A while ago, I bought a 55 Rudge Sports in terrible condition so I could have fun doing a total restoration and maybe some customization without wrecking a bike that deserved preservation. It has a 70s SA trigger with only a small broken bit of the original plastic cover under the screw, so I've been looking for an earlier trigger to keep the 1950s feel. I knew a fellow who had a 3 or 4 speed 50s window trigger in very good condition for sale, but I thought somebody polished off the chrome plating from the faceplate, leaving it plain brass, so I didn't buy it. Later I found the same trigger on a salvage bike that had been left outside for years and restored it as best as I could. It was rusty and pitted, but the chromed faceplate was in very good condition. Then I figured that I should buy the clean trigger and swap the faceplates so I could have a really good one for my Rudge and put the ruined plate on the pitted case and have a useable but messed up 50s trigger for a future project. So, I stopped by and bought the trigger with the ruined faceplate. On closer inspection with an eye loupe, I was surprised to see the brass trigger had traces of brass plating on the band and not a trace of chrome. It was now almost all bare steel. Also, not a trace of chrome anywhere on the faceplate. Not even in the corners of the embossed logo. I now believe this trigger was originally made with an all brass finish even though I have never seen this in my experience or research of old English bikes.
Today, I see this eBay listing. Now I'm totally convinced SA offered these triggers in a decorative brass finish. So, just another bit of SA minutiae for us 3 speed enthusiasts.
Vintage Sturmey Archer 3 Speed Trigger 1 Raleigh BSA Rudge Hercules | eBay