A Great Find & A Defense of E-Bay

From: Charles P. Hobbs <transit_at_lerctr.org>
Date: Fri Jun 16 16:22:26 2000

On Fri, 16 Jun 2000, R. D. Davis wrote:

> On Fri, 16 Jun 2000, Charles P. Hobbs (SoCalTip) wrote:
> > Not to mention, only so many people who would know what to *do* with
> > an old Commodore, VAX, TI 99, etc. As far as the rest of the world is
> > concerned, it's "trash"....
>
> Not to mention that most people never knew anything at all about
> computers until they bought a PeeCee running Luzewin a couple of years
> ago and are the same ones that not too long ago gave you a strange
> look if you said the word "Internet;" they just have no concept of what
> using any other computer is like.

People "get on board" at different eras with everything, computers, TV,
music, etc. I can't tell you how many times people complain "It was better
in the old days". Not always so.

> It seems so strange to think of people doing anything else with older
> computer equipment (or even old radios or stereos, for that matter)
> that they find, buy, are given, etc. other than finding some use for
> it, playing with it, etc. When I talk of my "collection," I don't
> mean a collection of things squirreled away never to be used, or
> things that I'm accumulating for the purpose future gains, but a group
> if items that I find useful and fun to play with. Alas, many people this
> equipment to horde, collect to sell at a quick profit, etc.

We've always had the speculation, "this will make me rich someday" crowd
with all sorts of collectables, from beanie babies to baseball cards.
It'll always be with us.

>
> Today, I was down in Beltsville at an antique radio flea market - not
> sure of the event's proper name; it was like a hamfest, but only
> vintage radio equipment. People were selling 1970's transistor radios
> for US$30, old wooden tube sets that were scratched up, rusty, had
> what looked like mouse eaten wiring, had capacitors leaking white
> chemicals, etc. - one set like this was being sold for about US$50!
> A Dynaco stereo-70 amp and tuner were going for nearly US$400.
>
> One thing the above made me wonder: how many of these old tube sets
> will end up forever unused and unrestored, and treated - like some
> other antiques - as being less valuable if restored (like cleaned-up
> coins and some wood furniture), just because restoring them might
> lower their financial value as antiques?
>
In my (limited) experience, most radio collectors are interested in at
least cleaning up the cabinets (especially wooden ones), and many are
hoping to eventually get the set in playing condition, preferably with
parts as close as possible to the original.
Received on Fri Jun 16 2000 - 16:22:26 BST