I recently purchased this Trap Grade Elsie and per LCSCA Letter from Jim, it was shipped in December, 1923 with 30" bbls, two triggers, and splinter forend. Also per the Letter, "It apparently was returned to the factory at a later date to be fitted with a beavertail forend". It appears to have been restored (although seller didn't mention that) to a high condition. The wood is very fancy but I'm not sure it is original.
The things that appear odd to me are that the checkering on the beavertail is of a pattern I have not seen before and there is no serial number under the forearm iron. Would the factory replaced beavertail forearm not been serialized? Also the sideplates are blued and the receiver shows a good amount of case coloring. This is a beautiful gun in what appears to be in "like new" condition, just with the anomalies mentioned above (forearm checkering and blued sideplates.)
I am just curious as to whether the factory ever blued sideplates, and possibly applied non-standard checkering to a replacement forearm? (See pictures). In other words is this gun possibly original?