The year that the gold encrusted Westley Richards smallbore showed up, Kevin and I probably had $500 between the two of us in our checking accounts. We never saw that gun again. Also, many years ago, at another Maryland show, a Middle Eastern looking young man walked into the show carrying a cardboard box containing the most elaborately engraved 303 Merkel I had ever seen. The box was the original box for the Merkel. He spied a well worn Damascus 12 gauge Parker on a table manned by a friend. He asked whether he could trade the Merkel for the Parker. Of course the deal went down, the young man explaining that the Merkel was a diplomatic gift to his father and he had no interest in it. At the time, the Merkel was probably worth $4000 and the browned out Parker probably $250.
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