So When is "Original" no longer Original?

[Craig Larter]

Untouched original is the gun that has never been back to the factory. A gun can only be original once regardless of the wear. Factory refreshed is a gun that was returned to Parker for either mechanical or finish refresh and is documented. A restored gun is a gun either mechanically repaired or refinish by other than the factory (or not factory documented) using the correct methods. A refinished gun is a gun done without regard to correct methods.
I prefer original guns but I have many guns with some undocumented restoration. As an example I picked up a very nice original DH 20ga all original except it had a large ugly scrape 1 inch by 3/4 inch long like it was dropped on a cement walkway. If I was alive during the Parker factory era I would have sent it back to be re-blacked. I had the barrels re-blackened using the proper methods. The gun is no longer original but restored but much more appealing in my opinion. After a few years of wear it will be impossible to tell. Hence I believe many of the guns we shoot today and consider original there is a high likelihood they are not.