Grips can make the difference
 

The 7 spoons shown below are probably my favorites in my collection. Why? Some are special by being first year production and some because of the grips that they are wearing! The grips starting at upper left on the .22 Colt Lightning are Ivory, just below that one is an officers model from 1930 w/custom carved walnut target grips. Just below the Officers Model is a 1903 Pocket hammerless (1914) w/Pearl grips that have the right side forward facing Colt emblem (made from 1910 thru 1919). Next continuing counter clockwise is a Colt Pocket Positive from 1921 with Colt pearl grips w/o emblems. Next is a Colt Woodsman Match Target (1949) wearing Lew Sanderson grips (quite rare). These grips were ordered by the Woodsman's original owner, a banker in Rome, Ga. in 1950. The next gun is a Colt Official Police in .22 rf that has had adjustable sights added and is wearing a set of Giraffe bone grips. The revolver at top center is a Colt Officers model from 1904 (1st year production)! It is wearing a set of the rare Colt Fluer de Li grips that were optional for a few years. Anyway, these pieces would have to be my top favorites out of the collection. I guess you could say that I have "come to grips" with these choices!

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Very cool Fred.
While I'm not a gun owner, I once held a revolver belonging to a friend of mine that had what looked to me like a very uncomfortable grip on it. That impression totally disappeared as that grip felt sooooo good to my untrained hand it was uncanny. Kind of like a hand-in-glove feeling.
I sometimes find the same thing happens with cameras too.
Thanks for sharing your collection.

Hey, I worked my way through college (Cal State Northridge) as a grip. You're durned right that we made a difference.

What?

Oh.

Outstanding collection, Fred. Some very unique examples of Colt's finest. The grips make them even more so. Good stuff...

My problem with grips is that Hogue Monogrips make me a better shooter, but they don't have the visual appeal of those in the photos above.

Nice collection!

I figure function over form. I love the look of nice wood grips on a revolver, but it's hard to argue with how nicely the Hogue Monogrips fit my hand and absorb the recoil of my S&W 686. My Colt Trooper has Pachmyr Presentation grips that look nice but don't fit my hand nearly as well.

Target grips..........
 

The Officers Model with the carved wood grips is amazing to shoot. Whoever made this set of grips managed to shape a set of grips that really fit the hand (at least my hand!) and provide a nice carved scene on each panel with the cougar in the tree eyeing the deer at the bottom of the tree. On the other hand, I do have a Sig 220 that has the Hogue grips that work quite well at absorbing shock and recoil. While I would really like to own an engraved firearm, I would not use it as a daily carry piece. So I guess the issue here is art and history vs practicality.

If I owned all the firearms I coveted, even if I doubled my shooting, many would see very infrequent use. The only reason I don't indulge in "safe queens" is because of limited financial resources. My form over function course of action is not because I think there's no reason to own the Colt Pocket Positive if you don't use it as your CCW. It is the result of being more limited in my collecting. I love seeing pictures of your collection, and while I do appreciate the utility of the Monogrip, I sure understand why the pieces pictured in the OP aren't wearing them.