Quote History Quoted:
So I have an update:
I looked over the gun in detail.
The serial on the yoke has no prefix (assumed to be "D") and is 5 digits.
Frame is marked "MOD. 64" under the yoke.
Frame is marked under the grips with a dot matrix 5 digit serial that matches the yoke.
Those serials match the "pencil barrel" date range 69-70.
The bottom of the grip frame has a D prefix serial number in the 400,000 range that dates to the 1972-73 "round butt" range. That serial is on the other side of the grip frame.
The cylinder is marked with a "V" on the rear face.
Maybe a frame swap? $100 for a factory letter is probably not worth it.
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That would sound to me more like a barrel/cylinder/yoke swap, as the official serial number should be on the bottom of the grip frame, not under the grips, and the dot matrix/electro pen serial matches the barrel/yoke/cylinder.
That, and the earlier parts are slapped on a later frame, instead of the other way around.
A factory letter would match frame/official serial number records, which it sounds like you dated to long after the pencil barrels were being produced. The only way a factory letter would be worth the extra $100, IMO, would be if you think the barrel/yoke/cylinder were swapped onto the newer frame as a replacement for a worn out old frame (hence the pre-existing serial number), which would be kinda neat.
Still a cool setup.