44 DAs came in 44 Russian and 44-40 WCF, along with some rare calibers. The 44-40 is called the Frontier. There were almost 55,000 44 Russians made and 15,000 made in 44-40, so they are not rare. The 44-40 brings a small premium.
All 44 DAs are classified as antiques. The manufacture date is not readily available and will cost you $75 for a factory letter to find out, but all frames were completed before 1899, so all are antiques according to the BATF. Your revolver would have shipped around 1906.
The star indicates the gun has been returned to the factory for service or refinish. There should be a set of numbers on the left butt-frame under the stocks that will signify month and year of return. A high percentage of returned guns were factory refinished, even if the owner did not ask for that service. That will normally not lower prices on guns under 90%, but if you are looking at a pristine gun, it will have a negative affect on value. $3,000 is a lot of money for a 44 DA, so you need to think about condition, lack of rarity, factory return and probably refinish, and common caliber before making that kind of purchase. There are a very few 44 DAs out there that are worth that amount of money. Good luck.
BTW, almost all early S&W revolvers came with ivory as an option. They will add value to any vintage S&W, but maybe only $500 at the most. Also, the future of collecting and even owning ivory is in question with new government initiatives that may be forthcoming.
