Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Herb Houze
is unimportant; the worst one can do at that point is try to rationalize something that is bad into being good, and here’s where those old wives tales come into play like “...it’s got to be good because of where it came from” or “...no one would take the time to make that kind of fake” or “...the price is so reasonable it couldn’t be wrong.” Emotions may cause an otherwise astute buyer to become carried away, making excuses to rationalize very obvious telltale clues such as color changes, patina, signs of pitting, etc. If time permits and other known examples are available for comparison, there is certainly a good basis for verifying the piece thoroughly. Often when confronted with the challenge of a possible fake, one’s hopes of what one would like the gun to be takes precedence over good judgment. In other words, the buyer becomes his own worst enemy.
THE GREAT AMERICAN GUN SCAM
The story of the now infamous experimental Walker Colts may be found of interest, not merely as the author played a key role in their unmasking, but as an example of gullibility and poor judgement.
In 1931 a set of four unique, so-called experimental-transitional Colt Paterson-Walkers were featured in the catalog of a prominent arms dealer then offering a famous Colt collection. The revolvers, outrageous fakes fabricated by parties unknown, were subsequently sold for values equal then to what four fine Walkers would fetch on today’s market. By 1937 they were the subject of a small book devoted solely to their fabricated and supposed rarity (The Revolving Cylinder Colt Pistol Story 1839-1847 by J.H. Edgerly; see Biblio. Chap. V-B). They had become so well-accepted by the collecting world of the day that a respected arms historian illustrated and discussed them at length in his book Whitney Firearms (1946). In the 50s they reappeared on the cover of a well-known antique arms journal. The author acquired them when the owner’s collection was dispersed in 1972, and in his catalog that same year exposed them as fakes; the entire page of that catalog later reproduced in the widely quoted How Do You Know It’s Old. A few years following their sale as fakes and curiosities, the author was approached at an arms show by one of those characters that operates on the fringe of the collecting world. To his amusement he was given a tongue-lashing for ruining a swindle the fellow was about to close for those fakes, when his mark had somehow been shown the reprint of the exposé! The four revolvers had come full circle ...or almost.
The paths down which the expert restorer and forger have traveled are many. The subject is one which has been treated in print frequently over the years and is certainly worth a major study one day. Following are some points which the author has found to be the most pertinent in the matter of alterations. Some other factors involving restorations and fakes are beyond the realm of our coverage here, but are worth bearing in mind. These include such intriguing subjects as welding, brazing and barrel stretching (that is, restoring shortened barrels to their original length), altering guns from one model to another and reworking centerfire revolvers to rimfire models (as in a very few types of Colts and Smith & Wessons). The reader will often hear mention of using X-rays to detect certain types of fakes. This is an excellent method, but due to general inaccessibility and time limitations it is not utilized with any degree of frequency.
A note to bear in mind on polishing and refinishing: When confronted with a gun that has been heavily polished or has been entirely refinished, a danger signal should flash in one’s mind. Both of these features, although not indicating the item has necessarily been tampered with, should call for a closer inspection. Polishing and refinishing can conceal a multitude of sins. By removing the normal patina and aging of the gun, the faker can obscure various areas that might have been worked over and such arms should be closely inspected.
A. REFINISHING
Refinishing antique guns is generally frowned upon; in quite a few instances it actually detracts from value, resulting in a less desirable and less valuable item (even though good money has been spent for the refinish). The practice of making a relatively worn gun, or one that has been heavily used, look like new is rather incongruous, and the effect on the gun is quite the same. Any antique item, especially a gun, used, and no longer new, should look its age and stand on its own merits. Refinishing is akin to taking an 80-year-old man and dressing him in the clothes of a teenager. Such a gun is, of course, simply detected and, for the most part, has the same value refinished as unrefinished. However, the restored status has changed the weapon’s demand and desirability on the collectors’ market. Where a very fine conditioned piece has been clearly refinished in an attempt to fool a collector, the question of intent may be raised. Careful inspection should be given original finishes in all cases to ascertain their originality.
Examine the gun in a good, strong light (daylight preferably); should the finish be suspect, a few other areas require close study with a magnifying glass: (1) Look for scratch marks or especially light rust pitting underneath the finish. If either is present, in all likelihood the gun has been refinished. Prior to putting on original factory finish most metal parts are polished clean and smooth and are free of any rust pitting or tiny pockmarks. In almost every instance scratches and pits are acquired after the gun has had its original factory finish. (2) Look very closely at all edges and markings. In order to realize a quality refinish, the metal must be cleaned and polished thoroughly. In so doing some sharpness will usually leave the edges (most noticeable on octagon barrels), and the markings are often lightened or even partially worn away. With markings once sharp and deep, the edges of the die struck impression are quite often rounded and smoothed over. (3) On revolvers standard with roll engraved scenes on the cylinder, a very careful inspection of this feature should be made for sharpness and clarity. Any wear, especially if uneven, beneath a blue finish would clearly indicate the piece was tampered with and very likely refinished.
B. MARKINGS AND NUMBERS
Markings are critical features in judging rarity and value of an antique gun and should be carefully scrutinized. Numbers are equally critical, but only on specific makes of guns—not all. Room for wrong-doing exists in each area, and it may be generally said that the alteration or “improvement” of markings is usually done with the intent to deceive and possibly even defraud. The matter becomes rather hazy though, once the gun leaves the original wrong-doer’s hands and is traded down the line. Whether the original party who made and sold the piece told the next buyer what had been done is very much a moot point by the time the piece has been in general circulation and passed through a few hands. At that juncture the importance for the purposes of this book is not to comment on the gun’s unethical manufacture, but how the unsuspecting purchaser may detect those incorrect marks or numbers which considerably detract from value and rarity. An inexpensive pocket magnifying glass is an indispensable aid and should be part of every collector’s tool kit. Inspect all markings thoroughly; the more important they are for the gun, the closer they should be studied. Check for sharpness, depth and clarity. If the gun is heavily worn but the markings are sharp and clear, this obvious inconsistency indicates that some work has likely been performed. Markings should show the same even wear or rust pitting and corrosion found on the rest of the gun. Restamping or “freshening” the markings is not normally considered an asset or an improvement and most often will detract from the value. Worse still, any altering of markings to ones that never appeared on the gun is completely fraudulent.
Where remarking has been done with die stamps it will easily show up under a magnifying glass as inconsistent. In most cases where die stamps are used by forgers to re-mark or fraudulently mark a piece, they are single or individual dies, and the letters will appear quite uneven when magnified. The original manufacturers normally had stamps or rolls made on complete single dies which had a very even, regular appearance. It should be remembered, though, that the rarer and more valuable the piece, the more effort the expert forger will expend to fake it; thus, in some cases entire dies simulating those of the manufacturer have been made. Fortunately the use of these sophisticated dies is rare in comparison to the single stamp method. If the forger has freshened or re-marked the piece by hand engraving in a similar style to the original die stamp, this will quite easily show up under a magnifying glass; the consistency of the hand engraved markings are quite obviously different than those of the stamped markings. If well done, the hand engraved marks might fool the naked eye when not viewed closely, but are impossible to stand up under magnification.
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