Why NOT the taboo against refinishing Parker shotguns?

[Craig Larter]

3:30am must be a duck hunter LOL! I mostly gravitate to original condition Parkers. But if a gun is very uncommon and it is in my wheelhouse I will except less than original condition, like properly re blackened barrels. I own a few mint benchmark guns but most are for my hunting and shooting pleasure. I believe most participants on this forum are shooter/collector types not pure collectors.

[John Davis]

In my experience, a 95+% original condition Parker is always going to command a much higher price than a refurbished/refinished Parker of like grade no matter who did the work. And seldom will the cost of restoration increase the value of the gun by a commensurate amount. Shooters, like me, don’t care so much about originality because they’re not looking to pay for originality in the first place.

[Dan]

Originality is great but it's a shame for a gorgeous piece of wood to spend eternity hiding behind years of use, as far as case colors go these guns look great with a long white beard.