"Evaluate the gun," is for the modest collector/shooter.
Provenance, is for the more advanced among us.
Intangible gun things are just as important as percent of case.
Perhaps the paper chase is the most exciting, to those who can!
I think you have it backward's Lowell. It is no trick to buy a $75K gun for $75K. Being able to properly and fairly evaluate a gun to determine the quality of the build takes a great deal of knowledge and expertise - Simply purchasing the first gun you find that says "Boss" on it, not so much.
Your fascination and fawning over the secretive "inner-sanctum" of the doublegun world is getting old. I've met many advanced collectors and handled many, many fine firearms. There is no secret handshake or cryptic passwords required to be able to do so.
Then again, there may be a subtle element needed for admission to this club you may not have picked up - you need to actualy go out and meet some of the people who post on this board. You might have to use your real name though. It is not that scary, really.
Ken Georgi
