At the height of his fame, some Hollywood reporter asked Robert Mitchum where he had studied acting. Mitchum replied that he had never had any formal training in the craft. Incredulous, the reporter asked "Why in heavens' name not?" Mitchum replied, "Going to school to learn how to act is like studying to be tall."
Like Mitchum's quip, potshotting and speculating from the sidelines after the fact about the quallity, price, and availability of desireable guns at a show like Baltimore, arguably the finest antique arms show in the country, speaks volumes about the true motivation of those who would be 'movers' in the gun market, or just want to own a gun they deem special.
JD Shank's 8-gauge, first shown at the Vintagers at Pintail Point in September, was an honest gun and a fair deal in the sense that JD actively solicited good guns in trade (not necessarily Parkers) against his asking price. The fact that he sold it at Baltimore should be prima facia evidence to anyone that either: A; somebody had the wherewithall to negotiate him down for cash, or B: put some decent guns in a pile and paid the difference in cash against the agreed-upon price.
Hauling the same merchandise to gun shows year after year is a stagnant reminder that sooner or later, something's got to give - either the price of the merchandise or acceptance of goods in trade against same. Continuing the status quo qualifies for applying Mitchum's famous quip above.
Word had it from at least a half-dozen high-end dealers at Baltimore that the logjam in availability and pricing of desireable guns is slowly breaking; better prices are being paid for guns and better guns are being traded against high-priced pieces that people had finally decided they really want instead of hoping that wishing would make it so.
You can't have it both ways; the best pieces in any collection always go last and, by definition of value over time, always bring the best money. So stop whining, throw some guns in the trunk, get out there, and SPEND!!!
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