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Was my dad's - serial number 55XXX - believe it is a model 10?? He was a cop in the 50-80's...
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If it's a K-frame, it's a .38 Military & Police Model of 1902 1st Change, built 1903-1904. This will be a round-butt gun with a 4-screw frame; it actually predates the well-known 5-screw frame. It will have a very thin round blade front sight, an unshrouded ejector rod, and a barrel inscription that reads ".38 S&W SPECIAL CTG. & U.S. SERVICE CTG.", the second referring to the .38 Long Colt.
Given the dates of your father's police service, IMHO the gun is more likely to be a .38/44 Heavy Duty. This is an N-frame (large) square-butt gun with a shrouded ejector rod, fixed sights, and a barrel inscription that reads ".38 S&W SPECIAL CTG." This gun was chambered for a cartridge called the .38/44 S&W Special aka .38 Special High Velocity, which was an early response by S&W to the perceived inadequacy of the .38Spl as a defensive round; it's essentially the equivalent of a modern .38Spl+P and a predecessor to the .357 Magnum. .38/44 HDs were sold to a number of law enforcement agencies. The serial number puts it in the 1930-1941 range, but as with other Depression-era S&Ws, you need to get it lettered to get a precise date.