Smith of the Week: Model 57 .41 Magnum Part Deux

Now I'm really confused. To follow up on my Smith of the Week, here's another Nickel Model 57(No Dash) .41 Magnum I just listed on gunbroker, identical to the nickel one in the previous post.

Except for one thing, the grips. It has walnut checkered target grips, vs. the smooth glossy wood grips of the other Nickel Model 57.

And I still have no idea which one is the "special oversize Goncalo Alves grips" referred to by BlueBook.

And who the heck is Goncalo Alves, and are his special oversize grips smooth or checkered? Or is Goncalo Alves a kind of wood instead a guy who makes grips? Is Goncalo Alves to Smith revolvers what Pau Ferro is to Sig Sauer pistols? Lemme ask google.

Yep, sez Wikipedia, apparently it grows in the same South American clime as Pau Ferro.

Goncalo alves is a hardwood (from the Brazilian Portuguese name, gonçalo-alves). It is sometimes referred to as zebrawood or tigerwood — names that underscore the wood’s often dramatic, contrasting color scheme, that some compare to rosewood.

So I'm guessing based on that info that the smooth grips are the Goncalo Alves and the checkered grips are the traditional S&W walnut target grips. So is BlueBook wrong about genuine Model 57s only having Goncalo Alves grips? If I have to type that name again, I'm gonna puke.

This wouldn't be the first time I've found BlueBook's info not to be all inclusive. With so many models and variations of guns made by so many manufacturers, it would have to the Blue Set of Encyclopedias to cover them all. If any of my minuscule circle of readers can help me out here, feel free to chime in. I'm definitely proving that I'm no expert on S&W .41 Magnums.