Now that this seemingly endless thread appears to be fading out, may I ever so gently point out that there is a forum:

Appraisals, Fakery, Dispute Resolution & Mediation Forum

which exists for the purpose of APPRAISAL.

If the original query had just been about the unidentified marking on the butt, that would have been fine, but all the manoeuvering about the question of value has just been irritating, and in the end unproductive.

Could moderators please take action to prevent discussion forums being misused by those who appear to be fishing for a price?