*VERY RARE RUDOLPH KORNBRATH ENGRAVED SMITH & WESSON OUTDOORSMAN DA REVOLVER WITH PROVENANCE TO THE FAMOUS HARRIMAN FAMILY.

*VERY RARE RUDOLPH KORNBRATH ENGRAVED SMITH & WESSON OUTDOORSMAN DA REVOLVER WITH PROVENANCE TO THE FAMOUS HARRIMAN FAMILY. SN 645363. Cal. 22. Blue finish with 6″ tapered rnd bbl with Call ivory bead on partridge front sight and adjustable rear sight. It has rnd top frame with case colored standard hammer & trigger and is mounted with factory smooth ivory grips that have deep gold S&W logo medallions. Revolver is engraved by Rudolph Kornbrath with about 65-70% coverage oak leaf & acorn patterns that have stippled background. Bbl is engraved in matching patterns with very fine punch dot background which extends most of the length of the bbl. Cylinder is engraved with matching patterns on lands between the flutes. Sideplate is spectacularly deep relief engraved with the rnd vignette of a drumming male Ruffed Grouse standing on a log with conifers in the background. Top of back strap is engraved in matching oak leaf & acorn patterns and there are foliate & vine borders around the hammer slot and on each edge of top strap. Accompanied by a Smith & Wesson factory letter identifying this revolver with 6″ bbl, sights as found and blue finish with ivory grips. It states that the factory charges were $30.47 plus $5.25 for the ivory grips plus there were also shipping charges from Smith & Wesson to Mr. Kornbrath in Hartford, CT and then to Washington, D.C. It was shipped Jan. 10, 1934 to H.L. Harriman, c/o Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C. The letter notes that the invoice is made out to “N.F. Harriman” and the shipping records have the name as “H.L. Harriman”. Dr. N.F. Harriman, a descendant and member of the famous Harriman Family of New York State, railroad barons & politicians, was an engineer and a physicist at the Bureau of Standards where he worked from the 1920s until well after WWII. He was a pioneer in the study & development of photochemistry and photobiology and authored numerous books & papers on these subjects. He was directly responsible for setting many of the standards governing scientists which are still in use today. Mr. Harriman’s more famous relative was W. Averell Harriman who was a close confidante of Pres. Roosevelt and attended the Yalta Conference and helped negotiate with Stalin & Churchill. He remained in politics after the war and in 1961 became Pres. Kennedy’s Ambassador at Large and later became Ambassador to the Soviet Union. At one point a defecting Russian spy accused him of being a spy, which charge he refuted and remained in his post. Kornbrath engraved firearms of all types are much sought after, especially handguns which rarely come to market. He apparently did not engrave a great number of handguns, concentrating more on rifles & shotguns. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus, all matching except grips which are unnumbered. Overall retains virtually all of its fine factory quality dark blue finish with only faint sharp edge wear. Hammer & trigger retain about all of their orig case colors, moderately faded. Left grip has a small compression fracture by the escutcheon, otherwise grips are sound and retain a wonderful golden ivory patina. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. 4-41694 JR97 (15,000-25,000)

Auction: Firearms - Fall 2011

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
	1172	$19,550.00	VERY RARE RUDOLPH KORNBRATH ENGRAVED SMITH & WESSON OUTDOORSMAN DA REVOLVER WITH PROVENANCE TO THE FAMOUS HARRIMAN FAMILY. SN 645363. Cal. 22. Blue finish with 6″ tapered rnd bbl with Call ivory bead on partridge front sight and adjustable rear sight. It has rnd top frame with case colored standard hammer & trigger and is mounted with factory smooth ivory grips that have deep gold S&W logo medallions. Revolver is engraved by Rudolph Kornbrath with about 65-70% coverage oak leaf & acorn patterns that have stippled background. Bbl is engraved in matching patterns with very fine punch dot background which extends most of the length of the bbl. Cylinder is engraved with matching patterns on lands between the flutes. Sideplate is spectacularly deep relief engraved with the rnd vignette of a drumming male Ruffed Grouse standing on a log with conifers in the background. Top of back strap is engraved in matching oak leaf & acorn patterns and there are foliate & vine borders around the hammer slot and on each edge of top strap. Accompanied by a Smith & Wesson factory letter identifying this revolver with 6″ bbl, sights as found and blue finish with ivory grips. It states that the factory charges were $30.47 plus $5.25 for the ivory grips plus there were also shipping charges from Smith & Wesson to Mr. Kornbrath in Hartford, CT and then to Washington, D.C. It was shipped Jan. 10, 1934 to H.L. Harriman, c/o Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C. The letter notes that the invoice is made out to “N.F. Harriman” and the shipping records have the name as “H.L. Harriman”. Dr. N.F. Harriman, a descendant and member of the famous Harriman Family of New York State, railroad barons & politicians, was an engineer and a physicist at the Bureau of Standards where he worked from the 1920s until well after WWII. He was a pioneer in the study & development of photochemistry and photobiology and authored numerous books & papers on these subjects. He was directly responsible for setting many of the standards governing scientists which are still in use today. Mr. Harriman’s more famous relative was W. Averell Harriman who was a close confidante of Pres. Roosevelt and attended the Yalta Conference and helped negotiate with Stalin & Churchill. He remained in politics after the war and in 1961 became Pres. Kennedy’s Ambassador at Large and later became Ambassador to the Soviet Union. At one point a defecting Russian spy accused him of being a spy, which charge he refuted and remained in his post. Kornbrath engraved firearms of all types are much sought after, especially handguns which rarely come to market. He apparently did not engrave a great number of handguns, concentrating more on rifles & shotguns. CONDITION: Extremely fine plus, all matching except grips which are unnumbered. Overall retains virtually all of its fine factory quality dark blue finish with only faint sharp edge wear. Hammer & trigger retain about all of their orig case colors, moderately faded. Left grip has a small compression fracture by the escutcheon, otherwise grips are sound and retain a wonderful golden ivory patina. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore. 4-41694 JR97 (15,000-25,000) Auction: Firearms - Fall 2011 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.

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