Unique find...

[Dewidmt]

Sometimes it pays to freeze your butt off!
I made my way to the Seymour gun show this weekend even with the below 0 temps and managed to stumble across this beauty. After some haggling and a bit of trading it came home with me.

1939-40 Smith and Wesson M&P 4th change.
Proper gold an blue box for the time frame.
Engraved on right hand side plate:

The "Mayors" Trophy
Won by
Prob Ptl Samuel S. Herschfield
Sept-1940

Apparently from 1936 to 1973 the New York PD awarded pistols to patrolmen that were exemplary during their training period. There were 9 different awards ranging from best marksman to highest physical and academic scores. The "Mayor's Trophy" went to the probational patrolman who distinguished themselves by an act of service during their probationary period (i.e. save a life, make a big bust, etc.)

I'm in the process of getting it lettered and a historian from the Smith and Wesson forum is researching more about the winner. It seems he went on as a NYPD cop and later served in the court system. They've even managed to track down surviving children and found Samuel's grave site! If only these old guns could talk huh? How did it get from NYC all the way to boondocks Indiana?

 

[Magyars]

Very cool!may I ask the price?

 

[Bosshoss]

 

[Dewidmt]

Pic is up!

 

[Dewidmt]

Very cool!may I ask the price?

Traded a shotgun and a Canik METE for it!

 

[BigMoose]

Okay, not much of a S&W fan, but that thing is awesome.

 

[DadSmith]

Pic is up!

Come on more pictures man.
This is interesting.

 

[Magyars]

Traded a shotgun and a Canik METE for it!

I'd call that a great deal...congratulations!

 

[Bugzilla]

I bet that warmed your azz right up!

 

[Dewidmt]

I'd call that a great deal...congratulations!

I certainly thought it was!

 

[indykid]

Very nice, very special find!!!

 

[Dewidmt]

Sorry, I'm not a photographer!

 

[COOPADUP]

Maybe his family will offer you a large amount for it. It’s in incredibly good condition.

 

[92FSTech]

That is a very cool find, especially because of all the corresponding history you were able to track down. You got a killer deal, too!

 

[Nugget]

Traded a shotgun and a Canik METE for it!

You told us the exact pistol, but got pretty vague on the $2k Benelli M4 "shotgun" you threw in to close the deal.

 

[Dewidmt]

Winchester 1200 I picked up for cheap!

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[DadSmith]

Sorry, I'm not a photographer! View attachment 327607
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Very nice

 

[2tonic]

Maybe his family will offer you a large amount for it. It’s in incredibly good condition.

Possibly.....but it's more likely they were the ones who sold off Papaw's gun in the first place.

 

[Dewidmt]

Newest information on the gun, provided by User RM Vivas at the S&W Forum (He did a paper on these trophy guns for his history degree thesis).

Samuel Steiner Hershfield was born28NOV13 and died in West Palm Beach, FL on 17NOV98.
In 1939 he was living at 2119 Valentine Ave. in Bronx. He was working as a clerk in the Police Department in 1939 assigned to Eighteenth Division – Detective Bureau – Main Office - 240 Centre St. – Manhattan. He was getting $1,320 per year, a shade over half of a Patrolmans salary.


This must have irked him a bit because he sat for the Patrolmans’ Exam, passed and was appointed a Patrolman on Probation on05JUN40 at $1,200 per year (This usually doubled after a year).


His draft card which has an illegible date but may be safely presumed to date from 1941-1945 lists his address as 2515 Davidson Ave Bronx and his emergency contact person is his wife, Ruth Altfater Hershfield. He listed his employer as Police Dept. NYC 44th Pct 167th St & Sedgwick Ave, Bronx. Hershfield was described as White, 6’ 1”, 180 lbs., Brown eyes, Brown hair and Ruddy complexion.

Prior to around 1900 or so, most police departments in the US had no formalized training system. You signed on and learned on the job.

NYPD started formalized training in the 1890’s and ever since, you’ve had to do your training before being considered off probation and being a ‘regular’ cop.

The training was actually quite rigorous and while many names were hung on the NYPD training facility during its lifetime, it was often referred to as the Police College, giving some indication of how rigorous its curriculum was.

Trophy Guns started in 1917 with the Bloomingdale Trophy, which was awarded for being the top man in your class in ALL subjects. It was a valedictorians gun.

The Mayors Trophy didn’t come into being until 1936. At that time it was an award for having the second highest general average (first highest receiving the Bloomingdale Trophy).

There is a delightful urinating contest going on here between the Department and Mayors office. You see, the Bloomingdale Trophy was a privately sponsored Trophy; it was sponsored by Hiram Bloomingdale of Bloomingdales Department Store fame. It was paid for by Bloomingdale himself via a rather large (for that time) annuity. The City and Department really didn’t have much say in it. Bloomingdale was a CPT in the Police Reserve, a staunch supporter of the Department and PBA and, as his socioeconomic position would suggest, a man to whom politicians and would-be politicians would want to be on the good side of.

He had already secured the Number One spot, Trophy-wise; the best man in the class got a Bloomingdale Trophy.

The Bloomingdale Trophy garnered a great deal of attention at the different graduations and was frequently mentioned in Annual Report of the Department. You can see how the Mayor would want a piece of this action!

However, as the City of New Yorks “First Citizen”, the number one police graduate should be getting the number one citizens award, not something from some private merchant! Or so the thinking at City Hall went.

This is where the politics become so amusing. Since the number one spot was already occupied, lets give the Mayor the number two spot. Ok, done! But what about the -other- people who were jockeying for position?

In New York state, the position of Attorney General is abbreviated AG. It stands for Attorney General but also stands for ‘Almost Governor’; the implication being that the AG aspires to something more. The Department was no different.

The Police Commissioner is dubbed “PC’ and it’s always been understood that the term PC was shorthand for “Pretty Close” to being Mayor.

So, we also have the Police Commissioners Trophy coming into existence around 1939, very closely followed by the Chief Inspectors Trophy.

It’s interesting how the noble efforts of Bloomingdale were viewed by some other folks.

But I digress.

The Mayors Trophy was originally for second highest man. Shortly thereafter, the criteria for Trophy Guns was re-jiggered to allow for more types of Trophy Guns and a somewhat more logical sequence of criteria (based upon the sponsoring individuals rank).

Eventually, the Mayors Trophy had morphed into an award for Most Outstanding Police Act Whilst In Training.

Amongst Trophy Guns the Mayor’s Trophy has the distinction of being perhaps the most ‘colorful’; it’s recipients were men (no women received a Mayor’s Trophy) who had foiled robberies, engaged in dangerous undercover work, aided accident victims and otherwise distinguished themselves in what might be termed ‘heroic deeds’.

Since the Mayor’s Trophy was meant to recognize the most outstanding act of police work by a recruit, only one award was made per class.

On two occasions there were presentations of two Mayor’s Trophy guns in a single graduation ceremony. February 20, 1955 was a dual presentation to Probationary Patrolmen Ronald J. KELLY and Joseph KILANOWSKI. Two Mayor’s Trophy guns were presented at the May 12, 1969 graduation ceremony; the first was to Probationary Patrolman Francis T. HUNT, the second to Probationary Patrolman Douglas ODACHOWSKI. ODACHOWSKI had actually graduated in another class a month earlier but the presentation had been put off due to heavy snow.

The number stamped on Patrolman HERSHFIELD’s gun is his shield number and that bears some mentioning.

Regulations stated that all your gear had to have your shield number on it, including your piece. Fine, that logical.

Whats interesting about HERSHFIELD’s gun is that it’s one of the few Trophy Guns I’ve seen that have done this.

Back in the day, you got your gun and shield the same day you swore in; Day One! You showed up at police headquarters, swore in, then went to the Equipment Bureau and drew all your gear INCLUDING your on-duty piece and shield!

If you wanted an off-duty piece, you went and got one after you graduated. Look at the situation this created though; you got your on-duty piece on Day One. You do your training, you excel, you’re standing there at graduation in your blues with your white gloves, shiny shield and polished on-duty gun at your waist. They announce the Trophy Gun winner and, holy ****!, it’s you!!

You go up to the stage, shake the Mayors hand, pose for a picture as he hands you…………another on-duty gun!

Yea, it’s engraved, but what are you going to do with TWO on duty guns?

This is actually part of the reason most of the post-war presentations were off-duty pieces.

It also explains why most on-duty presentation pieces are in such good shape. The guy never carried it, as he already had an on-duty piece.

 

[tbhausen]

Great story and info. This thread makes me think of my feelings regarding racing memorabilia. I occasionally see some really neat things out there that I wish were still in our family. A handful of kindhearted folks have indeed directed some pieces back to us, which will be handed down through our descendants.