M1 Garand Lower Band Pin Question(s)

[Jersey Devil]

Interesting, thank you!

In this regard, if the pin is missing but there are no signs that it was removed, does this mean anything?

Is it possible that they could just fall out on their own?

It's unlikely that a lower band pin would fall out on its own because they were staked in place. As you can see in Mr. Seijas' photo above, there's a bit of metal that's disturbed on either side of the pin. That was done so as to prevent the pin from coming loose and falling out. I've never seen a truly original, unmolested example that didn't have the pin in place. I suppose anything is possible, but I'd be highly suspect of such an example that claims originality but has a missing lower band pin.