Dating a Webley Senior via serial number

[lodmoor]

Just for info, one of my Seniors, that I am sure was getting on to the last made, knurled barrel (1939-40?) serial number S18539, black grips (yes, they did do some) without 'Webley' logo. Patent details on RHS chamber, no Birmingham 4, just Birmingham, small P at the front of the trigger area.

If you had a post war Senior and wanted to make it look like prewar just add some number to the batch number stamped on the front. Anyone looked under the grips?

My personal opinion would be fraud, no Seniors had 6 digit numbers, could be an apprentice at Webley playing games(?).

[lodmoor]

Just had another look at pics (photobucket playing up again) the trigger is certainly post war so it has definately been doctored unless, when they were exported to the US of A Beeman or his ilk added their own serial numbers(?). Now there is a thought.

[Sphiinx]

With regards to looking under the grips, I had been meaning to do this as I'm aware there is a serial under here also (I think it's the serial, or some number at least), but didn't have my screwdriver handy as it's here with me in work. I'll take it home today and take off the grips for a deeper peek.

It does increasingly look as though it's been modified in certain ways by someone previously, though there is one thing I don't understand and it's to do with the serial number.

Mine is seven characters in length which, unanimously, has been declared incorrect. Were this a post war model at manufacture, should it not have a different number (batch perhaps) in its place? Three or four digits long? Or under the grips instead? And if that is the case and someone has added the letter S and a digit or two to make it appear older, does that mean they will have artificially added the 258 near the tip of the barrel also? As they will have had to match the serial number above the trigger.

Apologies if that question takes a second and third reading to decipher, I know what I'm trying to ask but I can't quite put my question into words. It may be easier to ask if the post war models came with a three digit number at the front of the barrel as well as their batch numbers, or if this was also exclusive to the older models.

[lodmoor]

Batch numbers were marked at the end of the cylinder as well as under the grips. Check the appearance of the numbers at the cylinder end and the 'serial' number, my bet is they will be slightly different.

[Josie & John]

Sorry I'm a little late with my further input - work gets in the way sometimes! I'm not sure I can add anything of value to what has already been said. The knurling is of the later post 1949 type in that it does not extend to the cocking linkage. The trigger is of the standard post war style and the grips are of the standard post war Mark I type. An Assembly number would have been in use at the time this pistol was made and this should appear stamped under the left grip, as has been pointed out. I'm intrigued by the S prefixed number though and that the final 3 digits match the front plug. It makes me wonder whether an Assembly number is stamped under the grip. I'd guess agewise: 1950-58.

This has been an intriguing thread!

John

[Sphiinx]

Sorry I'm a little late with my further input - work gets in the way sometimes! I'm not sure I can add anything of value to what has already been said. The knurling is of the later post 1949 type in that it does not extend to the cocking linkage. The trigger is of the standard post war style and the grips are of the standard post war Mark I type. An Assembly number would have been in use at the time this pistol was made and this should appear stamped under the left grip, as has been pointed out. I'm intrigued by the S prefixed number though and that the final 3 digits match the front plug. It makes me wonder whether an Assembly number is stamped under the grip. I'd guess agewise: 1950-58.

This has been an intriguing thread!

John

Allow me to kindly answer this question with my final pictures of interest.





In conclusion, this is more than likely a post-war pistol, half posing as a pre-war?

The only reason I can think of where someone would want to do this is to sell it for more than the standard value. I can't see a collector doing it! But then is the difference in cost between a pre and post that different that it would warrant etching a false serial number into it? Who knows.

[Garvin]

Allow me to kindly answer this question with my final pictures of interest.





In conclusion, this is more than likely a post-war pistol, half posing as a pre-war?

The only reason I can think of where someone would want to do this is to sell it for more than the standard value. I can't see a collector doing it! But then is the difference in cost between a pre and post that different that it would warrant etching a false serial number into it? Who knows.

He must have really wanted his pistol to be prewar!