I take it then Doc that if you found an original 1935 Auburn Boattail Speedster rusting and rotting away in a barn, you´d let it stay in that sorry state for historical reasons rather than restore it? You know there´s a difference between "worn" and "broken"?!
If an antique gun is in decent condition then I wouldn´t do anything to it other than preserve it, but there are a lot of "fixer-uppers" out there that cry for help.
As Hawg allready pointed out, if he bought it for 350 then it probably needed the work. Whether he knew how to do it properly is another matter!
Anders Olsson