What is my Smith & Wesson Model 10 worth?
Probably the most-produced centerfire revolver in the world and the American police sidearm for most of a century. Most are honest working guns; the early ones and the department-marked ones are not.
Made 1899–present.
No page can price your gun, and one that offers to is guessing. What this does is show you which one you have — because that is where the money is.
How to tell which one you have
- Swing the cylinder out and look for the model number stamped on the frame inside the crane, on anything made after 1957.
- Check whether the barrel is pinned and the chambers recessed, which indicates earlier production.
- Look for department markings, rack numbers or import stamps.
- Establish the barrel length and profile, since heavy and tapered barrels are different guns to a buyer.
The versions that change the number
| Version | What it means for value |
|---|---|
| Pre-model-number Military & Police 1899–1957 | Before model numbers were applied. Identified by features, and regularly undervalued. |
| Pinned and recessed 1957–early 1980s | The earlier numbered production, and what collectors mean by the good ones. |
| Later production 1980s–present | Perfectly sound revolvers, priced as used working guns. |
| Department-marked guns various | Agency markings cut both ways and can add real money on a scarce marking. |
What actually drives the price
- Whether it predates the model number, and whether it is pinned and recessed.
- Original finish and whether it has been refinished.
- Barrel length and profile.
- Department markings and whether the stocks are numbered to the gun.
And the two that apply to every gun on this site: do not clean it, and keep the box and papers. Removing original finish is permanent, and on the right gun the packaging is a real part of the total.
"It is just an old police .38"
Millions were made and a great many are exactly that. The same outline also covers pre-war revolvers and early numbered guns worth several times as much, and the difference is a stamp inside the crane and a pin above the barrel. Both take a minute to check.
Where is the model number?
Swing the cylinder out and look at the flat of the frame where the crane sits. On anything from 1957 onward there is usually a number stamped there. Before that the guns were not numbered and have to be identified by their features.
Getting a number for yours
Send photographs and we will tell you what we will pay for it. We buy nationwide — a single firearm ships to us prepaid and insured, and for a collection we come to you. More on what separates one Smith & Wesson from another.