Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Murphy
Brett, that solves your problem. Go see the guns and bring your measuring tools and your checkbook.
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I only ever bought one gun from an auction that I had not examined personally, but the prior knowledge I had developed over its rarity and desireability more than trumped the few very minor "warts" not mentioned in the auction preview's description.
A rule of thumb I adopted when I first started to spend real money on Parkers and other guns was that if the gun was truly unique and desireable and within a half-days drive, I would go look at it and physically handle it. Most times I wound up staying overnight and buying the gun that afternoon or the next day.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, beats having the gun in hand! And remember, the larger auction houses (at least here in the East) usually have booths displaying their premier items in upcoming sales at the Vintage Cup, NE SxS, Rock Mountain, and especially the Southern SxS, which makes for a much shorter drive depending on where you live. Time and money well spent!