...seems as if the situation you just described has its roots in the passing of the 'old age' of guilded craftsmen (many of whom were born into the trade and who were infused with generations of know-how) into the 'new age' of modern, automated, 'one-size-fits-all' corporatized-craftsmen/women (where the profit objective, as opposed to craft perfection, reigns supreme)...

...have seen it in many industries...textiles, shoes, leather goods, optics, automotive, etc...

...all of which bodes well for collectors of fine english doubles (circa the time periods you mentioned...and probably even earlier from the late 1800s to just before wwii) which embody hundreds of years of skill and development, and which should merely increase in value over time (like an authentic samurai sword)...imho...