My Dad had an 1873 .45-70 that he inherited after my Grandfather died in 1965. Dad, being the quintessential refinisher of all firearms he owned, refinished all of the wood, reblued all the metal that showed, and it looked purty!
I was only in my teens when he did all that but I remember all of the patina and the condition of the wood before he performed his "magic". He probably decreased the value by at least 50%. It served as a wallhanger and an occaisional shooter thereafter. I remember shooting it with low pressure 405 grain smokeless loads, and what a thump to the shoulder for a 15-year-old!
Sigh. I have no idea where it is now.