Tell me more! Smith Carbine #408

[OuttieFiveThou]

First post so sorry if I'm in the wrong spot. My father recently passed and we were cleaning out his gun safe and came across a Smith Carbine with serial #408. To me this seems like a very low serial number so we're trying to find out approximate year and value. If it was actually used in the war or any other information we can find on it

 

[TexBadger]

First of all.. I am sorry to hear about the loss of your father.

In respect to his Smith, it is indeed an early one and looks to be in very good shape. Many Smiths are found with some or substantial amounts of finish on them, but there are certainly many well used examples as well. This one doesn't appear to have any finish remaining, but wood looks great and cartouche (indicating acceptance by US military) is crisp. Being an early example by serial number, this would have been delivered in early/mid 1862 from my understanding. I am fond of the Smith but could not call myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I am primarily going by info found in the book, "U.S. Civil War Carbines" by Whisker, Yantz, and Hartzler.

As far as value, I would say retail would be $1300-1500 range but that is just a guess. Even though the Smith was highly thought of during the war it doesn't seem to be a top collectible by CW firearms collectors. Some may disagree, but I am just going by how long they seem to sit around in dealer website/inventories compared to Sharps or Spencers. I mean no disrespect, and it looks to be a great example that anyone who collects CW firearms would be happy to own.

One additional note,... in searching know serial numbers to units, there is some data on the Smith but from my records this one isn't a direct hit. There is one (serial number 444) that went to the 1st Conn Cavalry. The entry is just dated 1863 but it doesn't necessarily mean it was issued then. Even though the serial number is close it doesn't mean it went to same unit. Many make this mistake of "range matches" but imo that is misleading at best. It isn't as though they took serial numbers in perfect sequence and sent them to the same units.

Also, there was a recent discussion about the Smith here that you might find interesting...

Was the Smith 'Buttermilk Falls Baster' carbine a good carbine? | Small Arms & Ammunition

At 30,000 the Buttermilk Falls Blaster was the fourth most used Union carbine. Some troops liked the Smith Carbine and found its durability and ease of use, while other troops did not care for it. So was the 'Buttermilk Falls Blaster' a good carbine?

civilwartalk.com

Regards.

 

[JOHN42768]

Sorry for your loss. Welcome, enjoy. I would suggest you use the Search Feature at top right. Enter Smith Carbine and hit search. You will bring up a very large selection of postings that will enlighten you on the carbine. It was made by three different manufacturing facilities. It was generally well liked. As stated you will find them in all grades of condition. Scan through gun auction listings and civil war dealers. This will give you an idea of value.

 

[UCVRelics]

Sorry to hear about your dad as I recently lost mine.

Great looking old war horse. The Smith was an early war issued weapon to many yankee cav units. @TexBadger is spot on with the SRS info and as @JOHN42768 stated we have a wealth of info here.

 

[WJC]

Sorry for your loss.
You might check some of the dealers with websites to get an idea of their asking price. For example, https://www.horsesoldier.com/search/results?q=smith+carbine currently offers two Smiths....

 

[TexBadger]

Sorry for your loss.
You might check some of the dealers with websites to get an idea of their asking price. For example, https://www.horsesoldier.com/search/results?q=smith+carbine currently offers two Smiths....

good reference. I would also suggest dealers like Larry Hicklen from Mid Tennessee Relics who just listed a Smith today for $1,295.

Middle Tennessee Civil War Relics

The Horse Soldier is a great and well respected dealer in all things CW, but they can be a bit pricey. Note that the last result in that search is a Smith in fine condition. They originally had it for sale for $3,250 but had to lower it to $2,600 to sell it.

The market for the Smith has always puzzled me a bit. Along with that, it seems there are an unusually large amount of examples in fine condition.

 

[UCVRelics]

The market for the Smith has always puzzled me a bit. Along with that, it seems there are an unusually large amount of examples in fine condition.

That is because they found a bunch of them in a few Forts out west that were still in the box. The Horse Soldier is always 30% higher than anyone else.

 

[OuttieFiveThou]

Thank you all for the information and reply's. This forum is very knowledgeable. So from what I'm gathering this is a very early Model 1863 correct?

 

[TexBadger]

Thank you all for the information and reply's. This forum is very knowledgeable. So from what I'm gathering this is a very early Model 1863 correct?

That is a great source... good find. I would say you are correct based on this.

It also solves an issue I've wondered about in respect to Smiths. The identification of serial numbers to units/soliders cannot be relied upon when it comes to Smiths as each manufacturer used their own series. I once had a low 4 digit serial number Smith that had more than 50% original finish/blue, fine wood that was listed in the SRS as being issued in 1863 to a unit that saw substantial action. It was hard to believe that an arm that would have been carried survived in such condition and now I understand why. It probably was not the one listed but rather was from the other manufacturer.