When I started this thread my intent was to bring out how diverse S&W collectors are. Some seek rarity, others high condition and still others history. Being primarily a military collector I prize history and function over condition. An arsenal rebuild is OK as it helps trace history but a commercial reblue or repark, no matter how well done, is a pass for me no matter how "pretty".
It's a good thing that as S&W collectors we don't all fall into the same niche or prices would skyrocket.
I love firearms history, and it plays a huge part in my interest in old guns. Very few old guns can talk to us and tell us who owned them and where they've been. The guns that show signs of what they went through, or can be documented to certain places or individuals need to be saved from restoration. Would anyone here own a gun documented to a well known person in history and restore that gun? I'd hope not.
This is off topic as a non S&W, but relates to the subject at hand. I purchased an early #1 Rolling Block Sporting Rifle a couple years ago at a big gun show, and my intent was to strip off everything except the receiver and build it up as a shooter. Since there were less than 12,000 Sporting Rifles total among all models, it was great to find one cheap that had extra holes in the barrel and frame, and pieces broken out of the stocks. Perfect choice to use as a donor.
Then I began to tear it apart, and stripped the wood off, and got ready to spin the barrel off in my barrel vise. As I clamped it up I noticed a name on the barrel that was hidden under the forearm. It read, "E. C. Hackett" and I thought I should Google the name before I went further. That's always fun anyway!
To my surprise the search exploded with information on EC Hackett, and more surprising he was a famous person locally here in Oregon. With the new information I contacted the Oregon City Historical Society and talked to the curator. I asked if she had any information on EC Hackett, and she chuckled, but asked how much I wanted? I told her I wanted anything, and she said she had over 2500 pages of documentation on EC Hackett.
I arranged to visit her, and took the gun along (after reassembling it) so she could see it. Turned out EC Hackett was born near Oregon City in 1851 and was one of the first deputy sheriffs in Oregon City. His father was also part of the posse sent to track down renegade Indians who killed Dr. Whitman and his family, who were the first missionaries and settlers in the Territory. Later EC was mayor of Oregon City, and then county recorder until his death in the 1930's. The end of the Oregon Trail is marked in his front yard, and his home is still there aand preserved as a historical site.
After getting copies of EC Hackett history, and learning of his notoriety, I began a careful repair of the broken stocks, and metal damage, while retaining as much originality to the gun as possible. It's now a much better looking rifle, but still has no finish left. But it's a piece of local history, and as such I'll leave it alone, and some day donate it to the museum here for their use. I wish it was a pristine minty gun, but I certainly wont remove all traces of it's history.
