I'm not sure if the original post here is meant to be a comment or a complaint. But the fact remains that if you refinish a collectible gun, you will adversely affect the value, whether the gun is American or British. The same rule will also apply to most other collectibles, be they stamps, coins, automobiles, furniture, baseball cards, etc. That's just the way it is, because high original condition is a scarce and desired commodity.
I partially agree with Stan's comment, but we must consider that there is a huge difference between restoration and refinishing. With guns, there are few gunsmiths who can truly pull off a period correct restoration that is good enough to fool an astute collector. Those that do it well tend to specialize in one or two makes, because there is a lot of variation of finishing techniques between different manufacturers, and those techniques may have changed over time. The best thing they have going for them is that there are also relatively few really astute collectors who are educated enough to spot the clues that are virtually always there. A near perfect restoration will cost a lot of money because it takes a lot of skill and knowledge to pull off. But Stan was correct to observe that a decade or so of use and aging will make it tougher to immediately spot the restoration or refinishing work. On the other side of the coin, there are plenty of gun buyers who are easily fooled by a half decent restoration. And many are simply attracted by a new and shiny finish, no matter how bad or incorrect it is. The E Grade Lefever two barrel set that was recently shown here is a good example. It probably would have sold for more money if it had been in average un-refinished condition. But a bunch of guys still ran the price up far beyond what I ever expected, considering how incorrectly it was refinished, and how dishonestly it had been represented by the seller.
Glacierjohn, I saw that nice original Parker VH you just bought for the Buy-it-Now price. I don't think you would have been so quick to pull the trigger on that purchase if it was an obviously refinished gun, and I think that was a wise decision. Examples like that just are not that common, although a lot of VH Parkers were built. It would have been interesting to see how high it would have went if the auction went full course. You are now the current custodian, and it is up to you whether to keep it in prime original condition, or to alter it or wear it out. If you choose the latter course, you will help to increase the value of the ever smaller pool of unmolested Parkers.
