Hi Balto ........
We must first establish I am mildly Opinionated. No, really ..... I am. Also an almost, just about completely retired Gunplumber. Not remotely close to being any sort of collector. Some possibility my opinion is somewhat jaundiced. However dot dot dot:
You have a really nice USED gun. If you can find someone who is a dyed in the wool (or cotton) Hamilton Bowen Fanatic, you can probably get it back to the price of new ruger. Most potential punters are going to try and beat you down to "really cheap" because it is after all a used gun. It really doesn't matter who worked on it.
I constantly see adverts "for sale" for silly money, quoting "Action Work by Einstein." Those guns mostly go begging at the original asking price. Then the price drops start and head for the basement, or the owner simply withdraws the item from sale and heads off into the sunset muttering unkind things.
Poor example number one. Some years back, the '97 was the HOT ticket for fame and fortune. Many sold north of $900. Guns that use to sell for $150. Now, the REALLY HOT ticket are upper end Doubles, selling for silly money. Nice '97s are now back in the $450 - 500 range and going down. If one were foolish enough to buy at the height of popularity ............ P. T. BARNUM said it well.
A really kind dealer will offer you approximately 1/3d of retail. May come up to half.
Coffinmaker