Tis'a good question, but keep in mind too that the fellow you're selling that item to doesn't know the lore and story behind it. How's the guy supposed to know how "special" that item is, over the many other shiny weapons they get across their merchant table? To them, it's another glossy weapon that's been dug up somewhere in Kunark, and there's been a SLEW of those things through the market these past few months...
If you did sell the item and you're unable to get it back, unless you're a person that regularly asks for items to be restored, the CS team will be more then happy to help you get it back. The item's special, and if you DO take the steps to delete it, sell it or otherwise drop it in a vat of epic-reducing acid, they'll be there to help ya.

~Gnobrin!
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