OK... rant over, it's just my opinion so flame on and roast me for it
Invitation accepted
Okay, nah, I won't flame you GM because I agree with the
gist of what you're saying. I may differ a bit on the matching issue. Like you, I'm a collector/shooter. I have firearms that'll stay in the grease as long as I own them, but most are cleaned up and used...or at least intended to be put in the rotation someday
However, I do like matching, or more importantly,
original surplus firearms. I have a lot of mismatched firearms in my collection, a bunch of "force-matched" or perhaps more appropriately refurbishment arsenal matched (cumbersome phrase), and quite a few matched examples. I do like the matched examples, and understand the added value regarding collectability, mostly because it means they are
original. Refurbishment arsenal matched examples are common among Russian firearms, e.g., Mosin M91/30, M38, M44s and SKS-45s. I like them but won't pay as much for them as an original matching example. They are brought up to original specs for functionality during refurbishment, so for a person looking for a reasonably priced collectable, but more importantly shootable, example, these are great
As GM points out, with American military firearms where one serial number is the norm, "correct" grade comes into play, and people will swap around parts on an M1 Garand to get correct drawing numbers, on an M1 Carbine to get correct parts sub-contractor markings, on a Model of 1917 Eddystone/Remington/Winchester to get all matching parts (E/R/W) on a rifle where the barrel date is in the correct range for the receiver SN, etc. They aren't any more original than they were before the collector started swapping parts, they just
appear "correct". I have an M1917 Eddystone that has Canadian Royal Canadian Engineers property markings, a serialized bolt handle attributable to post-WWII usage by the Danes (because the Americans didn't serialize the bolt), and... sit down and brace yourself... an import mark
I like the history of that rifle even more than an as-issued, parts correct US Property only Eddystone (though I certainly wouldn't turn my back on one of those either). Just my personal opinion. It's fun when you can see the history in the firearm.
The German's serialized the heck out of their firearms for internal use ... especially during the 13 year tenure of the "Thousand Year Reich"
... and to a lesser extent on Loewe/DWM/Mauser contracts for South America etc. Does a mismatched cleaning rod bother me? No. Is it cool when every last part matches? Yes. Will I turn down a deal on a bolt mismatched K98k? Heck no! The standardization of firearms and parts manufacture means they will generally function just as good as the original, and you can get them for a lot less because they are mismatched. Part of the appeal of matching numbers is originality, and partly it relates to scarcity. Matching original specimens are always going to be more rare. Sometimes you really have to pay up for matching, so it becomes a value judgment. A mismatch example: my G33/40 with a mismatched bolt (but correct Czech G33/40 bolt) that I got for $1K, when a matching example brings $2K +/- 0.4K, yeah, I was okay with that compromise.
Bringbacks? If they're matching, cool. If they aren't, I don't care, as long as it appears (to the best of my ability to discern provenance) that the parts were part of the firearm when it was picked up. In other words, in these special cases, matching patina, or correct era of manufacture, are more important to me than matching parts.