[B. Dudley]

I was wondering the same thing... Paying too much is all relative.

Looks like the gun has a lot of honest wear, and apart from the "repaired" forend loop, no serious damage.

The P grade was the base grade before the introduction of the VH grade and Trojan. So it is considered a grade 1. Usually fitted with twist steel barrels (as yours is). Some rare examples may have damascus steel. And a small amount had fluid steel before they discontinued the PH grade.

The P grade became kind of a odd duck as time went on since it fell between the VH and GH grades. more people purchased either the cheaper VH or the more embelished and slightly more expensive GH.

Your top lever is wearing in a bit left of where it should be. This can be seen from the "dish" not lining up. This can be corrected if need be. But if the gun is tight, it is not really a concern.

Regarding your other gun. We could give you some ideas if the buttstock is original/correct or not, but we need to see it. Checking for Serial numbers and grade marks under the guard bow is a good place to start too.