Howdy

I just picked up this Tip Up yesterday. SN is 890XX.








There are some interesting markings on it. They appear in three places, under the left grip, at the base of the barrel, and on the rear of the cylinder. The markings appear to me to be '& & 6'. In addition there is a star stamped on the rear of the barrel.

I am curious what these markings mean. Does the star mean it was sent back to the factory and refinished at some point?

Or are these just assembly numbers?












Thanks