My neighbor's mom died about a month ago and in the process of cleaning out her home he discovered a boxed pistol. He showed it to me and it is a NIB S&W Chiefs Special, 2 in. barrel, Model 36 with original paperwork. Warranty card has an April 1955 date. Blued finish is flawless. What would be the worth of this pistol?

It's worth the most to him. That's the best pocket pistol and there is no trace to it. That stuff started in 1968.

Warranty card date tells you when the warranty card was designed, not when the pistol was made. Serial number (replace the last two or three digits with X's) will usually allow someone to find the date of manufacture of the pistol. Is the instruction sheet in the box? Is the wrapper for the mop and cleaning rod unopened? A truly NIB M36 might be worth $375, possibly more or less depending on local market or any unusual features. The folks at www.smith-wessonforum.com are better qualified to comment on this than I, although they will probably run to the same Supica & Nahas book that I consulted.