The Browning medalist was the best by far.If you can find one,these were made from 1959-1974.
Best left to a gunsmith
Neither.
It sounds like you need repairs done to a pistol. Recommend contacting the Browning Service Dept. at the link below. They will guide you as to the best way to get your gun repaired.
Best left to a gunsmith.
This is best left to a trained gunsmith.
It will depend on what discipline, your pocket book, your skill level, etc..
Best to ask a gunsmith for assistance.
There is no one "best" for everything. A Hammerli Olympic grade target pistol may be an excellent firearm for one specific competition, and fare poorly in another. A Ruger Mk III may be the leader in another competition, but is far to big for easy concealed carry as a defensive firearm. Depends on what you want the pistol to do.
Best to take it to a good gunsmith.
No way to value a weapon with just the sn. Best anyone can do is a low and high; 10-200 USD in this case.
The Iver Johnson New Trailsman was made between 1985-1991.That is the best that I can do.The serial numbers per year of production are not available in the public domain.
At a gun shop or gun show. <><><><> Additional- FIE was an importer of mid to low quality firearms, and is long out of business. Despite the name, none of their .25 autos would really be a "best pistol". Walther, Browning and Colt did make good quality .25 autos.