The Earliest Known Webley W.S. Army Revolver with Box Published in Bruce & Reinhart

Serial #88056, .455/.476, 6" barrel with an excellent, bright bore. This is a historically significant revolver, made pre-1904 going by the Birmingham proofmarks, and has matching numbers on the frame, barrel, cylinder, and both checkered walnut grip panels. The metal retains 90-95% of the original brushed blue finish, with sparse freckling in small areas, as well as some mild fading along the cylinder exterior, and silvering on the exposed edges. The topstrap is marked "'WS' ARMY MODEL" on the left side, "P. WEBLEY & SON. LONDON & BIRMINGHAM" on the barrel rib, with the Webley & Scott "Winged Bullet" and "football" trademark on the left side of the frame. The checkered walnut grips are in fine condition with a few minor handling marks and small blemishes, as well as mottled gray along the gripstraps.  The lock-up is solid and tight, and the action functions flawlessly with a firm, but smooth trigger pull in both double and single-action. The revolver is housed in an original one-piece cardboard box with intact orange end label. The corners of the lid have separated, and there is a tear about 1/3 of the way down the front edge. The Webley label on the inside of the lid is intact, as are the accompanying original cylinder dismounting instruction sheet. An original metal cleaning rod is also included. This very revolver is pictured on pg. 137 of "Webley Revolvers" by Bruce & Reinhart (1988) and is identified in the text as the earliest known serial number within the W.S. range of revolvers. It is in fine overall condition, with hard-to-find extras, and would make a splendid addition to any collection. FFL or C&R