788Ham, I suspect most of us who are interested in collectable firearms or firearms in general have stories to tell about the one that got away. That was certainly a bargain and akin to stealing if that happened in the last year or so. But the seller sets the price and their circumstances clearly contribute to what the price is.
I have always tried to keep at least $1000 in cash at home in an envelope for "emergencies". These days this isn't much money. But we all do as best we can. Sounds like you had an emergency to me although my wife would not see it that way.
I try to learn from life's experiences and my history tells me to keep the fund stocked with cash for things that come up unexpectedly whether that be a firearm, auto repairs, or to grab because you have an unexpected road trip. The cash aspect has become less important with ATM machines and debit/check cards, but there are few things that make more impact than whipping out a stack of $100 bills.
My information may be a little dated, but $785 seems a bit high for a Trooper Mark III even in the box unless it has a nickel finish or is in 22WMR. They are typically priced about the same as a Model 17.
I recognized the Trooper and a few others as being sleepers in the collector market as much as 15 years ago. However 15 years ago, it was hard to choose a Mark III 22 when you could buy a Police Positive, Cobra, or the original Trooper for about the same cost. I suspect the same experience would apply to many and as a result, interest in the Trooper Mark III (22's mostly) has only really taken off in the last 5 years. However, for me, there have always been competing interests for dollars and as a result, I didn't act on my intuition as much as I should have.
