I couldn't agree with you more. It can make your head spin having to sift through all of that "creativity". When somebody removes something that could help indentify an article, and that article gets lost or stolen, it never surfaces again even if it is staring you in the face. The cost to research a possible stolen firearm when marks are removed can often be more than what the firearm is worth. And who pays for that ultimately? The tax payer for sure.
To engage in that type of activity to be historically or period "correct", is just plain silly. When you think about things in the long term, it is far better indentifying marks be left intact. There is no doubt the item is what it is, and if it gets lost or stolen, it is much easier, and less costly to return it to the rightful owner.
In this case, doing the PC/HC "correct" thing is not the right thing to do.
I speak from experience... :hmm:
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