info needed

Can someone please post a picture of the first model smith and wesson made of their own and not for peerless. thanks

Hello Abit:

The first variant Smith & Wesson (polished nickel) is on the left; the latter form is on the right for comparison.
The swivels (not shown) are also different.

Happy Holidays!

Jason

Can someone please post a picture of the first model smith and wesson made of their own and not for peerless. thanks

Thats what i thought but wanted to be sure. thanks for your help Jason.

Can someone please post a picture of the first model smith and wesson made of their own and not for peerless. thanks

what year did s&w start making their own cuff and also what year did they switch to the newer model 90

Can someone please post a picture of the first model smith and wesson made of their own and not for peerless. thanks

S&W started manufacturing handcuffs with S&W name & logo in 1952. It wasn't until 1958 when they assigned the Model 90 to this handcuff.
Dave

Can someone please post a picture of the first model smith and wesson made of their own and not for peerless. thanks

This is in concurrence with my info on these.
I've tentatively put the date on the form change in the early '60s, though I've not been able to ascertain an exact date of yet.

Regards, and happy holidays to all forum posters!

Jason

Can someone please post a picture of the first model smith and wesson made of their own and not for peerless. thanks

Jason,
I am not sure when the the change from the early model 90 where the detent, (the indenture stamping that creates a dog to engage the pawl ditch) located to the side of the keyway, was changed to the location under the keyway in the later production. I have S&W product brochures that show the model 90 with the detent to the side of the keyway through July 1971. The next product brochure I have is dated October 1974 and the model 90 shows the detent under the keyway as in the later productions. I'm not sure how quickly after the change the changed the photos in their brochures so this is just an observation of mine.
I would be interested to know how you arrived at your observation.
Isn't collecting fun!
Dave

Can someone please post a picture of the first model smith and wesson made of their own and not for peerless. thanks

Hello David, and welcome to the forum!

I've been diligently trying to find chronological order in the vintage Smiths with the help of our fellow collectors for the longest time. Initially I was convinced that the font type used in the ampersand would be indicative of the period in which in which they were made. This theory was eventually relegated to the scrap heap when examples with known dates of purchase would seemingly contradict the supposed order of the stampings. I now believe that stamps were replaced like old shoes when they wore down, and that there were several font types in use at the same time.

To further complicate matters, the 'latter' form sports a slightly higher profile lock case and different swivels as well as a right-shifted detent. The serial numbers were ordered randomly, and I've come across more than one example with features common to both forms.



My loose, and I must stress loose, form change estimation was based on known examples from '68 and '69 in the latter form, and on known examples from '59 and '60 in the early form. For the time being, I'm calling the models with features common to both forms 'transitional models'. Of course it's still possible that older patterns were employed in latter times, but the mystery is half the fun.

Regards and happy holidays!



Jason