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Old January 19, 2018, 05:37 PM   #1
Handgunner00
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Colt Archives Letter of Authentication

Just sold a vintage Colt to a collector, and it comes with a Colt Archives Letter of Authentication that is addressed to me. Not sure I want my name and address on this letter to be passed off to this buyer and to all subsequent buyers. One fellow range shooter says its common to simply black out the name/address on these letters, but I'm thinking of pasting an address label over my name/address that would reflect the name/address of the buyer. Any thoughts here or is this much ado about nothing?
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Old January 19, 2018, 06:35 PM   #2
Aguila Blanca
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I think before doing anything you should ask your buyer if obscuring your name in any way is going to cause him to withdraw his offer to buy.
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Old January 19, 2018, 06:54 PM   #3
lamarw
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When I ordered mine many years back from Colt, I had it addressed to "Colt Owner".

I have a lot of S&W letters addressed to my name. I personally am not worried about it. My name is in the phone book. My name is on the internet. I get mail from just about every junk catalog addressed to my name. There might be more of a concern if it also included your current address.
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Old January 19, 2018, 07:16 PM   #4
Handgunner00
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Colt Archives Letter of Authentrication

It does include my current address.
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Old January 19, 2018, 09:29 PM   #5
burrhead
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Quote:
It does include my current address.
Anonymity barely exists anymore. If I have your name and town ( Fairfax Station, VA) I can not only find your address but see where you live with Google Maps and possibly find your picture. And I can do it in less than 10 minutes without any special software. Just knowing you're a retired Colonel over the age of 70 makes it that much easier.

Try it yourself.
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Last edited by burrhead; January 19, 2018 at 09:34 PM.
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Old January 19, 2018, 10:10 PM   #6
James K
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If you are really paranoid, note that a label would be easily removed. If it is important that the original letter be preserved, it might be best to simply let it alone. If only the information is important, putting a temporary shield over that section then photocopying the letter would work fine.

Jim
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Old January 19, 2018, 10:54 PM   #7
Aguila Blanca
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Quote:
Originally Posted by James K
If you are really paranoid, note that a label would be easily removed. If it is important that the original letter be preserved, it might be best to simply let it alone. If only the information is important, putting a temporary shield over that section then photocopying the letter would work fine.
I think you're overlooking that he has sold the firearm. Presumably the Colt letter adds provenance and thus added to the selling price. A photocopy just ain't the same.

This is why I suggested that he ask the buyer if obscuring the name and address would be a deal breaker. I assume the ad said something like "Includes Colt letter." If I were bidding, I would expect that this meant I would receive the original, unaltered Colt letter.
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Old January 20, 2018, 08:25 AM   #8
Handgunner00
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Colt Archives Letter of Authentrication

All great points. This is why I rely on The Firing Line members for your insights. Following Aquila Blanca's suggestion, I'll let the buyer make the call on this name/address issue. Thanks, all.
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Old January 20, 2018, 03:07 PM   #9
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I have sold a few guns with such letters, and I have taken a razor blade and cut out my name and address.
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Old January 20, 2018, 04:29 PM   #10
FrankenMauser
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Personally...
I wouldn't worry about it.
The choice to let the buyer make the call is the best option.

Because...
Quote:
Anonymity barely exists anymore. If I have your name and town ( Fairfax Station, VA) I can not only find your address but see where you live with Google Maps and possibly find your picture. And I can do it in less than 10 minutes without any special software. Just knowing you're a retired Colonel over the age of 70 makes it that much easier.

Try it yourself.
I scared the crap out of a guy in 2010 by tracking him down with nothing more than a photograph of his truck, the name of the city he lived in, and an email address (which didn't give away his name).
The truck was posted for sale, but an email to the address listed as the contact in the ad came back with an "On vacation until XX date" auto-reply.
But I was in a hurry to get a look at the truck.

I spent about 25 minutes working the Google-Fu to come up with a name. That lead to an address. The address was referenced on satellite imagery, which showed what appeared to be the same truck in a location that made sense for the background in the provided image. Having the correct address meant I could dig up a bit more.
By the time I was done - using free tools, mind you - I knew the guy's phone number, employer, wife's name (second wife), tax status on his home, and that he had filed Chapter 11 in 2003.

Today, it's even easier, with sites like Pipl.
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Old January 22, 2018, 06:04 AM   #11
paulo57509
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Handgunner00 View Post
Just sold a vintage Colt to a collector, and it comes with a Colt Archives Letter of Authentication that is addressed to me. Not sure I want my name and address on this letter to be passed off to this buyer and to all subsequent buyers. One fellow range shooter says its common to simply black out the name/address on these letters, but I'm thinking of pasting an address label over my name/address that would reflect the name/address of the buyer. Any thoughts here or is this much ado about nothing?
IMO, you have a few options.

Option #1
Give the buyer a photocopy of the letter with your name/address covered. This will give the buyer some provenance to go with the gun if he's going to flip it.

Option #2
Tell the buyer that he can contact Colt and arrange to purchase his own original letter if he so chooses (a Colt collector should already know this).

Option #3
You can just forget about the letter and any further obligations.
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Old January 22, 2018, 08:07 PM   #12
Aguila Blanca
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pauoa57509
IMO, you have a few options.

Option #1
Give the buyer a photocopy of the letter with your name/address covered. This will give the buyer some provenance to go with the gun if he's going to flip it.

Option #2
Tell the buyer that he can contact Colt and arrange to purchase his own original letter if he so chooses (a Colt collector should already know this).

Option #3
You can just forget about the letter and any further obligations.
You quoted the original post. Did you read it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Handgunner
Just sold a vintage Colt to a collector, and it comes with a Colt Archives Letter of Authentication that is addressed to me.
Under the circumstances (i.e. the sale has already been agreed to based on advertised conditions and representations), your options are really not available to the seller.

Option #1: The sale was advertised with a Colt letter, not a photocopy of a Colt letter. The buyer may not be willing to accept a photocopy when he was told he would receive a Colt letter. It would be far too easy to create a fake letter and make a photocopy of it.

Option #2: The sale price includes the letter. Telling the buyer he'll have to get his own letter changes the terms. At best, it would reduce the price. At worst, it would cause the buyer to cancel the deal because the seller pulled a bait-and-switch.

Option #3: And forget about the sale. Having advertised a gun with a Colt letter, the seller really can't forget about the letter. Providing the letter is his obligation because that's what he advertised.
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