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so,

a hypothetical person buys a classic (even antique) brass instrument that has never been lacquered. said person decides it would be nice shiny and gets it polished and lacquered. will he/she be lynched by purists if he ever decides to resell said instrument? (said person would likely be aware of the lacquered vs raw brass debate)

just curious. hypothetically.

It's a tuba

Very few tubas are old enough or important enough to have value as a historical collectible exceeding its value as a playing instrument.

For the most part, if you are considering an instrument for daily use, its value will be measured the same as any other daily user, new or old. Good appearance will improve the value.

Lots of folks collect instruments from the Civil War, because there is an active re-enactment community. And lots of people collect Civil War memorabilia just "because". Those folks want originality, but I have seen a number of over-the-shoulder saxhorns from that period that have been meticulously restored (including being polished--but not lacquered).

I didn't feel the slightest twinge of guilt at chopping up the Missenharter I bought on ebay. It's old enough to be an antique, but the price I paid suggested nobody else thought it interesting enough to be a valuable antique.

Rick "thinking 'important' instruments of true historical value can be counted on the fingers of Mike Lynch's hands" Denney