[RShaw]

Ahh OK.
But would even an "official upgrade" detract from the "general collector value?"

I guess at the end of the day, a collector piece is worth what a buyer is willing to pay at any given instant. Maybe I / we.. think too much in terns of "$ value" and not enough in terns of "I like this gun!! I'll buy it for $XX !" IF the buyer is happy, and IF has purchased the gun with an accurate knowledge of what has been paid for, then done is done.

2 big IF's here. Nobondy likes to pay a collector's price for a mismatched abused parts gun. Please note, I am NOT saying the gun described here is mismatched and abused! Looks nice to me!

That's one of the advantages of te helpful atmosphere on this forum... a wealth of experts and their willingness to share.