Tigers.
I've been reading the list on the price of O.E.M.
parts. There are a lot of people on either side of
this issue. I'd like to add a little perspective of
my own here.
First, I don't have anything for sale, and even my
modest talents (which you pay dearly for as a
taxpayer, and get a lot of billion dollar launches
saved --- OK, some don't make it, but most do. For
the record, 3 of the 6 were Commercial and we were
not involved. Two of the remaining 3 were generally
our area, but we have been cut back 50% and those
areas were taken away as "too costly for the
benefit", and the last, well no one is perfect, but
a 95% success rate is nothing to sneeze about. All
from Pete Aldrich's testimony to Congress)
Now, the subject at hand. What is the value of
something that is scarce and in demand? That, in my
opinion, depends upon the mind set of the
individual. If you are not a baseball fan, you
probably would have no interest in the baseball that
Babe Ruth signed and personally gave to me. Any
price would be ridiculous. If it were your thing,
then you would think it was a steal at $2500. If it
were authenticated as well, a dealer would pat $3000
and sell it for $6000. The kid next door would play
ball with it.
When I was a kid I used to work at a magazine,
cigar, fast-food counter. In my break, I would go
thru the penny drawer and sort through them for
hours for anything I didn't have. I mostly
completed my collection, including the steel 1943
pennies and a 1909 S and 1909 SVDB penny. All in
the cash drawer. Cost to me, one penny each.
Value? There were only 500,000 SVDB pennies ever
minted. Every collector wants one. So what's it
worth? One penny? Yes, if your buying peanuts from
a machine (not even sure you can still do that).
A friend's original Ruebens painting is worth a
King's Ransom (if anyone is willing to ransom a
king, nowadays). His cost, NADA, nothing. It was a
family pass down. You know, when your name is
Ruebens sometimes one of your past relatives gets a
birthday present from his father. What's it
"worth", what it cost him?
One man's treasure is another man's trash. I was in
a jewelry store, getting some rings re-sized, and a
lady came in with a perfect genuine glass bell
atmospherically wound mantle clock she bought at a
garage sale for $15. It was the original Swiss
model worth a LOT of money - to somebody. Want to
buy it for $15?
O.K., wrap-up. If there is a car owner that needs
to see what's behind him, Pep Boys has an excellent
quality mirror for very little money. It's probably
better than the original. If the car is being
prepared for a concour, and this is the only item it
needs for 100% originality, $500 is a bargain. In
my opinion, there is no intrinsic value to a piece
of cowhide with some squid ink on it, an old penny,
a clock that doesn't keep good time, or a tired old
rear view mirror. This is doubly true if bought at
open auction, where only interested parties gather
and bid what they think it's worth to them.
If anybody out there has original Tiger windshield
washer bottles, surge tanks, steering racks, rear
ends, LAT sumps, differential covers, original AM
Motorola radio with housing and speakers, racing 5
bolt bell housings or Tri-Y manifolds, new dash
indicator lights, Rootes option back-up lights, rear
view small curved mirrors, NOS hard top hinges and
chrome, 5 bolt 289 Hi Po engines, genuine MkII
grilles, etc. There is a whole bunch of people
willing to take them off your hands, and clean out
your messy garage if you would just sell them for
the original price when new.
Any takers? (or should I say givers). Lot's of
needy folk who can not afford the market price for
scarcity. (Me among them).
Anybody want to make a ridiculously high offer for a
NOS Sunbeam Alpine Traction Master bar set that is
actually a better design than the Tiger's? No price
too high to consider.
OK, then, I'll get off the soap box and let the show
go on, but folks, I just don't get it.
Steve
--
Steve Laifman < Find out what is most >
B9472289 < important in your life >
< and don't let it get away!>
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