magnum Revolver with Factory Carton
LOT 501
Well-Documented and Spectacular Smith & Wesson .357 Registered Magnum Double Action Revolver with Grip Adapter, Factory Letter and Box Owned by the President of Minnesota Power & Light Co. - Serial no. 46411, 357 magnum cal., 8 3/4 inch solid rib bbl., blue finish, walnut grips. Only approximately 5,400 Registered Magnums were manufactured between 1935 and 1939 and are virtually custom made revolvers that remain “state of the art” in handgun manufacture today. This particular registered Magnum, number 224, is one of 735 Registered Magnums manufactured with an 8 3/4 inch barrel. The accompanying factory letter confirms the registration number, barrel length, Marble Sheard gold bead front sight, “U” notch rear sight, finish, checkered walnut grips and factory grip adapter. One of the early .357s produced it was shipped on June 21, 1935, and delivered to the president of Minnesota Power & Light Co., M.L. Hibbard, of Duluth, Minnesota. It has standard S&W factory markings with “REG. 224” stamped on the inside of the yoke, adjustable rear sight, matching numbers on the butt, ejector shroud and rear cylinder face and assembly number “4082” on the yoke and crane. Other included documents (photocopies) related to this revolver are an order for one Registered Magnum sent to S&W by Marshall- Wells Co., a letter from S&W acknowledging the order and assigning registration number 224, the shipping invoice, a telegram to S&W from Marshall-Wells requesting the barrel length to be changed to 7 1/2 inches, a telegram from S&W indicating a change to the barrel length cannot be made, a letter to D.B. Wesson from Hibbard requesting he return the revolver to have the barrel changed to 7 1/2 inches and a letter from D.B. Wesson suggesting Hibbard experiment with the longer barrel before returning the revolver. Comes with the Type I box which has an image of the Magnum fitted with a grip adaptor and standard stocks, just like this revolver. Provenance: Ray Cheely and Chad Gripp collections. CONDITION: Excellent plus. The revolver retains over 99% original blue finish showing a light cylinder drag line. 99% plus original case colors remain on the hammer and trigger. The grips are near new with sharp checkering. Mechanically excellent. The box is fine showing some minor wear, a few creases and retaining most of the illustration. This is a well-documented, low registered numbered high conditioned .357 Magnum revolver positively linked to its original owner, one of the most prominent executives in pre-World War II Midwest. If you are looking for a top shelf Registered Magnum, here it is! Estimate: 9,500 - 14,000
Collector’s Fact
One of only 735 Smith & Wesson .357 Registered Magnum revolvers produced with an 8 3/4 inch barrel, the longest offered barrel length.
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