It is truly great to see the ongoing dialogue here, and to see the range of perceptions and opinions related to this topic being openly discussed, this is exactly the kind of rapport that makes me feel proud to be a part of this ever growing and amazing group of members.
I think the consensus is generally that courtesy and respect should prevail above all, and common sense should be paramount in handling commercially related situations or selling and trading of weapons. It is important to note that while we are clearly all aware of the importance of establishing proper identification and integrity of weapons that are involved in either live auctions or sales, there is nothing that precludes members handling discussions of these items privately. It is only publicly via internationally published media, such as our forums clearly are, that matters can become problematic.
Tom, I would like to thank you for your very kind words, and am glad that you have joined in. It is clear that your knowledge is more 'hands on' and by the well written post, you express yourself well. This is exactly what my original purpose for beginning this thread, to bring in those like yourself who are out there and have much more to offer than they realize. The study of historical arms is not just taken from published material, but weapons seen and collected in the field; observed in collections and museums; found among heirlooms and estates of individuals who have collected them; from well travelled individuals far and wide.
We are after all internationally well represented here , and it is wonderful and amazing to see the harmony among such diverse cultures, religions, ethnicity and virtually all manner of groups. The input from everyone helps us not only learn about the history of arms, with such direct input, but promotes key understanding between all.
Kukulz, as Kahnjar has noted, beware 'experts', we are all students in varying degree, and are all here to learn together. Participation is key to effective learning, and in my case, I can only truly learn by gathering notes and information, then writing in text what I have found. In sharing that here, I always look forward to information others add, or in many cases corrections where I have erred.
In another thread for example, I made comments in a couple of places, and fortunately members well versed in the material at hand stepped forward to note that my statements were not entirely correct in those particular cases. This is exactly what I hope for..not to be wrong...but to be properly corrected as required, hopefully with substantiated support.
I full believe that here we are working together to study arms, discover and share evidence and resources, and above all to preserve this history as comprehensively as possible. It is our responsibility to accomplish this as thoroughly as we can, and it is not about being right or wrong...it is about being accurate. The more of us that work together in this, the better chance we have of being successful
Thanks very much everyone!
You're the best!
Jim