Originally Posted by
DavidW56
But I wonder whether the original owners of these utilitarian objects, whether they were bicycles, automobiles, or doorstops shaped like automobiles, might not have repainted the objects themselves when they were worn. Would we care as much if the current paint job was not original but still 75 years old?
When they were first bought, they were not collectable. At some point in time, it crossed the line and became collectable. Once that line is crossed, original finish will trump a restoration.
What's interesting to me is how some items cross that line sooner and if you wait long enough, everything will cross the line.