Hi and congrats on your "new" VS. I have owned (a Model 7E) and do own a Model 12E by VS. These are very well made guns and the quality is as good as any shotgun offered while he was still in business (in fact better than some more pricier guns of that period). Your gun is a very nice example of what the Spanish gun trade could and still does today, produce a high quality arm at a reasonable price (well...not so much today!). You got yourself a good one!
As to the bbl length, yep for resale, they are not as marketable as longer bbls. The trend today is for long bbls 30" and in some cases longer. It all boils down to you and your shooting style. I like bbls up to 28" and that's it for me. There are those of us who still like a shorter bbl for the uplands, especially when your shooting over a good pointing dog. As an example here's some birds (all wild) taken with my Churchill 25":
Again, congratulations and I hope you have many happy and healthy years shooting her!
Best!
Greg
