In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Worthy of Restoration
Jtroph
Member Posts: 26 ✭✭
In my last post I learned that my Winchester 1886 was in Good+ condition and could fetch $1,250 + to the right buyer. As I learn more about the Winchester I am becoming more interested in it as a piece of American History and am considering getting it restored. I have visited the Turnbull site as well as Hunter Restorations. Hunter restoration may cost $1,700+ with Turbull costing twice that. I have sent for the Factory Record ($60.00) Since the gun was given to me and I have only the $60 investment . Would the restoration be a wise decision or would it lessen it's value.
Comments
Any kind of restoration work would take away from any collector value. Should you decide to sell it, after having it restored, you most definately would not be able to get out of it, what you have invested.
If you have it restored, then it also would lose it's historical value. It made the history, as it is, not what it would be. It is my own opinion, that I would enjoy it as it is. I am sure it is a fine shooter.
Best
Welcome to the forum. Restoration work on original pieces fall into two categories. Yes and No. I do restoration work, although can not hold a candle to Turnbull. What I do is for customers with family heirlooms that have sentimental value not necessarilly collector value...so you can not put a price on that condition.
Turnbull does excellant work and often times actually adds value. I like to make old things "new like" again...just something I enjoy. However many collectors want what history produced and nothing more will do.
You need to hear from Bert, Nononsense, Cartod and many of the other true experts on here for their opinions, they will enlighten you. It boils down to a personal conviction...best of luck to you.
Paul
Mountain Magic Gunsmithing
Most of the posters here have not taken into consideration the desire of the owner. He may want the expensive look of original style blue and case color with fine wood. Us purists always neglect this aspect of "restoration", strictly looking at it from a monetary or historical perspective. Throw this argument at cars, paintings, furniture, and everything else you now see on the history channel that is restored, and you must come to terms with customer desire. That is the most important thing, especially if the gun has no original finish or has already had a reblue or other work done.JPAs a purist that only believes in restoring an old Colt or Winchester through restoration under certain dire conditions (a previous refinish, carelessly neglected, or altered later in life); I can for the most part agree with this post. It does come down to the wants and desires of the current owner. If I had a Colt that fell into that category and I wanted to have it restored I'd probably seek the services of this poster because I think he comes closest to returning them to the way they looked 100+ years ago and doesn't try to improve on the looks (exaggerate the look)!!!!!!
An automobile is a tool for getting someone from point A to point B and back again; perhaps points C, D, E, and F in between. Simply a daily convenience!
A Colt Single Action or Winchester Lever Action, on the other hand, were tools that 100 years ago might have been used to preserve personal or family safety day in and day out, fight off those that would destroy a frontiersman's way of life, or a lawman's tool that helped bring robbers and murderers to justice.
The car reflects mostly scars of abuse or neglect with little to no historic association other than the car in general, not an individual car. These old Colts and Winchesters, on the other hand, stand alone and each individual Colt and Winchester has played its own role in history. Every scar, bump, scrape, ding, and even the neglect in some cases is a testimony to history and its involvement in that history. Remove the warts; you remove that individual gun's history and it is relegated to the status of just another pretty Colt or Winchester and what Colts and Winchesters mean in general.
Well, that's my opinion and 2 cent's worth!
If you can't feel the music; it's only pink noise!
It can't be arrested and must be removed.
It can be a difficult decision to remove/refinish or to preserve the effects of history on gunmetal.
I collect pre1911 1902 & 1905 Colt autos. If get one even with little or no finish but otherwise in normal-use condition, I collect it as-is. Those badly abused, damaged, etc., I remove all signs of use, do a mirror polish and send to Turnbulls to have markings and blue restored. Fof whatever reason, I like my "old survivors" and restored pieces equally. The family heirloom issue is not a factor.
As for "restoration ruins value" - that is only partially true, applying mostly to the purists and those of romantic mindset. People spend serious money to have guns restored and people buy guns already restored from Turnbulls and others. It's a matter of personal preference.
I think in your case and would cherish it more looking like new, I would have it done.
Regarding "restoration" just as tsr1965 has stated, that would destroy the collector value of just about any firearm.
You would probably be lucky to get back half of what you "invested" into the "restoration".
The only exception that I could imagine in changing anything about it, would be replacing a missing or broken item or animproper iron sights or something along that line.
One would be better than double sure and make sure the item used was correct and put on with care.
Even then, most folk that know what they are doing, would keep the broken or non-functional or the incorrect part with the firearm.
Restoring, refurbishing, etc. of a collectible firearm can be like stripping the natural age metal or wood furniture or painting over furniture or paintings.
( It's yours so of course you can do anything that you want to do with it ... even burn it or use it for pounding stakes into the ground ... that though would be quite a shame.
It'd not be like having an oil painting conserved by professionals ... to clean tobacco smoke of or to reback the painting! )
Sounds as if someone really was doing you vary nice and probably figured that you would keep and cherish the piece. Congratulations!
As for values and the effects of restoration, an original 50% original casecolor and blue Colt cavalry could bring up to 50 grand, depending upon the inspector. Give it a battlefield connection and the price would go higher. These guns should not be altered unless, for instance, the top strap has blow up, and then a professional repair is a must, thou' some would try to connect the damage to the battle, which would be unlikely. But if you have a typical cavalry that has no association to a fight, and it has been altered with a new barrel, cylinder or other parts, and you have obtained it cheap and can afford a restoration to NEW, you bring it back to its former glory for all to enjoy, plus you can shoot it. This is the appeal of restoration, the original look, feel and function, arsenal new, for a fraction of the original collector price.
As long as original condition guns are priced out of range of the average man or woman, restoration will have a home. It is up to the artist to keep restoration costs in line with customer acceptance.