Posted by SGT on August 2, 2007, 10:28 am, in reply to "Re: Cody letter"
I've read this stuff about records inconsistencies, especially as to grade problems; and I am reminded of a tale passed along to me by a nationally noted and self-proclaimed LC Smith expert who, from our inception to this day, has steadfastly refused to join the LCSCA and share or impart his vast knowledge and wisdom with and upon our membership. Whether this tale has a basis in truth, or is pure fabricated fiction I cannot say; only that I am unable to verify what I am about to share, therefore I place it in the same category as gossip until such time as it can be authenticated. The tale goes something like this: the Hunter brothers (and devious employees) regularly shaded production records by recording a gun as a lower grade than it actually was; or recorded the gun as a "special" (in effect, no grade) in order to create a high/er gun for a friend, family member, themselves, etc.; for the cost of a lower grade gun. In so doing, such guns would be billed out by accounting at a price below, often far below, their regular production cost and retail price. Obviously, to pull this tactic off, more than one person had to cooperate in such a scheme; but the fact that a fair number of guns do exist in various grades not matching the shipping ledger records serve to give this tale a certain credence. As FYI, there is an authentic Monogram .410, signed by Kraus, that a well-known dealer in vintage guns verified as being recorded as an Ideal Grade in the shipping records. This kind of gossip is fun to know; but from such (and the Trap gun that started this thread) we can learn a valuable lesson. The records are obviously not the "be all, end all" when it comes to Smith guns; the astute collector MUST do his homework and be able to determine features that are consistent within each grade. Most fakes are easily spotted, others are not; but I've yet to see an upgraded Smith that could not be detected upon close inspection regardless how well it was done. And as for upgrades, a few years ago there was a superb Smith gun on display at the Vegas show that could have been purchased for a mere $250k. It was serial number 500,000 and labeled in gold, the "Panama Special"; and supposedly built for the 1918 Panama Trade Show and Exhibit. Well, with Hunter Arms in bankruptcy during this period and most records from that period either missing and incomplete, what better time period to fake a gun? I can assure you no such serial number remains in the records; but even if the quality of the work is indistinguishable from factory original and we have no record, the gun is an upgrade. So what do I base my conclusion upon? Remaining evidence. You see, with the introduction of the Deluxe grades, Hunter arms always made photographs of every special gun they produced. Additionally, stories of the most unusual "special" guns (like the Sousa gun) were circulated among the workers throughout the life of the company. I can assure you there are no old photos of a "Panama Special", nor has the most advanced Smith collector ever heard the first rumor of a most unusual Smith gun called the "Panama Special". Knowledge is power!