Could somebody please enlighten me why these guns seem to bring less value to the table than a later sterlingworth??

To be fair they should not. I have noted a lot of them are made with #2 weight barrels which are rather heavy. The ealry J spring fore ends tend to not stay on well. I have three and find them all well made. One is almost 8 pounds and is too heavy to carry when the gun room is full of seven pounders which I would rather carry instead.

Perhaps it is just the Parker like hinge pin does not appeals to buyers. From a mechanical viewpoint they are just like a Sterlingworth of later production with the possible exception of the fore end attachment system.

Condition and features being equal they should bring a bit more. They certainly exhibit better fit and finish than "between the Wars" Sterlingworths.

When the Sterlingworth was introduced in 1910, it was a $25 net selling price gun. When Parker Bros. introduced their Trojan Grade in 1912, it was briefly offered at $25.50 but was soon $27.50. Inflation driven by "The Great War" started driving prices up and in 1916 the price of the Sterlingworth rose to $30. By 1919 it was $55 and the Trojan was also in the $50 range. For 1922, A.H. Fox Gun Co. dropped the price of the Sterlingworth to $48 and in 1926 to $36.50. Fit and finish suffered. Parker Bros./Remington kept the quality and price of the Trojan high and sold just over 33000. A.H. Fox Gun Co./Savage eventually sold nearly 150000 Sterlingworths.

I like the early Sterly pin guns, and would pay as much for one as for a later Philly gun w/o the Parker-style hinge. I have a Philadelphia Arms A Grade with the Parker hinge and it's a pretty nice gun. Don't own a Sterly pin gun but will eventually. I think the soft prices may be because buyers don't realize what they are.

I own a pin gun with 28" barrels that weighs less then 7 lbs. If you look around long enough you can find a light one. Its just the fact that most of those guns were made with 30" barrels and probably the 2 weight barrels. Per my gunsmith the insides of the earliest pin guns were pretty amazing. Lots of additional care went into those earlier ones then the later ones for sure.

I've accumulated three of the Sterlingworth 'pin-guns'. They're all heavy with 30" barrels and death on ducks. I love the Parker style hinge...Geo

I have a Fox Sterlingworth Model 1911 Pin gun whose fit and finish is definitely better than the later Sterlingworth's and in my opinion is worth a little more compared to a similar condition later gun.
Serial number 57979 shipped October 24 1911. I think it would be considered their Brush model as it has 26 inch barrels choked IC and Mod and letters accordingly. A very nice handling gun that locks up like a bank vault.

Jolly

Thanks to all for your input.