A T,
I would have liked to have gone to Denhamville, but that is a long dive to just watch. I would have enjoyed meeting up with old friends again.
I too like the red mottled hard rubber grips. As Books suggest, you need to be careful.
S&W starts using (mostly black) hard rubber grips pretty much as a standard in about 1877. Before that, walnut mostly for the large frame and Rosewood on the smaller frame hand guns like the#1, #1 1/2 and #2. (variations of course maybe encountered)
My .38 S&W Baby Russian model 2 SA has black hard rubber grips that have turned somewhat brown with age, it was made in 1878/9.
My very early New Model #3 S&W in .44 Russian was made in 1877/8 and still has the original walnut grips.
My best,
Blair