Dollar Grades
The $135 grade had a three point bow tie pattern of fore end checking and a little engraving on the locks; it is relatively easy to follow the $135 grade evolution to the grade 2 and finally G. I suggested this as an interesting collecting niche in a DGJ article.
Larry's sketches show that frame sculpture around the breech defines the highest grades. The complex pattern he shows, with engraving in the recesses and on the high points should represent the highest grade. It appears though that engravers and price list publishers were not syncronized, and the most engraving may have appearred on $200 grades at times.
Larry also shows frame sculpture with no internal rib and no recess engraving. A photo of a 1000 range gun with this sculpture is attached. These guns also had the dog's head silhouette engraved on the frame that continued on 3 grade guns through the 15000 plus serial range We associate all this with later 3 grade guns; but there is no intermediate grade in the price lists of the time.
The guns above the $135 grade carried a multi diamond fore end checking pattern as shown. This pattern was initially necessitated by the cross slide attachement hardware, but continued through hammerless introduction.
High grade hammer, lock and frame sculpture and engraving continued to evolve throughout exposed hammer production. My own opinion is that this reached its pinnacle with the guns delivered to St Louis shown in the hammer article in Parker Pages.
When did the grade three evolve? It certainly existed but does not appear to have been cataloged. This again raises the question of collecting philosophy; should the archive regulate collectability or should it be the quality of the gun?
Merry Christmas;
Austin
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