Phunter,
You said what I was thinking throughout this whole thread, and was on the verge of saying myself!
As to the Cody vs LCSCA letter, yesterday I received an email copy of a Cody letter from a seller on a gun I was considering buying---the statistics are as follows:
Grade 2
20 gauge
manufactured 1909
30" barrels
Having been collecting Smiths for 19 years and lettering every gun that I have purchased (all pre-'13s) the following is a standard letter I would expect from the LCSCA after having scrutinized the pictures of that same gun:
Grade 2E
Ejectors
20 Gauge
manufactured 1909
30" barrels
date shipped
serial number
when ordered
where shipped (if recorded)
inspectors name(")
stock dimensions
barrel type (material)
total production by gauge
the letter would close with an extensive discussion of the history of the gauge, engraving available, kind of wood, and available variations in the above. ALL THIS IN ABOUT A ONE WEEK TURNAROUND!!!!
RGD, Keep beating Walt's and Cody's drum !!!!!
