Rather than post another thread and tell a long story, I’ll just put it here and try to condense it:
A recent widow, maybe 45 years old, came into a local gun shop to sell this. Her husband bought it in 1973 after returning from Vietnam - he was an Army aviator and this was the only pistol he had, and only shot it the day he bought it she said. The shop ignored her and treated her rudely and when I had a chance out of earshot from the clerk to tell her the value, I told her she had a 95%ish condition pistol with an original Browning pouch and to not take a penny less than $700 cash. The shop would’ve priced it at $900-1000.
We talked a bit about a lot of stuff while waiting on the clerk to finally assist either of us - turns out she needed some advice I was qualified to give and we exchanged info.
I left the store without being helped and told her good luck. Not 15 minutes later she called me asked if I wanted to grab a cup of coffee and talk about her husband’s burial, veterans benefits, etc.
She started off by telling me the gunshop offered her $200 for her “old browning 9mm” in maybe “80% condition.” She called them on their BS and walked. They tried to tell her they would reconsider, but she didn’t even turn around.
I referred her to a better shop to sell it and then referred her to some Federal and State veterans affairs contacts for all the end of life, burial, etc, stuff she needed.
We chatted over coffee for another 20 minutes or so and I had to take off. Before I stood up, she took the Browning case out of her purse and set it on the table (in the middle of the most liberal hangout coffee shop in the city, which I found highly amusing) and told me originally she just wanted it gone legally to a FFL, but she had no concerns about me and wanted me to have it and laughed about how it’s “only $200 anyway!”
Seriously?
She accepted another coffee another morning as partial payment, and then a dinner, but that’s where she stopped letting me pay for the pistol. Still under $200...
So with the sights, grips, coffee and dinner, I’m into this Hi-Power for around $400