Yep, you are correct. The 237th day of 1998 would put it in August. I didn't expect it to be uncommon as a 4" 686, I just had not seen a standard vanilla round butt 686 with a glass beaded finish. Do any of the ones you've researched with this same product code have a glass beaded finish?

There are no imperfections to the finish that I can see. It's really pretty perfect so if it is aftermarket, it was done by a professional. And it is also applied to everything, hammer/trigger/screw heads, etc. Everything I can see without taking the grips off except the sights.