does anyone have a good idea about the historical progression of Colt 1911 grips maybe w images?

I am mostly interested in which type of wood was used and whether double diamond or not, type checkering etc.

I am mostly interested in early GI up until 1970s.

Thanks much

Original grips for the Pistol, US Army Model of 1911 were made of walnut and checkered in the double-diamond pattern. This includes both military contract and civilian production by Colt as well as WW1 production by Springfield Armory, Remington-UMC, and North American Arms.

There were several variations, primarily in the checkering pattern, with some makers using different numbers of checkering lines. Since pistols from all the makers became mixed in military issue and subsequent arsenal work, existing specimens may be found with any number of combinations of parts.

Following WW1 there were very few military demands for new pistols and most demands were met by those in depot inventories. A relatively small number of pistols were produced to include modifications to the original design and becoming the standard M1911A-1 type by the 1930s. Some of those were fitted with fully-checkered walnut grips (not the double-diamond pattern) before WW2 production led to the adoption of Bakelite composite grips, which remained the norm for the remaining years of the pistol's general use in military units (roughly 1990s period).

During and after WW2 nearly all M-1911 pattern pistols in military inventories were returned to depots for arsenal overhaul. Parts were not segregated, and the results were "mix masters" including parts from any of the contractors involved in production over the service life of the pistols. All original M-1911 pistols were refitted with composite grips (several variants made by Keyes Manufacturing) of Bakelite, an early plastic material. New barrels, slides, and other parts were provided by companies such as Smith & Wesson and Savage Arms during the rebuild period of the 1960s and 1970s.

One of the basic requirements for M-1911 type pistols was that every part in every pistol must be fully interchangeable with every other pistol, regardless of manufacturer.

Grips are a specialized field in 1911 collections. Several variants are known and can be identified by knowledgeable people. Many counterfeits are also known, and the uninitiated should be wary against frauds.

Some good books on the subject, probably available on Amazon or EBay.

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Thanks very much Lobo!