Replaceing a part question

[deadin]

We have been discussing a M1899 Carbine that a guy inherited from his grandfather. It is in pretty decent shape except for where granpa scratched his DL number onto the sideplate.
There was discussion that this would considerably lower the collector value. I suggested that, were it mine, I would just replace the sideplate. I was immediately accused of fraud if I didn't disclose this to a buyer. (I would offer both sideplates if sold, but that's beside the point of my question) The discussion turned to that with a replaced part it would no longer be original and therefor worth even less. Really???

[Dick Hosmer]

I emphatically disagree that a proper replacement would be worse than a defaced original. Sideplates are a dime a dozen - a perfect match will easily be obtainable.

The "original" (and how do you know the army didn't replace it in 1902?) sideplate, should of course accompany the gun, for the sake of honesty.

When parts are changed/added to simulate a different, rarer, model, that is absolutely wrong, but, that is not the case here, at all.

Your friend should thank his lucky stars that grandpa didn't mark a non-fixable part! Of course, if someone had stolen the gun, the very first thing they would have done was . . . . . . . . . . . . (wait for the drum roll) . . . . . . . . . . . replaced the sideplate!

[psteinmayer]

Amen to that!

[gnoahhh]

Yep. Whose to say that side plate wasn't replaced a half dozen times in its life anyway, or that grandpa himself didn't buy a new one on which to scribe his info? I would just replace the darn thing and toss the numbered one into my "box of little treasures". Who would know- or even care? Were I to buy a rifle like that, I would be chagrined to discover that the previous owner hadn't bothered to make it right.

On the other hand for example, if it were a rifle that Townsend Whelen scratched his Army ID number onto (and was provable as such), it would be sacrilegious to alter it.

[sdkrag]

Good gosh have I committed fraud. Many moons ago I started this hobby buying Krags from basements and other bad places to store rifles. I will never admit how many parts I switched around to improve rifles for resale. I used all original Krag parts. Thus they were original. :) This is true but said tongue in cheek.

[dave]

I am not sure what a DL (driver license?) number is but I would not replace the parts if I was going to keep it, Id love to have a gun that was in the family but as far as I know I am the first. My GF fought in the civil war and had 2 distint ancestors in the revolution. Thye were probably gun owners.