Deals, fairness and stuff
Dont lissen to these guys, there just mad they dident come across a nice stash of milsurps. Ask the guy what he wants and go from there. Some of these guys are treating you like you tryed to steal them. If you are both happy with the deal then its a good deal. Buffdog must be the kind of guy who picks up a a tea pot at a garage sale with a sticker on it for $1 and with respect, honor and fairness offers $10. Getting the deals is part of what makes collecting millsurps enjoyable.
First of all, Sonny, we are not mad because we didn't come across a stash of Milsurps. There are people who replied to this post, such as JOHN SUKEY, SMELLIE, and others who know where more stuff is than most people will ever see. And if we do not want it, but know of someone who collects in that field, we pass the information along. But in the Gun Shows and areas where we frequent, if you attempt to pull a shady deal or really try to screw someone, word gets around fast, and you will find yourself shut out very quickly.
The other thing we do is make deals. We can make a phone call, and based on our reputation in the Firearms and Collectors fraternities, our word is quite good enough to make that deal. In some cases, for Thousands of dollars, and it is honored by both parties.
In your attempt to ridicule with the analogy about the tea pot in the Garage Sale, if I did buy the Tea Pot that was priced at $1, I would pay the full $1 and not try to get it for 10 cents. In the Tea Pot case, the Seller has put a price on it that he has set himself, and if he gets $1 for it, then he is happy, and I have got a good deal. However, if I knew the Tea Pot was worth $10, (after researching it and getting some advice and prices,) and went back, criticised, haggled, derided and offered 50 cents for it, with the intentions of reselling it for a large profit, then that is a different matter.
There are also certain "red flags" that appear concerning genuine intentions. Here is one of them, from post number ONE. "
Could You guys help me identify these? I'm not looking for specific stuff like where they are manufactured, just what they are and a general timeframe from when they were made.
From Post number TWENTY SEVEN,
I wouldn't want to sell them. I want to expand my milsurp collection.
The reason that this "red flag" goes up is that any genuine collector WANTS TO LEARN AS MUCH INFORMATION AS THEY CAN ABOUT THEIR SPECIFIC COLLECTION.
It would appear that the OP, being young and inexperienced, has made some errors of judgement. We all have done this, and it is a measure of character of how you handle your mistakes. We OLD FARTS were brought up in an era where our Word and a Handshake meant something, and our Reputation was everything. It sometimes seems today that if you can pull off a shady deal, screw someone out of something, and make a big profit on it, then it is acceptable.
I would hope that the OP learns something from this. He will find out that if he shows an interest in something, and asks, (such as taking pictures or examining an object,) people will gladly show and help him.
BTW: As far as finding these milsurps and being jealous about the find, I have many more and varied specimens in my collection, in far better shape, and SMELLIE's collection puts many Museums to shame.
Secondly, I used to live in Fort Macleod, in southern Alberta, and did a lot of hunting Antelope in the OP's area. I still know a lot of Ranchers there, and the OP has given more than enough clues as to who it might be. In fact, I could probably narrow it down to six or eight people, and if it were not them, then they would certainly know who it was. A few phone calls, starting this NOBLE effort, would do the trick.
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