I'm in the art business. A lot of what is being discussed here about fire arms applies to the art business. I've had people come in with, in the business they are called, paintings by the yard done in Italy, Mexico, China, Taiwan, Indonesia. They want me to tell them what they found, inherited, bought at a yard sale, etc. is and how valuable it is. They get real upset when they are told it's worthless to $10.00 to $15.00. I've been accused of trying to buy the master piece on the cheap to sell for many thousands of bucks. I tell them I really don't want the painting as I would have to go the the effort of waking thru the business and putting it in the dumpster out back. That makes them all the more unhappy.
Jim
I worked in a gun shop shortly after I graduated from college and the exact same thing happened. A grizzled old man came into the shop with his whole family in tow. He had in his arms an old cheap gun case with a firearm in it. He tells us that he has grandpappy's old shotgun, that it's so old it has to be worth a lot of money. He proudly uncases a store brand single shot break-open hammer gun. It was rusted, cracked stock etc. He puffs himself all up and asked, "What's that worth." The store owner looks it over and says, "It's worth maybe $15." The guy gets all indignant, and rants about how my boss wants to cheat him. My boss tells him that he told them what it was worth, it was NOT an offer and that he doesn't want it. Here's what made me laugh. My boss looks at the guy and says, "I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but it was junk when it was bought new and 80 years of hard wear and neglect hasn't changed that, it's now just old junk." The guy put grandpappy's treasure in the old case and stomped out.
