Smith & Wesson No. 1, 2nd Issue Early Production w/ 1855 & '59 Patent Dates

This is an early Smith and Wesson Number One, Second Issue Revolver in .22 caliber with 7-shot cylinder.   The Model One was America's first cartridge revolver.   These early 2nd Issues were introduced by S&W around 1860 with several improvements over the 1st Issue revolver...pertaining mainly to hammer and side plate on the frame.   The serial number for the 2nd Issues picked up where the 1st Issues left off around the 11,600 serial range and continued all the way up to 128,000 in 1868 when the 3rd issue was introduced.   This little S&W has a good early Civil War vintage serial number in the 16,000 range...circa 1860-61.   Being an early production 2nd Issue, it has just the 1855 and 1859 patent dates on the cylinder...the 1860 patent was added around serial number 20,000.   During the war, these little revolvers were immensely popular with soldiers who purchased them by the thousands as personal carry weapons.   One of the most famous owners of the Model One was Mark Twain who gave a colorful account of his little S&W Model One on a trip out West, in one of his works titled, Roughing It:

"I was armed to the teeth with a pitiful little Smith & Wesson's seven-shooter, which carried a ball like a homeopathic pill, and it took the whole seven to make a dose for an adult.  But I thought it was grand.  It appeared to me to be a dangerous weapon.  It had only one fault-- you could not hit anything with it.  One of our 'conductors' practiced awhile on a cow with it, and as long as she stood still and behaved herself she was safe; but as soon as she went to moving about, and he got to shooting at other things, she came to grief.

Overall condition grades NRA Antique Fine with 40-50% original blue on the barrel and cylinder that's thinning and powdered with patina.   Frame retains 92% original silver plating with the brass base metal only showing on some of the edges.   Rosewood grips are in Fine condition with no chips, cracks, or repairs...and fit nicely up to the grip straps.   They have never been cleaned or redone and still retain 75-80% of their original lustrous piano varnish.   Mechanics function flawlessly with the cylinder stop actually locking the cylinder in place...many of these after 100+ years get a bit lazy.   The barrel to frame locks up tightly with no play.   Bore has good rifling with some scattered pits.   No rings or bulges.   Matching assembly numbers "B8" on barrel, frame, and cylinder.   We also checked the grips and they are numbered to the gun as well.   A nice example of an early Civil War era production Smith and Wesson.

Item# 1127

$675