The last gun show I went to had an old Madsen 30-06 like one I had a long time ago and it was worth maybe $150. I figured if the guy would take $150 for it I would buy it. The loud-voiced dealer said he had taken it in "at an estate sale" and today, just this once, because he needed to pay the rent, he would let me have it for only $800.
I was stunned. After an uncomfortable silence, I started laughing. I really couldn't talk to this guy any more, so I just walked on down the aisle with a wave, the laughter getting more pronounced as I thought about his line. About halfway there I heard that loud voice booming out "I have the sling for it!". I tell you, that was more amusement than sitting in the balcony at a Michael Moore movie with a bag of pre-slobbered gummy bears.
I still enjoy a gun show. I took my teenage son and his friend(who leads a bit of a sheltered life). My only rules were "Don't touch anything. Don't buy anything until I see it". We walked through the door and I turned 'em loose. The lads ended up with a really tacky, gaudy pocket knife and a fake hand grenade. I traded my Rolling Block of dubious origins for a well kept Winchester 30/30. The other guy wanted a "project gun". I wanted a "shooter". We all ended the day happy. The teen who leads a sheltered life has really had his eyes opened...
A fellow with an ammo table at a gun show in Tulsa possibly saved my life a few years ago. My loving father-in-law,knowing of my interest in WW11 era military guns, gave me an Italian made Mauser. I was looking over a table of amunition & asked told the seller what I needed. He informed me that he could sell me rounds for my rifle but he didn't really feel comfortable doing it. He said way too many of the rifles like mine were produced with Jewish slave labor. The workers were very adept at sabotage. The poor record of the Italian soldier was due in no small way to the tendancy of their rifles to blow up after a few dozen rounds were fired. My father-in-law put up tabes at shows about once a month most of his adult life yet claimed ignorance of this. He offered to take the gun back, but I kept it as evidence.