Hmmmm.... As far as I know, the owner cut the frame - or had it done. I wouldn't be surprised if one of those guys would do it for a friend, but it wasn't on the Farrant price list.
Both Farrant and Hurst are noted for colored pencil marks (numbers & letters) inside the frame, generally to match the two sides and sometimes denoting the frame size. Farrants also turn up with a stamped J, K etc. Hurst sometimes wrote the name of the buyer and sometimes - why didn't they all??? - wrote his own name. There can also be hints in the style of inletting. Later Farrants often have swirl marks from the router, but what I think are my earlier grips do not. Mike Priwer's Stark show them too. "Islands" inside the frame are a signature of Hogue - and the plastic Rogers copy - but also show up on some suspected Blackford grips. None of which means much.
Also, of course, the grips may have been altered since new, but even mangled Farrants are still distinctive.
Currently, only the Farrant grips add a significant price boost.
Both Farrant and Hurst are noted for colored pencil marks (numbers & letters) inside the frame, generally to match the two sides and sometimes denoting the frame size. Farrants also turn up with a stamped J, K etc. Hurst sometimes wrote the name of the buyer and sometimes - why didn't they all??? - wrote his own name. There can also be hints in the style of inletting. Later Farrants often have swirl marks from the router, but what I think are my earlier grips do not. Mike Priwer's Stark show them too. "Islands" inside the frame are a signature of Hogue - and the plastic Rogers copy - but also show up on some suspected Blackford grips. None of which means much.
Also, of course, the grips may have been altered since new, but even mangled Farrants are still distinctive.
Currently, only the Farrant grips add a significant price boost.
