Log In
Members
Home
Add Reply
Add Topic
Offline
To restore or not to restore. that is the question… I’d like to open the general subject of pricy, artwork restorations for discussion.
The recent post concerning restoration issue(s) set me off down a familiar road concerning personal views regarding pricy restored guns. Not here to get involved in qualifying what constitutes “restoration”. But to consider the costly upscale works of art restorations as opposed to economical ones focused primarily on superficial refinishing or those focused on functionality.
So here just to voice what I consider a common ‘collector’ philosophical dichotomy. The camp that heralds ‘restorations’ and those of us who don’t. Not disrespecting the view of the restoration clan. Just differing. To me, restorations can be flat our beautiful but never recapture the essence of perhaps the most valuable commodity… Originality!
Perhaps a useful exercise of ‘artistic ability’ and a satisfying accomplishment to restore the ‘hulk guns’. Yet for originality fans they still miss their mark, (pun intended) for anything more than a perhaps spectacular ‘also ran’. There’s something about holding the unaltered historic product of a quality manufacturer in hand. Preferably legitimate wear; no restorations ‘click’ for me in that context. If too far gone, just to leave to an appreciative owner.
There are guns where such as artistic restoration would likely work for me. Those where the ‘mystique’ factor is negligible anyway. Yet there, I wouldn’t wish to invest the sums required for thorough quality restorations. Further, in such guns, the net-net would likely be especially negative!
Conversely, I’m also not such a purist to deny myself a good used ‘non-collectible’ gun at an attractive price. My Winchester Model 53 in 44/40 wears an older high quality reblue (factory?). My S&W Registered Magnum wears a decent older reblue. Neither any longer truly collectible within my view or I believe convention. (Yet also neither within my primary collector focus so I’m particularly good with such as what they are!)
My personal view that in quality pieces, resulting “beauty” is more than skin deep. In my book, simple rebluing is ‘minimally invasive surgery’ and significantly can bring otherwise pricy collector guns within my ‘reasonable investment’ orbit. A touch of make up works for these ‘senior’ gals! But such as grinding, welding, barrel relining, etc… Not for me in outlay or resulting product!
I believe too that many of the costly frame-up ‘restorations’ become highly speculative investment returns, depending more on inflation than true appreciation after indexed adjustment.
Here not to make any real stand but rather just have my say. Give me a nice old collectible gun such as Winchester… with genuine patina included. Anything worse, I’ll evaluate in the non-collectible cost/benefit context. Full blown restoration… in my estimation ‘guiding the lily’.
I’d rather have a fellow collector say “Nice gun” than the neighbor’s wife say “My isn’t that a beautiful gun… Is it real?”
My take.
My feelings and position on restored Winchesters is a near mirror image of yours. There is a time and place for restoring an old Winchester, but in general, the overall percentage of guns that should be restored is very small. My primary concern with the “to restore or not to restore” issue is with the people who use it as an illicit way to intentionally profit through deceit… and unfortunately, those people do exist.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Hey Bert,
Thank You for your Reply to this Thread.
You Saved me a lot of time and agony typing what I wanted to express, about this Topic. I was up at 3:34 am 29 April 2015 this morning and just didn’t have the time to respond to it. You know how I just ramble on 4 – 6 paragraphs later and about 4 hrs worth of typing, just to make a relative opinion.
So, to You and iskra…………
PS: maybe I will Post a Reply, From The Twilight Zone.
hokie
"I Would Have Rather Lived Through The Industrial Revaluation"
"Instead of The Space Age"
From
The Twilight Zone
I can appreciate the workmanship in a full out restoration of a tired old 86 or whatever model but the original item has much more appeal to me with carry wear and assorted bumps and bruises from a hundred days afield. There are a few Winchesters I have seen that have been modified from factory original configuration by well meaning owners that worry me from an ethics standpoint. A friend of mine sold such a modified rifle(outside the letterable serial range) a while back and said he made a full disclosure of the “changes” he made to the rifle to the new owner and the buyer was good with that. My point is that down the road the new owner or his family may sell the gun as original and soak some other unsuspecting collector who thinks he has uncovered a gem. Fakery is rampant in the gun collecting world and not all of it was originally done with criminal motives but the end result is the same.
1 Guest(s)
