Different thoughts on this one for sure. Many folks (not all) believe that high original condition guns should be taken out of the safe on a occasion and then rubbed down with a very light coat of oil and put back in the safe. While in the safe they can say hello in the dark to their other collectible friends who leaning against safe wall as well.
I few others take those same guns out and do what I call a controlled hunt. Shooting range, Shooting preserve, dove hunt etc. Something where you know unless you do something really dumb your collector grade gun isn't going to have much of a chance of getting damaged.
Another group just wants a nice semi-original gun that you hunt with. Gun has had some work done to it to make it right. Stock might have been bent, checkering re-cut, pad added, but its still has it original case color and barrel blueing is original. You baby the gun, but if it gets a scratch or two you shake your head from side to side and move on. I'd personally fall into that group.
Last group is the "in for an inch, in for a mile" group. It starts out with just a desire to make the gun sound and make it truly "your gun". Then you start thinking a bit further. You realize the stock is too short unless you add a spacer and I mean a big spacer. Then you realize even when add the spacer and a BIG recoil pad it still too short or it has too much Drop a Heel (because you added to the Length of Pull which increased the DAH).
You then decide you really need to restock it to make it really fit you. Then you think if you restock it, the stock will look shiny and new and the rest of the gun won't. So you decide those little quite minor dings and dents need to come out of the barrel and it needs a first rate re-blacking.
Then while your are mulling over those things and have your calculator already smoking you think why not go ahead and have someone like Turnbull redo the case coloring for you as well.
Well, then you gotta have the engraving chased. Calculator is really smoking now. You need to run outside in the bright light just to make sure you have enough solar energy to power it through all those numbers.
After start writing down numbers you realize you are looking at the following totals:
Original shooter grade GH 12 gauge $1,300
Stock Blank $500
Restocking and checkering $2,500
Polish and re-blacking barrels $400
Engraving rechased $500
Color Case hardening/polishing $600
Total $5,800
Chances of selling the above and recovering your costs down the road? Guessing not much unless everyone who is touching the gun is well known and all work is carefully documented.
My opinion on why most folks don't do the above is simply economics. You can take that same amount of money into the mix and buy a very high all original condition 12 Gauge GH and throw it in the gun safe. He can then hang out with his high grade friends and come out from time to time for a breath of fresh air before he goes back into the dark.
Above is certainly all tongue and cheek. I've got one pretty nice CH 16 gauge that's original. Since I've owned it, its been out of the safe twice. Both were preserve hunts and needless to say I was careful. I'll probably sell it some day when I realize its kinda bored setting in the gun safe with a couple of higher grade Foxes. BTW, those Foxes and Parkers don't talk much to each other. Thank goodness I separate them from time to time so it doesn't get nasty.