June 9-10, 2017 Premier Firearms
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/10/2017
Features round barrel, brass pin front sight, two line Hartford barrel address, two line patent address on side, rebated cylinder, brass trigger guard and backstrap, and one piece walnut grips. This conversion has all matching numbers with the exception of the cylinder which is not readable. Wedge has matching number as well. All metal is basically gun metal grey. No visible cylinder scene. Walnut grips are excellent. Unpolished brass. Indexes perfectly. Strong, clean rifling. What makes this little .38 conversion interesting is that on the left side of the barrel is stamped "QUINCY POLICE NO. 12" and was issued to the Quincy Police Department in the 1870's; one of the earliest police marked guns we have encountered. It is marked and in nearly identical condition as another revolver sold at auction in fall of 2012 that was "QUINCY POLICE NO. 3". We do not know the total number issued, but probably numbers less than 20 given the small town police departments of the era. Housed in a more modern case and accompanied by a silver plated brass police badge that is dated 1888 badge number 64 and ribbon reads "MANET" and stamped "QUINCY" twice. Quincy and Manet are basically a metropolis in the state of Massachusetts. Given these badges are from the 19th century, we will assume these badges are from the Quincy, Massachusetts Police Department. Quincy is almost a sister city to Boston and is now considered a suburb.