The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Smith & Wesson model 42 lemon squeeze .38 special

Driftwood Johnson · June 5, 2019, 08:24 PM

Howdy

When the title of your post said 'lemon squeezer' I was expecting something like this:

Smith and Wesson never called them lemon squeezers, they were the 32 and 38 Safety Hammerless Revolvers. However the general public often refered to them as Lemon Squeezers because the grip safety had to be squeezed to pull the trigger.

Anyway, according to the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson, the Model 42, Centennial Airweight, shipped in the blue two piece cardboard boxes with metal corners. Except the nickel plated ones which shipped in gray boxes.

The 'Bangor Punta' boxes were used from 1966 until 1985, also from the SCSW, an invaluable resource for all collectors of things S&W.

Here is a photo of my Model 17-3 that I bought brand-spanky new in 1975, with its blue Bangor Punta box. You have to look carefully to see the words 'A BANGOR PUNTA COMPANY' in small text between the other two diagonal lines of text.

Regarding boxes upping the value of a S&W revolver, I have found that to mostly be a myth. Yes, you can go to Gun Broker or even eBay and find S&W boxes being hawked for ridiculous prices. But I can't tell you how many times I have closed a deal on an old Smith, and after the haggling was done, the dealer said, "I think I have the box out back" or something like that. In other words, the the fact that the original box was included had never been mentioned, and it was not written on the price tag.

Case in point, after we agreed on a price for this Model 14-3, the dealer said he had the box out back. No mention of it was made during the negotiations.

Don't get me wrong, I like getting the original box, papers, and tools whenever possible, but they have never entered into the negotiations over the price. At least not in my experience.

June 5, 2019, 08:24 PM	#4
Driftwood Johnson Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2014 Location: Land of the Pilgrims Posts: 2,033	Howdy When the title of your post said 'lemon squeezer' I was expecting something like this: Smith and Wesson never called them lemon squeezers, they were the 32 and 38 Safety Hammerless Revolvers. However the general public often refered to them as Lemon Squeezers because the grip safety had to be squeezed to pull the trigger. Anyway, according to the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson, the Model 42, Centennial Airweight, shipped in the blue two piece cardboard boxes with metal corners. Except the nickel plated ones which shipped in gray boxes. The 'Bangor Punta' boxes were used from 1966 until 1985, also from the SCSW, an invaluable resource for all collectors of things S&W. Here is a photo of my Model 17-3 that I bought brand-spanky new in 1975, with its blue Bangor Punta box. You have to look carefully to see the words 'A BANGOR PUNTA COMPANY' in small text between the other two diagonal lines of text. Regarding boxes upping the value of a S&W revolver, I have found that to mostly be a myth. Yes, you can go to Gun Broker or even eBay and find S&W boxes being hawked for ridiculous prices. But I can't tell you how many times I have closed a deal on an old Smith, and after the haggling was done, the dealer said, "I think I have the box out back" or something like that. In other words, the the fact that the original box was included had never been mentioned, and it was not written on the price tag. Case in point, after we agreed on a price for this Model 14-3, the dealer said he had the box out back. No mention of it was made during the negotiations. Don't get me wrong, I like getting the original box, papers, and tools whenever possible, but they have never entered into the negotiations over the price. At least not in my experience.