Some years back, I bought an engine from Tom Lay. I can't remember what it was but it was new. I contacted Tom because I thought he engraved his initials on every engine he reworked. He said he did but somehow this one didn't get etched. He asked me to go ahead and engrave it but I didn't have the tool and felt uncomfortable and thought down the road, someone familiar with his engraving might accuse me of fraud. It was decided that I would send it back to him and he would mark it. I didn't act right away. Subsequently, Tom passed away.
Some time went on and I had never even mounted that engine. It was exactly as I purchased it. Shortly after, I started selling my collection of 12 brand new current engines and high end kits. I advertised the TL engine and had a buyer. I told him the circumstances and provided copies of my emails back and forth with Tom Lay confirming everything. The buyer purchased the engine and shortly after he started in about how that engine was just a new engine that had never been worked on and that I overcharged him. I pointed out the documentation I furnished but he wouldn't accept the explanation. He was sure I had screwed him.
I often wondered if Tom did make a mistake and sent me an engine that was stock but he told me it had been reworked but he forgot the engraving. I trusted the man at his word and just sold the engine as I had bought it. After his passing, it was a moot issue.