Because it has been "messed with". Once messed with, whether stamped, reblued, or otherwise altered, it leaves the smaller realm of collector guns, and enters the realm of more common, less collectable guns.
I guess it is just a way of maintaining the demand for the select few. Try selling a muscle car with non-matching numbers. Yes you can do it but no you will not get as much. Although it may run as good as or better than original.
But I agree that it is hard to verbalize.
dju
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