*EXTREMELY RARE, PROBABLY ONE OF A KIND, FACTORY CUSTOM SMITH AND WESSON MODEL 1917 DA REVOLVER BUILT FOR SMITH AND WESSON EXECUTIVE FRED H. MILLER.

SN 169335. Cal. 45 Colt. Blue finish with 5-1/2″ bbl, integral half-moon front sight and fixed rear sight. Mounted with smooth 2-pc walnut grips and has a Lanyard swivel in buttstrap. Buttstrap has standard 1917 markings and bottom of bbl is marked “UNITED STATES PROPERTY”. Bbl has 2-line address with cal marking on left side. It has standard trigger and hammer. Accompanied by a Smith and Wesson Factory letter which identifies this revolver as a “Special production revolver” in cal 45 Colt, with no shipping date listed but “probably built in the mid-1950’s” and delivered to Mr. Fred H. Miller, Assistant Sales Manager. Revolver is listed as having a 5-1/2″ bbl, with blue finish and smooth walnut grips. The letter continues “This rare revolver was specially built for Mr. Miller who could have any special he wanted assembled by the company. This is certainly one of the rarest variations of the .45 Hand Ejector Model of 1917 known.” Additionally accompanied by an undated 2-pg letter over the signature of Roy G. Jinks, Smith and Wesson historian, who states that he first met Mr. Miller in 1957 on Mr. Jinks’ first trip to Smith and Wesson. The letter continues with a short biography of Mr. Miller, who was born in 1910 in Springfield, MA, and came to work at Smith and Wesson in 1937, in charge of the service department. Mr. Miller was a competitive pistol shooter and he and his daughter competed around the Eastern United States and at the National Matches (Camp Perry, OH), where he was the factory representative showcasing company products. In 1947 Mr. Miller was appointed Assistant Sales Manager, a position he held until 1960 when he became Sales Manager, where he remained until his retirement in 1973. In the 1940s Mr. Miller was injured in a shotgun shooting accident and lost use of his right arm. He retrained himself to perform all his tasks left handed, including writing and shooting, and at one time afterwards was ranked as one of the top 50 shooters in the U.S. Revolver Association. Mr. Miller retired to Florida and passed away in 1991 at age 80. This is truly a one of a kind revolver owned by a dedicated and doggedly determined Smith and Wesson employee. This may be the last Model 1917 revolver built and one of only a handful in cal 45 Colt ever built by the factory. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus. Overall retains about 99% crisp orig factory blue with only a faint cyl line. Trigger and hammer retain about all of their orig case colors. Grips have a few small bruises on left side, otherwise are sound and retain most of their orig oil finish. Mechanics are crisp. Brilliant shiny bore, appears to be new and unfired. 4-51989 JR200 (5,000-10,000) – Lot 3174

Click here to view provenance

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2014

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	3174	$5,750.00	EXTREMELY RARE, PROBABLY ONE OF A KIND, FACTORY CUSTOM SMITH AND WESSON MODEL 1917 DA REVOLVER BUILT FOR SMITH AND WESSON EXECUTIVE FRED H. MILLER. SN 169335. Cal. 45 Colt. Blue finish with 5-1/2″ bbl, integral half-moon front sight and fixed rear sight. Mounted with smooth 2-pc walnut grips and has a Lanyard swivel in buttstrap. Buttstrap has standard 1917 markings and bottom of bbl is marked “UNITED STATES PROPERTY”. Bbl has 2-line address with cal marking on left side. It has standard trigger and hammer. Accompanied by a Smith and Wesson Factory letter which identifies this revolver as a “Special production revolver” in cal 45 Colt, with no shipping date listed but “probably built in the mid-1950’s” and delivered to Mr. Fred H. Miller, Assistant Sales Manager. Revolver is listed as having a 5-1/2″ bbl, with blue finish and smooth walnut grips. The letter continues “This rare revolver was specially built for Mr. Miller who could have any special he wanted assembled by the company. This is certainly one of the rarest variations of the .45 Hand Ejector Model of 1917 known.” Additionally accompanied by an undated 2-pg letter over the signature of Roy G. Jinks, Smith and Wesson historian, who states that he first met Mr. Miller in 1957 on Mr. Jinks’ first trip to Smith and Wesson. The letter continues with a short biography of Mr. Miller, who was born in 1910 in Springfield, MA, and came to work at Smith and Wesson in 1937, in charge of the service department. Mr. Miller was a competitive pistol shooter and he and his daughter competed around the Eastern United States and at the National Matches (Camp Perry, OH), where he was the factory representative showcasing company products. In 1947 Mr. Miller was appointed Assistant Sales Manager, a position he held until 1960 when he became Sales Manager, where he remained until his retirement in 1973. In the 1940s Mr. Miller was injured in a shotgun shooting accident and lost use of his right arm. He retrained himself to perform all his tasks left handed, including writing and shooting, and at one time afterwards was ranked as one of the top 50 shooters in the U.S. Revolver Association. Mr. Miller retired to Florida and passed away in 1991 at age 80. This is truly a one of a kind revolver owned by a dedicated and doggedly determined Smith and Wesson employee. This may be the last Model 1917 revolver built and one of only a handful in cal 45 Colt ever built by the factory. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus. Overall retains about 99% crisp orig factory blue with only a faint cyl line. Trigger and hammer retain about all of their orig case colors. Grips have a few small bruises on left side, otherwise are sound and retain most of their orig oil finish. Mechanics are crisp. Brilliant shiny bore, appears to be new and unfired. 4-51989 JR200 (5,000-10,000) – Lot 3174 Click here to view provenance Auction: Firearms - Fall 2014 Please Note:* All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

.red{fill:#B50938;} .white{fill:#FFFFFF;} .blue{fill:#005596;}

*EXTREMELY RARE, PROBABLY ONE OF A KIND, FACTORY CUSTOM SMITH AND WESSON MODEL 1917 DA REVOLVER BUILT FOR SMITH AND WESSON EXECUTIVE FRED H. MILLER.