It used to be "Buy the gun, not the story..." to which I've amended, "Buy the gun, not story...or the box, or the tools or the docs."

I've never been a collector in the "mint", "as new", etc. sense, but was never closed to the idea of a top-level purchase if the right one came along.

That's fading.

These days my ideal purchase is a revolver in fresh, superb mechanical condition with no box, tools or docs (real or dubious) to run up the price, and just a teensy touch of honest wear so I won't get fussy about actually, you know, using the thing.