Moderator Help Vintage Electronics

[Davestuff]

Hello and thank you in advance. I read the rules on selling stuff and thought this might be a special circumstance. My grandfather was an electrical engineer and passed away 2 years ago. My grandmother asked my dad and I to clean out her basement. My grandfather worked in electronics as a calibration specialist for many years, for GTE, IBM, Cal Labs and his own company RD Technology. When he retired and moved from CA to MO he brought all that stuff with him.  Long story short, he kept everything. We have a basement full of electronics. My dad can't bear the thought of throwing anything out because someone out there would probably love this stuff. We sold some tubes and speakers locally but haven't made a dent. I am in St. Louis and would love to sell it all as a big lot. I am trying to save for my first car. We could maybe even trailer it to somebody if its not too far. I don't want to break the rules, and was happy my dad found this site. I can attach a couple pics to give an idea. I have carried a small amount up to the garage, but there is still a ton of stuff in the basement. If not allowed, let me know.

P.S. This site has a limit on the amount of data you can post, so the pictures aren't great quality but the one picture is of a wheatstone bridge.

[toastedcrumpets]

If I was you, I'd make a comprehensive gallery of photos on some site like imgur, then let everyone here have a look. First, it will be really interesting so no one will complain however you use the site, and second you might get a few honest appraisals of the value of it all, so you can decide if a job lot or selling on eBay is worth your time.

[Towger]

At above.

It is very easy for the likes of a HP 3458A to be chucked, thinking it is old. But in reality one alone would pay for a starter car.  Being in the calibration business, chances are you may have one or more!

[Davestuff]

Well, I just looked in the garage and there are like 4 or 5 hp 3480B,  3  hp 3456A, just stacked up. I will take the advice and take a bunch of pics and make on imgur or Flickr. I tried to look up that Otto von Berlin Wheatstone bridge but can’t find anything. Everything is heavy!!

[Davestuff]

https://imgur.com/gallery/Tmg28WR

I hope this works. I will organize and posts more pics when I get time. Thank you for the advice.

[DaJMasta]

Good pictures, some really nice older stuff there too.  You shouldn't have a problem finding buyers, you'd definitely get the best prices if parted out, but maybe let people know an approximate volume of equipment.  Do you think they could show up with a minivan or a pickup and fit everything?  Rent a van?  Rent a truck?

Some people will likely only be interested in the test equipment and not the radios, but I'm sure you can find a few hams nearby who'd be interested in all of it.  Good luck!

[IconicPCB]

an amazing collection...

Shame You are on the other side of the pond

[beanflying]

Yep WOW. Finding buyers for a lot of that is easy. Handled properly it is worth quite a lot some of the calibrators if they are in good working condition in particular. The Standard Resistors (boring cylinders with the curved tubes on top) can be worth a few hundred dollars each for example depending on what they are.

Depending on what skills may or may not be in your family, finding someone to at least fire up each of them and ideally carry out some basic functionality tests will be worth the effort. Even if you looked for a local and paid them a small amount to do that testing would be worthwhile.

Be prepared to pack and ship will yield you more than it costs in time and effort.

When you get that done put a sensible reserve on them and drop them on Evilbay add report in here let us fight over them

[toastedcrumpets]

The best way for an "amateur" to get a sense of the value of these things is to search for the item on Ebay and look at the sold listings prices.

For example, you have a HP 8555a there, that went for £300 just recently in the UK
 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HP-8555a-spectrum-analyser/192726861708?hash=item2cdf6a878c:g:vT0AAOSwLSZb71Dz

The Fluke 332D and 3330B calibrators are worth that each too. You have some nice equipment there! Wish I was in the US!

Edit: Fluke 5200A too! that's another £500. with £200 for each of those HP 3456A. You might need to accept less for a quick sale but there's some nice stuff there.

[aargee]

an amazing collection...

Shame You are on the other side of the pond

Yes, agreed.  BTW, that's not you're grandmother in the background window halfway through the images? :-)

[chris_leyson]

You might get $200 to $300 for the HP141T spectrum analyser as that series was launched in 1968 so it's quite an old bit of kit. The Tektronix 500 series plugins are probably the same vintage so they are might sell for maybe $10 or $20 for each plugin. The HP 3480's and 3456's might go fo a few $100 each you would have ask the voltnuts about that.
With vintage gear provenance helps a bit but it's a very small market, good luck.

[Davestuff]

OMG, it is!! She was at a jazz festival and smoked a cigar on a dare! That picture was behind so much stuff, I didn’t see it. She’s gonna kill me! lol

[Inverted18650]

*Modified, I see you are in St Louis, its 6 hours drive. If you have a real $$$ figure yet for the entire lot. I will come pick it up. I would love to at least buy all the 'Fluke standard's'.

If you want to sell it all in a group and be done it with, please let me know. If you want to sit while we power each and every unit up and test them, you could make more money. Its all up to you. But again, I would like to buy the Fluke DC standards, working or not, please and thanks

Poll the other viewers here (get lot quotes, working, non-working) and Ill come pick up and split it with the group.

[Inverted18650]

@Davestuff, I sent you a message.

[GregDunn]

I'd be interested in one of the HP3456 meters.  I live in central IN, but could drive a few hours west or south to pick it up, pretty much any time.  I do have a couple of Saturdays already spoken for, but weekdays are always OK.  I'm going to follow this thread one way or the other.   

[Inverted18650]

I am talking with the owner(s) and planning to go get the entire lot on Saturday. If you would like a specific bit of kit from the lot please let me know and I will gladly set it aside for you. I will finalize the details tomorrow and you are all welcome to PM me for the things you want. I only call dibs of the Fluke DC Standards and will gladly share everything else at cost with the rest of you. (note; cost will reflect my fuel costs). I will share with you all exactly what I pay for the lot so please, if you have time review the pics and give the owners your honest opinions for non-working, as-is, eBay style prices. It will help them in estimating the final sale value.

They have set a side a few pieces they think are more valuable, and I have promised to check them fully and if they are working, leave them aside and out of the    "the entire lot" deal. ( i will buy them if i can afford it). I don't know yet what these pieces are but will find out this weekend. PM me and lets help this young man get his car.

[Davestuff]

Hello all and thanks for all the advice. Quick update, this was my father's equipment. My son made a deal with my mother to try and sell it so he can buy his first car. As far as I'm concerned its  a win-win: Mom gets her basement cleaned and I get my son to help me move all this stuff, and people who appreciate this stuff can have access to it. I found your forum and yesterday he asked if he could post. You guys have been great. Inverted18650 has been talking to my son trying to set up a meeting.

I will try to tell you a little about it all to ease any concerns. Also I really appreciate being able to post here and find you all. I know some forums are really strict able selling items.

My dad passed away 2 years ago. He worked over 50 years in Southern California in metrology. He ran several labs and was a calibration specialist.  I could never touch anything, lol. I took a job in St. Louis, and when he retired he moved out here. I have moved this stuff so many times as a kid that I kind of hate it all. We could never park a car in our garage, and i was always asked to help move these ridiculously heavy boxes. I can remember being 12 years old and getting yelled at for breaking something filled with oil, then getting a lecture on how a wheatstone bridge works, with drawings made on a napkin. So, there is your background.

However, I have no knowledge of any of this stuff, just the basics: I know he had all kinds of standards: weights, pressure, temperature, resistance, voltage, ad nauseum. Most have calibration stickers on them from the 80's, some going back even further.  I don't know what works and what doesn't work, what's valuable, what's only good for parts  and what's a boat anchor. However, the shear volume should be enough for a daily driver in scrap metal alone. (Did I mention how heavy all this stuff is.)

 The pics my son took are kind of random and unorganized, because everything is pretty much where dad left it. I will do my best to help him get everything organized. I'm hoping once I have all the similar items arranged, you all can find that hidden gem that makes it worth everyone's time.  You guys get a good deal, my son gets to help me move this gear (the circle of life), mom gets her basement, everyone happy. I honestly hope this is the electronic guys version of a barn find.

So again, thanks.

[PTR_1275]

I am talking with the owner(s) and planning to go get the entire lot on Saturday. If you would like a specific bit of kit from the lot please let me know and I will gladly set it aside for you. I will finalize the details tomorrow and you are all welcome to PM me for the things you want. I only call dibs of the Fluke DC Standards and will gladly share everything else at cost with the rest of you. (note; cost will reflect my fuel costs). I will share with you all exactly what I pay for the lot so please, if you have time review the pics and give the owners your honest opinions for non-working, as-is, eBay style prices. It will help them in estimating the final sale value.

They have set a side a few pieces they think are more valuable, and I have promised to check them fully and if they are working, leave them aside and out of the    "the entire lot" deal. ( i will buy them if i can afford it). I don't know yet what these pieces are but will find out this weekend. PM me and lets help this young man get his car.

I’m interested in the Leeds and Northrup resistors (6??) plus the other resistors near them that look like low value resistors.

I’m in Australia, but happy to talk price for packing / shipping / fuel / cost etc...

[Vgkid]

I will add another interested party in the StandardvResistors , Leeds and Northrup , and General Radio(GenRad) gear.
Also interested in one of the dc calibrators that no one wants.

[Epatsellis]

If you need some help with loading and sorting, etc. I live two hours away and if I know a few days in advance I can drive down and help.

[toastedcrumpets]

  I would drive 13 hours to pick some of this up, but I'm in the UK. Import duties and postage always kill my boat anchor purchases....

[Neomys Sapiens]

The content of the second TM500 carrier is unfortunately not visible anywhere...
Also, which PG5xx is standing with the scope modules on the floor?

[Inverted18650]

Sorry all, I had a busy day tying to get my kids back on track for school to start again tomorrow and was unable to follow up.

Based on the latest email (which I haven't replied to, from the sellers, there is not going to be a "single lot" of goods. The family seems to be trying to get info here and through their other "family friends"  in order to set aside the "more valuable pieces" (not sure what they are) and they plan to part them out separately.

I replied thinking I could take $8-10K over and take the lot. The kid (young man) says, he just wants enough to buy his car, but he will not give me a figure and keeps talking around the "sell the the whole lot" point...so I offered to do what he asked, and they are parting it out to the highest bidder based whatever values they gather from us.

All that being said, best wishes to you all; I haven't the time or patience to deal with people who talk out of both sides of their mouths. I hope to see the units on eBay and it'll be easier for me to buy them there.

Cheers

[IconicPCB]

mine... mine mine mine

[Inverted18650]

Their last message to me:

"We have moved some more items and organized them in the garage and posted the pictures to Flickr which you can find from the original post.  I understand that it would take too much time to check all of these pieces and that it would be ridiculous to ask for the full price of them if they do.  I will try to do my best to find a fair price for the items of the entire lot regarding the fact that they may not all work properly.  I would like to ask however, that if there are some items I have that others have specifically requested to ship to, if they are valuable enough, ask my dads friend to check and set them aside.  Of course I will only do this to a few items and the majority of the bulk will still be yours.  Also I will not set aside any of the Flukes you requested as that would be extremely rude of me to hold aside the Flukes from you.  I will continue to organize and try to think of a reasonable price considering you are willing to drive down here for the items.  If you could include your email to send some pictures to instead of uploading more pics to the Flickr that would be great.  Let me know if there is anything else you are wondering about, thanks."

So again, he asked us( the moderators) to allow them to post them thread here so they could sell it as "one big lot" so the kid could buy his car. Pretty clear this is not their intent.

[Inverted18650]

mine... mine mine mine

Indeed...hope they eBay it out...actually hope the moderators delete the thread...the pity story, and death, and buying my first car, gets pretyy damn old. I offered them eactly what the asked for....cash for the entire lot...blah blah.

[toastedcrumpets]

To be fair to them, they're dealing with something inherited so family politics will kick in as soon as people start to think that "rusty junk that dave disposed of" is actually quite valuable.
Also if you look at some of the "for sale" prices of the equipment on Ebay it can seem like really large amount of money (e.g. $1k+ for each fluke calibrator), even though those aren't the actual prices the items typically sell for (and they're refurbished).

Ultimately I hope that this stuff makes it on to the market, its a proper Aladin's cave and should be in use on some hobbyist's bench rather than rusting away.

[Brumby]

They certainly will not have any appreciation of the amount of effort they will need to put in to be able to accurately present these items to get the best value - and that's assuming they can find the expertise to do so.

Then there's the issue of - once you've set a fair and reasonable price, you have to have a buyer who is prepared to part with that amount.

If they want to sell the collection piecemeal, it's going to take a lot of time, a lot of effort .... and a lot of patience.

[Davestuff]

Inverted, I will keep this brief. It’s my son trying to sell the stuff. You never made him an offer til your last post. You asked him repeatedly for a lot price.He has been organizing it all and has been struggling with coming up with a price. He didn’t want to ask too low (like $2,000 and miss out or too high and scare you off) WE DON’T KNOW THE VALUE OF THIS STUFF. He was trying to take pics and ask people here what might be a fair value, as suggested by others here.  Had you told him you were thinking $8-10 K, he would have fallen over with joy. You had told him you weren’t interested in maximizing his profits but suggested if there were some good items, you would tell him and he could set them aside and sell them individually. That’s all he was suggesting. If you are still interested let him know. If not, thats fine too. Perhaps he shouldn’t have posted here until he had it organized with a number in mind. The kid is beating himself up thinking he pissed you off, go easy, man.

[Simon]

It's tricky if you do not know what the stuff is. So the only 2 ways of dealing with this that i see are to go through it item by item and find out what it is worth or seek an offer on it or take your chances with a job lot offer or break it into lots but if you do not know what it is that is difficult.

I once hoped my dad would sell all of his valves individually but he could not be bothered listing them individually and I think feared that if he went through them individually he'd fall back in love with them. To this day i don't think he got a great price but he wanted it all gone.

And yes your post is allowed as clearly you are not doing this commercially and it's understood that you have no electronic interest.

[toastedcrumpets]

I think "Inverted18650" maybe has come on a little strong expecting you to be ready to sell.... must be the sight of all those Fluke calibrators....

Davestuff, I think the best thing you can do is just get a list and photo of everything you have, a proper inventory, then look on ebay at SOLD listings (its a special filter/search option), in particular where items have been sold as "untested/not working". This would give you a low end estimate for the value of your hoard/certain items, as you probably wont be able to find everything there. That would protect you from lowball offers (p.s. I don't think Inverted's offer of 8-10k is a low-ball offer, given he has to transport it and sort it all out, but I'd pay that in a heartbeat myself if you were in the UK, transport and sorting is a big issue here).

Once you have that number in mind, then post a new listing here with the info and how you want to sell it. At 8-10k asking price I think you'll get a lot of offers.

[Kosmic]

Davestuff,

If you don't know the value and have some time, I think you should:

1- Open a ebay account
2- For each item
    a. Clean the item the best you can
    b. Take really good picture (well lit)
    c. Find the brand and model number (also all the info you can find on the item itself)
    d. Post a new auction on ebay as "Broken for parts" and explain tant you can't test the item.
    e. Set the inital price really low.
    f. Look at the ebayer set the real value for you (it's an auction).
    g. Ship the item.
3- Repeat for all items.

It will take time but it's a good way to get a fair price. And you don't even need to understand what you are selling.

[Inverted18650]

I was expecting that the lot was "for sale" and should not have gotten that angry. Left like a hustle due to the way young man talks around price. I lost my temper and I apologize.

IMO: The most expensive items you have are the radios, so take special care to get those checked out. The other test gear adds up quickly at around $300-$500 each, even in "needs repair" condition. If some of those units are fully functional, you can get $1K plus. This is an amazing collection and if we can still make a deal for it all, than I am very interested; have cash and a trailer. I do not want to buy and "flip" these myself, I want to repair and use what I keep. The rest can go "at cost" to the rest of the community.

[Brumby]

Seems the biggest issue here has been communication.  That is not uncommon, but now that there is a clearer picture, it seems we can move forward with better understanding.  I also apologise for drawing out an aspect of the situation that wasn't pertinent.

Would love to see the list of gear - and to see it find good homes.

[IconicPCB]

I just loved the seagull scene from   Finding Nemo

[Brumby]

Inverted18650 might just have the TEA equivalent coming up if he closes the deal.

[Inverted18650]

I gotta say, I feel terrible for going off on a rant like that. I feel like a piece of sh*t for my actions here, and beg you all to forgive me.

I am a proud military man; honor is what I've based my life on and the fact that they still talk to me is proof they are standup people. Not to make excuses for myself but rage is a common side effect of severe head trama and my brains been rattled around inside my skull more times that I can remember, literally.

I am still talking to the seller and I was quite honest about the items his grandfather left him. He may choose to sell me the entire lot "cash-n-carry" style but I am waiting to hear back. As  man of my word, if I do get it all, I will share it with you all as well, at cost, so we will all have a bit of T.E.A. coming in the near future!

Prost All,

Chris

[Inverted18650]

Update: The GOOD news is, I made a deal to buy it all and plan to go get the gear Sunday. I am spending a lot of cash, $8300, plus travel and related expenses,  to grab this gear and I hope you all will come through; buy it up so I can get even, without the need for eBay bidding. That being said, there are a few items that I must do the eBay thing for, because there value is really just what users/collectors are willing to pay for it. Should be fun for the birds of prey, to swoop in on

I have replied to all the messages I have received thus far and will take those 1st come offers and hold that gear. I have a notebook that I am using to record dates and offers and will certainly to whatever I can to get it from me to you as cheaply as possible. I am not trying to turn a profit (a sign of my insanity), but I do need to sell most of it, simply because I cannot afford to keep it all. Additional, I am reserving the gear for the "forum pro's" as a thanks for their efforts and making this site the "go-to reference" it is today. (Yes, a bit for Dave, whom without, we'd all be less connected). They will get 1st right of refusal on any gear...for some I have offered them "bibs" for free...and I will follow through with it. (So that means the rest of us have to spend a bit more - just to be totally honest).

Scroll through the pics and PM me the unit you have your eyes on and I am making a detailed list of every PM I get. I probably will not check this thread again, so please PM me.

 I will post pics of the lot, as soon as I can, under the T.E.A. thread. Then I will start cleaning and testing everything. (I cleared my calendar for the next two weeks!)  As I test the units, I will expect a competitive price for them (or keep them) so send your offers early for the best deals. All eBay listing will be no reserve, 7 day auctions, with global shipping available.

[PTR_1275]

Pm sent about the resistors I’d shown interest in previously

[CatalinaWOW]

In my opinion you have made a very generous deal.  Best luck on getting through with the sales quickly and at no significant loss to you.

There is a message here for those of us who have accumulated large piles of gear and who are getting into the later years of our lives.  As a kindness to those left behind we should either arrange for disposal before we go, or at least leave a plan and instructions.  Something like an inventory with values and likely venues for disposal.  We all know the jewels we have, and the turds.

[beanflying]

I will post pics of the lot, as soon as I can, under the T.E.A. thread. Then I will start cleaning and testing everything. (I cleared my calendar for the next two weeks!)  As I test the units, I will expect a competitive price for them (or keep them) so send your offers early for the best deals. All eBay listing will be no reserve, 7 day auctions, with global shipping available.

It will get lost in the TEA thread. There is 30 plus posts a day of other gossip and such every day anything you post will get lost very quickly pages behind.

It is worthy of being identified as a collection in its own thread and discussions that follow as you crack the top on and play getting items ready for sale. Then run a parallel thread here as they are ready to sell that will eventually expire. But the Collection thread will remain standalone of what it was.

Just my thoughts on keeping it clean

[Inverted18650]

In my opinion you have made a very generous deal.  Best luck on getting through with the sales quickly and at no significant loss to you.

There is a message here for those of us who have accumulated large piles of gear and who are getting into the later years of our lives.  As a kindness to those left behind we should either arrange for disposal before we go, or at least leave a plan and instructions.  Something like an inventory with values and likely venues for disposal.  We all know the jewels we have, and the turds.

Thank you mate. I said I wouldn't check this thread again, but it seems I must. I was extremely generous to the young man, but I also think the gear, given the entire lot and photos he has sent me, warrant the expenditure. I am an old military guy with not much else to do, so why not help the family and help the forum users if i can. I see it as a win-win.

edit: had to read the statement again...it didnt settle in the first time. But yeah, a WILL is a good thing, and you can even appoint others outside of the family to moderate and separate your belongings. Like a fellow T.E.A. member who watched you accumulate gear for the late 15 years.

[Inverted18650]

It will get lost in the TEA thread. There is 30 plus posts a day of other gossip and such every day anything you post will get lost very quickly pages behind.

It is worthy of being identified as a collection in its own thread and discussions that follow as you crack the top on and play getting items ready for sale. Then run a parallel thread here as they are ready to sell that will eventually expire. But the Collection thread will remain standalone of what it was.

Just my thoughts on keeping it clean
[/quote]

Sounds like a better idea, thank you, and I will do it that way. Also "bean" if you have your eye on anything please PM me and let me know. You fall into the "forum pro" in my opinion...

[Inverted18650]

Pm sent about the resistors I’d shown interest in previously

reply sent

[Simon]

Just start a new thread in the buy sell section. That is erm the entire point of having a buy/sell section

[Inverted18650]

Just start a new thread in the buy sell section. That is erm the entire point of having a buy/sell section

Yes sir, makes sense. I miss my brain sometimes...

[toastedcrumpets]

I'm really intrigued what's in the box marked "secondary standard". I think everything is too expensive to ship to the UK, especially once you add customs onto it, but I sure would like that Fluke 5200A, but then that's probably the reason you're driving down there!