Need help evaluating case color

[Ray Masciarella]

Bill and Chuck say there is no CCH even though it can be palinly seen in the photos. Dean says there is CCH there and it doesn't matter what color is so long as it isn't worn off. These gentlemen are know much more then me. No wonder I'm confused.

I tend to agree with them all to some point. To me, condition has to judged against orginality. I repectfully disagree with Bill that there is 0% CCH. If the vividness was the only test, than nearly all guns would be 0% under Bill's standard since most all guns do not have vivid colors. In other words, a gun that was never used, stored in a gun cabinet for 120 years, having all of its color but faded by time, would be 0%. That can't be.

Now Dean says all that matter is that it is there. So that same gun stored in the gun cabinet would be 100% even if all the color faded away and only greyish hues remained. That can't be either.

Figuring out the percentage of the frame that has CCH on it is fairly simple. It is just a matter of measuring the coverage. The most wear is at the squirrel. Even the fences have a little CCH. The rest if it has CCH except for the sharp edges and a few other spots. I'd say the coverage is 70% holding it in my hand. None of it is vivid. It is all faded to varying extent. So under Dean's standard, it is 70% and under Bill's it is still 0%. Each standard is simple to apply.

I guess my standard is that it is some where in between, but where? How much of a deduction should there be as a result of it not being as vivid as the day it was made?

Everyone can establish there own standards. My guess is that most of Bill's guns are 0% except for those that have been hermetically sealed for decades. On the other hand, probably all of Dean's guns have CCH to him.

Maybe the better question for me to ask is whether there is any generally accepted industry standard for making the evaluation (as opposed to asking personal opinions)? Something that can be applied objectively (and I don't mean Bill and Dean's standards cannot because they can). If so, where do I find it? Does anyone know what standard Julia's uses? (I have to say their evaluations are begining to make more sense to me).

[Double Play]

Originally Posted by Ray Masciarella

Maybe the better question for me to ask is whether there is any generally accepted industry standard for making the evaluation (as opposed to asking personal opinions)?

Ray,
I believe there are two standards when judging percentage of case colors. One is used by sellers and one is used by buyers. If I were looking to purchase your gun, percentage of case colors would be the last thing I would be looking at. The wood and engraving along with those beautiful Damascus barrels would consume all my attention. It seems to me that guns with a lot of engraving tend to loose color faster than a VH. Besides, when the only CC remaining is down in the engraving cuts, I think it highlights rather than hides the real beauty of the guns engraving.