Upgraded 8 ga

[B. Dudley]

The subject of upgrades and their values is one that, in my opinion, is completely dependent on the quality of the work.

I will say it again, this subject gun is not an “upgrade”. That term is used far too often and very inaccurately. An upgrade is a lower grade gun that is reworked to accurately replicate a higher grade gun. This is a custom gun, made to the owners taste with no regard to accuracy of a given original grade.

As for value, I personally feel that a faithful reproduction of a AA or A-1 parker can be executed for far less than the market value of a comparable original. When we see asking prices of original A1 specials in the $50-$150 range, a well done upgrade could still bring a profit over cost to make when sold. Fully disclosed and well done upgrades have been getting more attention and their asking/sale prices reflect that.

It is the opposite for a custom gun. I would say that in most instances, the investment to create it would not be recouped. And that is ok too. As long as the person commissioning the project does not care, nobody else should.