Springfan
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Character
A few years ago a friend asked if I would help his sister in law dispose of the handguns her late husband had so cherished before he died. There were several that did not interest me, but two that did, a nice nickel S&W 581 4 inch, and a nice nickel S&W 19 2 1/2 inch. I told her that I would help her sell the other guns through a dealer at his shop ( they all sold, although the dealer charged us 20%), but that I wanted to buy the two Smiths from her at fair market price. She agreed, and after some GB and SCSW research, I determined what I thought was a top dollar fair price, and sent her a check. About three weeks later, I realized I should have given her more for the 19, and sent her another check for an additional $200.
I relate this incident in this thread not to ask for a pat on the back, but to say, "this is what we do." I don't know any member of the SWCA who would have handled this otherwise. Thanks to the OP for providing a great example, as well as a springboard for the rest of us to tell a few stories that bolster his point. Of course, when the cost of being gracious and honest is only a few hundred extra dollars, that is not so much a test of character as the situation in which one of us finds in a similar circumstance something like a 1940 K-22, and has to tell the widow what it's really worth, and that he can't afford it.
As an aside, the deceased and his wife were heavy smokers. It took six months in the garage to air out the boxes, papers, and grips before they could be brought inside. Another definition of waiting period.
A few years ago a friend asked if I would help his sister in law dispose of the handguns her late husband had so cherished before he died. There were several that did not interest me, but two that did, a nice nickel S&W 581 4 inch, and a nice nickel S&W 19 2 1/2 inch. I told her that I would help her sell the other guns through a dealer at his shop ( they all sold, although the dealer charged us 20%), but that I wanted to buy the two Smiths from her at fair market price. She agreed, and after some GB and SCSW research, I determined what I thought was a top dollar fair price, and sent her a check. About three weeks later, I realized I should have given her more for the 19, and sent her another check for an additional $200.
I relate this incident in this thread not to ask for a pat on the back, but to say, "this is what we do." I don't know any member of the SWCA who would have handled this otherwise. Thanks to the OP for providing a great example, as well as a springboard for the rest of us to tell a few stories that bolster his point. Of course, when the cost of being gracious and honest is only a few hundred extra dollars, that is not so much a test of character as the situation in which one of us finds in a similar circumstance something like a 1940 K-22, and has to tell the widow what it's really worth, and that he can't afford it.
As an aside, the deceased and his wife were heavy smokers. It took six months in the garage to air out the boxes, papers, and grips before they could be brought inside. Another definition of waiting period.
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