The above photograph features both left and right views of six little Smith & Wessons I ran across.  One of them is a .38 Single Action 2nd Model and the rest are Number 1 1/2 .32 caliber.  All of these guns are tight, function crisply and are engraved, with ivory, pearl or rosewood grips.  None of them have been cleaned or polished and they are dry.  None of the grips are chipped.  I am told they are from a very old collection.  All but one have factory letters which state that they were delivered to M. W. Robinson, New York City, Smith & Wesson's largest distributor.  According to Roy G. Jenks, Smith & Wesson Historian, during the time frame that these guns were made, the Smith & Wesson Company referred to M. W. Robinson all special order requests.  In other words, if you custom ordered an engraved, ivory grip Number 1 1/2 Smith & Wesson, M. W. Robinson of New York would make the gun up and ship it to you.  Robinson apparently pulled from existing stock, guns of various finishes and had them engraved, plated, gripped, etc.  They are in essence, factory engraved or at the very least, what the factory sent you if you requested one.  ALL SOLD!!

This is a .38 Single Action 2nd Model, shipped June 13, 1885.  It was shipped as a rare four inch barrel, blued finish with checkered, black, hard rubber grips.  The engraving and pearl grips were completed through the Robinson Company as he handled a lot of the special orders for the factory.  The gun retains about 85 percent of the original nickel and is tight and crisp.   SOLD!!

This gun is engraved, nickel plated with mother-of-pearl grips and is a little different from the others.  It has an interwound scroll, three starbursts and a diamond patterned panel on either side of the barrel, that tells me it may have been worked up in the Nimschke shop in New York.  The factory letter indicates that it is a S&W Model 1 1/2 2nd Issue, .32 rim fire short, shipped on September 18 , 1873 to M. W. Robinson and that the engraving was probably completed through the Robinson Company.  The gun retains about 75 percent of the nickel and functions crisply.  SOLD!!

Another Model 1 1/2 2nd Issue in .32 rim fire which was shipped on December 7, 1872 and sold through M. W. Robinson.  It was shipped with a nickel finish and smooth rosewood grips and the letter indicates that again, Robinson handled the engraving and special orders.  It left Robinson, engraved, nickel plated with ivory grips.  This one retains about 85 percent of the plating.  SOLD!!

This Number 1 1/2 2nd Issue was apparently engraved with a blued finish and mother-of-pearl grips.  The blue has all flaked off but the gun is quite sharp, so is the engraving.  It could use a cleaning.  I don't have a factory letter on this one, but I imagine that it would read the same as the others.  SOLD!!

Number 1 1/2 2nd issue, shipped to M. W. Robinson, New York, November 29, 1873.  Shipped in nickel finish with smooth, rosewood grips.  It left Robinson engraved with nickel and pearl grips.  This one seams to have a fair amount of dried grease on it but I would say it is holding on to about 80 percent of its plating, maybe less.  SOLD!!