I wouldn’t discount a factory rejuvenation one iota if quality factory work. I have such a gun knowing it had gone back to the factory before I made the purchase. A factory rejuvenation would be worth more than a non-factory rejuvenation imho.
Factory or non factory wouldn't make a damn bit of difference to me. It's the quality, not the source as far as I'm concerned. I'm always amused at folks that would pay more for a gun with factory engraving than one with better 3rd party work. Ditto for any other feature. I guess I buy the gun, not the originality.
It is the same way with cars. Some people like to take a 57 Chevy and restore it to be original. Some people like to build up the engine with 1000 HP. Put on air shocks and all kinds of stuff. Both can be great. A Rudolph Kornbrath engraved gun or an Angelo Bee gun looks fantastic. Then again, maybe someone wants another specific engraver to do their gun because they worked at the factory. ......The eye of the beholder.
The 57 Chevy isn't quite what I was getting at. I understand what you are saying, but imagine I took my 57 Apache out of the back shed and sent it off to be restored to showroom original condition. Is there something intrinsically better about it, if I sent it to Chevrolet instead of the best restoration shop in the country? Something that would increase its value? To me, all that would matter is the quality of the work, not who did it.
But one cannot go wrong with "buy what you like". I don't buy guns to make money.
