Many moons ago I was wandering Chartes Street in New Orleans (yes, I had spent an hour at Cohen's)and stumbled into a hole in the wall stamp shop. I was looking for a gift for She Who Must Be Obeyed and she had expressed an interest in CSA paper or postage stamps.
A rather pleasant older gentleman with a large belt size ran the one display table place and we talked of currency and stamps long enough to establish that I had little knowledge of either and a skewed opinion of the worth of such, my guesses being all on the very low side. Still he was rather pleasant and we talked a bit more.
I was a bit concerned when he walked around the table and closed the door to the place with me still inside, I mean we were only a couple of blocks from VooDoo shops adn such over on Bourbon. Closing the door he reveled a many pocketed glass fronted cabinet with about sixteen Star revolvers of both single and double action and one with a different finish than the others. These were originals not modern repros. They went from near new condition to "Eh, sure, but why don't you shoot it first". He passed out several and I was in awe.
He laid a medium condition single and about the same double on his stamp counter's glass top. Cocked his head for a moment and added the differently blued gun to the selection. It was a Belgie conversion which he thought was in .44-40 with a barrel liner. He offered me my pick of the three for $200 US cash money......which I did not have.
Plastic I had but he wanted cash saying he never took plastic for his paper either. Knowing money was a bit tight on the trip I sadly left the three guns. I most liked and was tempted by the Belgie conversion for some reason. Somewhere between Mobile and Pensacola that afternoon the Wife asked how my last morning in Nawlins went and I told her the tale. She actually tried to convince me to turn around and looking back I wish she had.
So yeah I have seen a Belgie Starr....once.
-kBob
