Aesthetically I will join the club of not particularly caring for S&W autos, but the 52 is, in my own opinon, the best looking gun they have ever made, and that includes revolvers. I really, really think that is a good looking pistol. And, of course you are right. Every non-sigma S&W pistol I have shot was a beauty in terms of function and accuracy. For that matter, aside from the "Swocks", I am not even that down on the newer Sigmas. I mean, it's not a favorite, but they aren't the worst guns in the world either.
A buddy of mine in college got into shooting, and he called me up one day a couple of years ago and told me he had bought his first pistol, used. I asked him what he got, and sure enough, it was a 52 that he paid <drum roll> $300.00 for. It was in decent shape too. The bluing was a little worn, and the grips had some dings, but it was in good shape otherwise. Inspecting it, I got the feeling it spent a lot of time riding in a holster and very little time being shot. The best/worst part is that he was genuinely worried that he had gotten ripped off. He still has it and shoots it often!