Don is correct in saying that refinish covers up the state of wear and abuse of a gun, something that should be of interest to any buyer of an expensive old gun. "British guns don't suffer in value from annual freshening." is an old wive's tale. An untouched Purdey sells for bags of more money than one freshened annually. Of course, some buyers are not aware of what their potential purchase is worth and pay the big buck for a ground down gun with a fresh shine on it. Oh well.