It's pretty easy to loose sight off the distinction between 'worth' and 'value' when looking at things with the heart, instead the head. If the gun is precisely finished to the level you would have contracted Turnbull, then it's worth, to you, what you paid for the donor gun, plus the cost to have Turnbull do the work. Only then is it a good value to you, and probably only you. Is it a good investment? Well, I always interpreted that to mean that it would keep up with inflation and grow in it's liquidated value. The gun wouldn't likely appreciate in value unless Turnbull is held on the same plane, when he's no longer around, as other sound investment quality pieces like original Parkers, certain Colts and Winchesters. The greater the numbers seeking those pieces makes them, simply by virtue of the numbers, good investments. Even then, all these things come into, and go out of fashion to some degree. Remember when you couldn't give away a Damascus barreled gun? I'd never be able to retire (oh, wait, I am retired) on the sale of some of the things I've thrown money at, but the joy those things have given me has no price.
Do any of you remember a guy named Ed Spicer? He had a penchant for taking good, but ordinary quality pieces to the real masters like Joe Jurjevic and John Warren and having something built that was flat out gorgeous. I had one of his double rifles; what began as a nice Kettner, then profusely redone by John Warren. I always thought of it as my John Warren double rifle, not my Kettner. I sold it at the Vintagers at Sandanona, but I was lucky to have found a buyer who also liked Warren's work. My dad had one of Spike's Parker's, but there again, he didn't really think of it as a Parker VHE 28, which is what it originally was. It was a beautifully upgraded gun by John Warren, with a 2nd set of barrels made by Jurjevic, in 38-55 Winchester. My dad also had an original VHE28, that got lots of use, but I don't recall the Warren 28 ever leaving the house. I sure hope it's present owner uses it.
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