Lot 23

Deluxe Tiffany & Co. Embellished Smith & Wesson .38 Revolver

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Deluxe Tiffany & Co. Embellished Smith & Wesson .38 Revolver

Estimate: $20,000 - $35,000

Starting Bid: $18,000

(0 Bids)

by Rock Island Auction Company
June 27, 2026 5:00 PM CDT
Live Auction
3600 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX, US 76021

Exceedingly Scarce Highly Attractive Deluxe Tiffany & Co. Embellished and Monogrammed Smith & Wesson .38 Safety Hammerless Second Model Double Action Revolver Manufactured c. 1887-1890, this is a scarce and very attractive example of a Smith & Wesson .38 Safety Hammerless revolver that was embellished by the legendary Tiffany & Co. To this day, Tiffany & Co. remains one of the most recognizable names among the luxury retailers of the world. From the 1880s to the early 1900s, the self-described “American multinational luxury jewelry and specialty retailer” Tiffany & Co. created spectacular and expensive highly embellished deluxe handguns and rifles for America’s leading firearms manufacturers such as Colt, Winchester, and Smith & Wesson. It is interesting to note that, unlike Tiffany embellished guns done for Colt, all the examples done for Smith & Wesson are believed to have been unique, one-off pieces of art and done on an individual basis. The “rich and elaborate decorations” on handguns alone set a customer back $50.00 to $300.00, a hefty sum at that time. The number of surviving Tiffany firearms remains unknown, but studies clearly show that the partnership between Smith & Wesson and Tiffany was the most prolific out of the major manufacturers. Tiffany Smith & Wessons are arguably some of the rarest and most desirable of the late 19th century American high art firearms, and offered here is one of those rare prizes in firearms art collecting that help define a private or public collection. Many of these arms featuring Tiffany's world renowned craftsmanship made appearances at some of the various trade fairs and exhibitions around the turn of the century, before being sold to discerning and affluent customers. The largest public display of Tiffany embellished 19th century arms can be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Gallery 372. The lion’s share of the display was donated and/or sold by Dr. Gerald Klaz. Tiffany marked each piece they made on special order, with this particular work of art being no exception. These Tiffany embellished firearms retain wide appeal to this day, being highly collectible among elite collectors of both firearms and art. The grip and frame housing on this example has the Tiffany & Co. sterling silver marking just behind the trigger guard. The frame housing on this example is elegantly inscribed with a monogram on each side, the left side appearing to be "JSC", and the right side difficult to distinguish. The remainder of the sterling silver grip shows beautifully inlaid, darker contrasting metal, forming art nouveau style floral scroll motifs. The top of the barrel is marked with the standard two-line address and patent dates, while the matching serial number is on the rear face of the cylinder and cylinder latch, as well as presumably on the butt of the grip frame, which is hidden by the Tiffany grip.

Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson

Model: 38 Safety Hammerless

BBL: 4 inch solid rib

Gauge: 38 S&W

Finish: nickel

Grips: silver

Serial Number38601

Class: Antique

  • Condition: Very fine as a Tiffany & Co. embellished piece of firearms art, retaining 90% of the retailer applied nickel finish, a patch of brown patina and mild pitting on the left of the barrel, and a few small patches of light flaking. The grip is exceptionally fine with an attractive, lightly aged patina on the sterling silver, eye-catching contrasting dark inlays with a few spots of light pitting, and crisp inscribed monograms. Mechanically functions. This is a scarce opportunity to take your collection into the realm of the elite with a Smith & Wesson revolver turned high art by the legendary Tiffany & Co.!

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000