what i know about it- made around 1870 its unusual in being a 7 shot .32 where most were 5 or 6. believed to be European made, but thats where im hoping someone will recognise the proof marks. Condition wise its still fully functional, clear barrel, intact firing pin- as an obsolete calibre antique. the bore is good, mostly bright with very light pitting. beautifully engraved in a bank note scroll pattern it has about 50% gold gilting remaining, and the action is nice and crisp and indexes and locks up perfectly with a positive thumb of the hammer, and the trigger release is very clean. being critical it does have very slight play at the top joint and at the cylinder but that is a trait of the tip up design. they all do that!
the case is victorian, mahogany, marked British made and has been re-lined at some point in blue baize, and has a board drilled to hold 21 rounds. the oil can is marked 1894.
have i found my pension or a week on the Isle of Wight?
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...84720933_n.jpg
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...04623299_n.jpg
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...41806904_n.jpg
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...54590053_n.jpg
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...37960976_n.jpg
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...67745754_n.jpg
Last edited by Sswhack; 16-05-2012 at 01:03 PM.
A nice example. The proofs look to be Birmingham
yes you are right i think how did i miss that!
ok so its Birmingham proofed! i was thinking it was Belgian or German, but i know there were some Webley made model 2s? is it a valuable one worth cashing in or do i keep it?
Last edited by Sswhack; 16-05-2012 at 12:53 PM.
For a private sale it's worth between £400 to £600 in my opinion depending on how quick you wanted to sell it.
£300 to £400 from a dealer as a straight cash sale, a bit more if part ex ing for existing stock.
hmmmm thanks for the reply but that seems a little low, std US made model 2s go for that, without a case. i think i'd feel comfortable waiting a while to get a grand out of it, its a beautiful pistol and someone out there wants it.
does anyone else know about or has seen many Webley S&W copies?
The case is not original to the gun so I haven't factored that in. It may be worth £50 to £75 on its own.
In my opinion in the current market you would struggle to get a grand for it but you never know!
I think those prices are pretty well spot on.Originally Posted by loach369
US made S&W's have a strong collector following through the S&W Collectors Association. Copies are generally not as desirable. I've seen a few English copies, but none that were identified as Webley. Is this revolver Webley marked?
I would agree that the case is not original to the gun, in fact it looks like one of the converted antique cutlery boxes that often appear with antique pistols on Gundeals and Gunstar. Hard to tell from the photos, but the block for the cartridges looks like it's never held any cartridges, let alone copper cased cartridges with lubed lead bullets, it just looks far too clean.
I collect vintage Japanese air rifles & vintage Japanese pellets
Information sought about antique firearms with Japanese markings, do you have one ?
thanks for the reply, yes i was told the case isnt factory original, it was sold to me as a display case that had been restored, its been well done anyway.
im sure a few years ago it would have been worth more but as i keep hearing "its the economic climate"
ok so 600 quid private sale puts me in 2nd hand PCP combo territory, fair enough. so i've put it up for swaps. any inspection of course welcomed,
no its not marked Webley but i think most wernt, as its an infringment of S&Ws patent. ive never seen one like it though, have you?
I don't know what it's worth, but it's very nice.
Jim
UBC's Police Pistol Manager
"Nasty, noisy things, revolvers, Count. Better stick to air-guns." Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
This model was extensively copied in Liege, Germany, etc. The barrel of a genuine S & W normally has "Smith & Wesson Springfield Mass" on it. I have see Webley copies of the Model 1 but not seen a Webley copy of a Model 2. Looks to be in very nice condition, wherever made.
Mike95
that is what i originally thought- Belgian or German, but the Birmingham proofs threw me. ive been pointed towards Mick Sheppard of Micks guns who might know more about it, i'll email him some pictures and see what he says.
ok so im resigned to move this now- £650 posted special delivery takes it. i'd love to hang on to it for a few years and see the price rocket but needs must. anyone?
Hi, just stumbled across your thread whilst doing a bit of research.The gold you can see is actually the brass frame showing through the nickle plate where it's been handled. You're probably right with your initial instinct, it's continental and imported into England for sale as a retailers brand pistol, that's why the birmingham proofs. They used to copy designer brands even back then for the man who wanted the flash but didn't want to pay the cash. This kind of gun is all about impressing people, the engraving may have been hand done but it's more likely it will have been cast or rolled into the brass frame and then plated on top to make it look like an engraved No2, that's one of the reasons they used brass because it was easier to cast and plate and it takes fine detail easily because it's soft. The S&W No2's were steel framed,hand engraved and then plated, much more difficult and expensive process so a much more expensive gun, well out of the reach of your average Joe. Does look to be in remarkable condition though from the pics, which uncommon as they weren't exactly designed with longevity in mind. The gun itself isn't collectable in the same way a S&W or a Colt etc is, it's not got any history.. (serial number, inspector stamps, addresses etc) but providing it's not been badly messed with it has value, same as a Brevette (Belgian copy)Colt does. The appraisals you've had are pretty accurate as far as I can see, Brevettes generally get about a third the value of a genuine Colt. A S&W No2 in this condition might be worth £900-£1200 (that's for a standard gun,you can't compare it to a factory engraved model they're much more expensive)so your gun would be valued around the £300-£400 mark. Forget the box, I know someones spent an awful lot of time and effort relining the box but it's worth nothing to a collector, best to try to sell that seperately as what it is, somebody might give you a few quid extra for it. Same goes for the oil bottle I think, doesn't look anything special as far as I can see. I've got a nice Gunpower Stealth with all the bits I don't use anymore, might be interested in doing a trade if it's the sort of thing you're after?
£500 takes it. : (
The link is no longer working.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
