Pawn Shop Circuit: An Old S&W

I went to Neil's shop this afternoon on a little bird's advice. Neil had placed an old Smith & Wesson revolver under his glass. It was a large framed hand ejector with brass medallions. A bead of sweat popped out on my forehead as I asked to see it. It was an interesting gun in .455 caliber, with a lanyard ring. It had suffered a massive polishing and rebluing that removed all but the faintest hint of the S&W emblem on the starboard side.
Sadly, at some point in recent history an idiot had bobbed the hammer. The action was buttery smooth. Neil had it marked at $329. I was not prepared to pay that. I handed the gun back for several reasons. First, it wore a heavily polished rebluing job. All historical significance was tossed aside by the buffing wheel. Secondly, it was an obsolete caliber. Third, although complete and matching, someone had ruined this wheelgun with a hammer bobbing.

When I arrived home, I consulted The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson to see what I had held. It was a .455 Mark II Hand Ejector 2nd Model. In poor condition Supica listed it at $175, $225 in fair, and $260 in good condition. Handing it back was the right move.