hookdown: Others will no doubt add their thoughts, but I'll take a stab at at number one. Collectible guns of all kinds are usually described in part by the percentage of original finish remaining. In the case of your restoration, you could describe your gun as "100% of factory refinish." (Of course, if only the wood, or only the metal, have been refinished, you can't call it 100%, but will need to be more specific, and as the gun wears, you need to describe the amount of the refinish that remains ... 95% or whatever.) When accurate, it's wise to include words like "professional" or "like new" regarding restoration work, because some work just isn't, and the gun never looks "right." Most of us here would consider a poorly done refinish as much worse than leaving the gun as-is. On this part, everyone has different opinions, but I usually value a perfectly refinished and reworked gun at about 90% of its value if it were perfect and all original. A gun that's been refinished has almost certainly seen a lot of hard use, and wear to interior parts as well as exterior finishes, which is why a "like new" refinished gun is not the same, and should not be priced the same, as a truly new gun. TT
