I have been doing some searching for info on the web and ran into a web site where the person seems to have refinished all of the firearms shown. Some to the point where they blued over color cased parts, stocks all varnished where they were oil finished originally. The guys web site said it all , He is a Businessman first. He had examples of guns that were very misleading, such as cut down rifles as carbines. 
Sometimes the new collectors get really burned by the snake  oil salesman. Barnum said there was a sucker born every second, but in our collective group of firearms collectors I think we all take a very dim view of unscrupulous businesses. I know I do.
So, if you are a new collector do your home work to check out just what it is that you are buying. Really read and pay attention to publications such as Flydermans guide. He explains NRA condition codes in a easy way to interpret. When dealing with Collectors weapons there is a big difference between NRA grading for these than grading for a newer type of firearm. 
But when a firearm is refinished correctly it can add to it's value. We have all seen a junker resurrected to a decent shooter and maybe a better looking example, and we all love the ones that look like they should, and hate the ones that are over buffed, chromed-[ I saw a chromed Ballard that the owner is real proud of] oh, and that was chrome, not nickel, Color case work by blow torch. I could go on but you get the point. I think refinishing a gun that is down and out on it last legs is really OK if it is done tastefully and to the original looks of what it was.  And not only the finish but the faker that cuts a rifle down to a carbine and pawns it off as such worth double what the rifle was.  The web site mentioned at the beginning had a few of those too. 
Oh, check out Bowers for guns
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Mike

Unfortunate, and when it happens it's usually to the newbie who's just getting started collecting. Once they realise they've been had a good deal of them just give up and don't collect anymore.
Those who would intentionally take advantage of buyers in gun sales are no better than pond scum. They don't care who they cheat. I think many experienced collectors begin to spot the way they word their ads, long before they spot discrepancies in the finish of the "collectable" arms they're selling.

I thought this would raise a few comments. Seems we are all on the same page here. I have seen single shots done up the same way, make a grown man cry. Chromed Ballard was just an example of the items he had. How about a PINK rifle for the wife, he had one of them too. 
Yes, his military rifles were not the normal curio and relic sort at all.  When I see stuff like he has then I start to question just how good the internals are. Makes me wonder. My first M-1 Garand was sold to me at the tender age of 14 as a real Winchester for 100.00, yea I'm that old. The dealer said it was all original 100%. I asked if I could return it if not happy same day. He said yes. I also purchased 20 rds of ammo and a clip for it. Dad and I went to the range, it jammed on every round. So dad opened it up and we saw that the only Winchester part was the action, the rest were a hodge podge of parts. And not very well done. Yes I got my money back from him and learned a very valuable lesson. From then on I took them apart right there in the guys shop before buying them. If they would not let me I did not buy it.
Now here today I can still get an auctioneer to  pull a breech block out of a ballard, an auctioneer that has never done that sort of thing before. I walked him through it and it was simple for him. He know has done this for me 4-6 times, in fact when I call he now says, yep I pulled the breech block and it is a cast/forged action. Sure changes what I'm willing to part with as far as cash goes, and when I explained that I would pay more for a forged action he was all ears.
Hope all of this helps someone in their endeavors to collect some nice items and get a good deal.
Mike

Buyers best friend is a good gun library. And looking at lots of examples before you lay down hard cash.  Had been looking at Vintage American Double Barrel Shotguns. Something I knew nothing about. 

Bought all the books first then looked at hundreds of guns before laying down hard cash. Amazing the BS out there from dealer and collectors. Bigger the house worse the baloney is.

I will say if you are a shooter and pay according to the user value re-finished guns can be good buys. Main thing is don't pay for the refinish. Most cases it ought to sell for half a good original example.

Example I saw a Baker Gun Company double perfectly re-finished and stocked in beautiful Turkish Walnut. It was a show piece. Never mind original guns were stocked in American Walnut.  Somebody spent 2-3 thousand dollars on it.  Reliable dealer had it on sale for 1000 and probably would have taken 800 for the gun.  At 800 it would have been a good buy if stocked in American Wood. Let it pass, too pimped up for me.

Boats

You would not want to put a set of "rims" and skinny tires on a 76 Monte Carlo any more than somebody should stock a classic American Rifle or Shotgun in Foreign wood no matter how pretty it is. To my eye anyway

Latest scam with hard to get new guns like the short barrel Smith & Wesson 625's or certain Marlin Lever actions is to list one and sell at a high price list again sell even higher then third time when the price is sky high really sell the gun. First two were phony sales one dealer to another and only listed to run the price up high.

Buyer beware

Boats

Mike if you remember back, they were doing the same thing to us at the Great Western shows in the 70's.  
MIKE-T

mwhite49 wrote on Oct 17^th, 2011 at 12:15pm:

Mike, I have to say that at least that was the Stories my buddy told me , of course I only looked at the guns! HA! HA! HA!

Nothing like 7 & 1/2 miles of gun tables to keep you busy, I never really believed that myself, but there sure was one H*ll of a lot of tables with guns on them!

Mike

mwhite49 wrote on Oct 17^th, 2011 at 3:51pm:


That's because it's illegal to pay money for what we really DO want when the pretty girls are around.