To polish or not to polish

[FJohnSharp]

I'm thinking about putting my Burke Bb up for sale and it has the typical marks and colors of an older whistle. Do I need to polish it up for the best price or do people like the worn patina look?

[The Danish Piper]

This is just my personal viewpoint.
I just think it has to appear clean.
It is like a car - It is easier to sell a used car, if it is washed.

[stiofan]

I personally like the look of patina on brass, but not so much on aluminum alloy. However, for the purposes of selling, I'd opt for polishing it up a bit.

[Sirchronique]

It would make little difference to me personally, but I would prefer that an instrument not be polished, because some polishes, like Brasso, contain compounds that will make the patina come back more aggressively and in an uglier way. I also don’t want residues from these polishes on whistles I buy, and I would also not want the added chance of the stranger I’m buying from causing any sort of damage to the blade.

I like the patina on brass that comes about naturally from being played. Besides, it’s just going to have a patina again within a week anyway. I don’t want to buy a dirty whistle, but patina is no problem.

[FJohnSharp]

Thanks everyone