Authenticity and value are concerns for all of us. Some have more confidence in their ability to judge these aspects of a pistol than others. To the beginner it can be very anxiety provoking and this is perfectly understandable, yet questions along these lines are difficult to answer. I have never read anything that speaks to this issue better than Mr. Sabato's post. It is an excellent summation of what we are all up against in this field. Experience is the best teacher even if you come out on the "short end" occasionally, but we all have to leave the nest sometime. Ralph Shattuck offered a pistol to me one time. I decided to get in his face a little about its finish. He could be funny (or not) when I rattled his cage. I rolled the dice and the following exchange took place:
Me: "So this finish is all original" ?
RES: "Yep, that's a Mauser blue job".
Me: "How do you KNOW that it's a Mauser blue job" ????
(without hesitation)
RES: "Because I've looked at a million of 'em".
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