Questionable provences

[Story]

I built my own B.S. detector after reading this Encyclopedia Brown adventure a few decades ago.

https://brownencyclopedia.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F13020192322

 

[gjpratt]

I bought a well worn Confederate longarm from a reputable dealer many years ago. It had a somewhat common name carved in the stock. The dealer I bought it from priced it for its extrinsic value alone because he explained there was no way to link the gun or military service to the carved. I subsequently traded the gun and several weeks later it turned up on another dealer's table at a show being sold at 3X what I paid as an identified firearm, complete with a stack of records showing the war record of a soldier who had the same name. When I played dumb and asked about the provenance -- repeatedly -- he finally said it was the only person with that name who served in the CSA and from the state where the gun was manufactured. It was an invaluable lesson that for once did not cost me anything.

I suppose it is an obvious inference, but I never did business with this dealer afterwards. And as I reflected on the experience since this first post, I recalled that he also had on his table a very desirable etched sword identified to a KIA that hit my sweet spot collecting goal at the time. This was at a show. After examining the sword, and with the bad taste in my mouth over the gun, I went to my car. Remember these days of no internet and no fold3? No cell phones for that matter. The trunk was full of my reference books that I always packed for every show show I attended. I found the soldier. The sword looked good but it was, to me, suspiciously pristine and the blade was very bright. I passed. And I have never seen or heard of it since. At that show, I did buy another sword that has been published several times. Still lovingly in my care.

 

[Jeff in Ohio]

I once owned a Colt Navy Model 1851 with the legitimate engraving on the barrel of of "C L Dragoons" which was the mark of an Alabama unit called the Crocheron Light Dragoons, which became part of the 3rd Alabama Cavalry. It was in very rough condition, reportedly found under the floorboards of an old house in Georgia. This unit served as personal escorts and messengers for the commanders of the Army of the Tennessee, starting with General Bragg, and ending up serving as escorts for John Bell Hood when he was given final command of that Army. That unit marking was rare and legitimate. But there were some large deep letters on one side of the grips - they were either "WW" or "MM" - there was no clue about which way you were supposed to read them.
I sold it to a prominent Alabama Dealer, and imagine my surprise when some months later it showed up as belonging to a person in that unit with the initials WW, as "proven" by a letter from an expert on that unit. Now, I myself had a list of the men in that unit, and there were two or three others with initials MM or WW. But the WW person chosen had a distinguished record!

I have retrieved a photo of that wood stock and attach it - I would tend to read these as "MM" but the dealer's expert decided they were "WW"

 

[Nebraska Lawdog]

There's a fella that sells at a lot of local show in my area.
He always has a bunch of excellent condition "Rare" and "Near Mint" firearms. (Nothing as old as CW/Indian Wars era though)
Funny thing is, you can smell the cold blue from three tables away.
There will ALWAYS be unscrupulous dealers looking to make a buck off the unwary.

 

[gjpratt]

@Jeff in Ohio Sounds a lot like my experience. Will leave it at that.