This early production S&W No.2 Lever Action Repeating pistol with deluxe finish is pictured on page 28 of "VOLCANIC FIREARMS" by Edmund Lewis and Stephen Rutter. The pistol has deluxe scroll and floral engraving on the top and sides of the barrel flats, sides and top of the frame, side plates, back strap, butt and top of the hammer. The left side plate is engraved with a shield surrounded by scrollwork and the right side plate is engraved with a cherub and urn. A harp and a scroll are engraved on the sides of the receiver ahead of the side plates. The back strap and sides of the receiver have gold inlaid scrollwork and line borders. The top barrel flat is inlaid with a gold band. The entire pistol is silver-plated with the exception of the rear sight which is gold-plated. The two-piece rosewood grips are silver-mounted with engraved silver caps at the junction with the frame and engraved silver screw escutcheons. This No. 2, Type II, pistol has a frame with prominent hump behind the trigger and eight-inch part-round/part-octagon barrel with integral ten-shot magazine. The barrel has a crowned muzzle, rounded T-bar spring, brass pinch-top front sight and steel, clam-shell magazine follower. The top barrel flat is roll-stamped: "SMITH & WESSON/PATENT/FEB. 14. 1854" in three lines. The frame has a simple dove-tail mounted rear sight, election port with square front and rear ends and single lever-spring screw. The hammer has fine, hand-cut, knurling on the spur. The loading lever has the distinctive finger hole but lacks the finger spur found on the earliest No. 2 pistols. The serial number, "81", is stamped on the left side of the butt beneath the grips. This pistol was most likely custom-engraved and gold inlaid as a display or presentation piece and may well be the most heavily decorated Volcanic pistol extant.

Very good. This one-of-a-kind pistol has all of the original components and retains 60% of the period re-plated finish. The silver-plating has scattered flaking along the barrel rib and on the muzzle collar with edge wear on the barrel flats. The silver-plating on the frame shows moderate flaking on the front sides and side plates with scattered spots of finish loss on the top of the receiver and hammer. Most of the finish flaking is on the engraved sections of the side plates and frame but the well-executed engraving remains in good overall condition. The barrel retains 80% of the gold inlaid band. About 70% of the gold inlaid scrollwork is present on the left side plate with 50% of the gold inlay remains on the right side plate. The back strap has half of the gold inlay. The grips are in good overall condition and retain 70% of the piano finish with moderate handling wear. The silver mountings are in good condition with crisp engraving. This is a scarce, early production, S&W No. 2, Type II Repeating Pistol with deluxe, gold inlaid, engraved, silver-plated finish. Provenance: Dr. Gerald Klaz collection.