A close friend gave me this Iver Johnson Top-break .32S&W pistol today. It belonged to his father-in-law who just had it in a drawer. I gave the old pistol a much needed cleaning and it still appears to function perfectly. The cylinder spins freely when at rest, the bore appears free of gross rust and no noticeable pitting. It appears to have originally had a nickel finish but it has suffered the ravages of time and ill care. The serial number under the grip is K349 88 which matches the number under the cylinder hood/backstrap, however the numbers on the trigger guard are different (8874). The trigger guard also appears to have been blued not nickel plated so maybe it has been replaced. From the information I've found I believe it is a black powder cartridge weapon (the free spinning cylinder) but I could be wrong. Any idea on manufacture date? Is it black powder or smokeless powder? I'll guess it's value (I'm not going to sell it regardless but I will be nice to have some idea for insurance purposes) may be in the $90 to$125 range. Am I close?
I'm attaching a couple photos.
Grumpy
I'm attaching a couple photos.
Grumpy