[Boatanchors] "Oldtimer bitching"? Or Timely Warning? You Decide.

[Donald Chester]

The last thing I am concerned about is getting all the money back that I  have spent on radio stuff over the years; that probably will never happen.  I bought my collection or it was given to me, piece at a time, and I have held onto it all these years in case I might ever need it, and I often do.  I still build projects and I may use a vintage part or piece I bought at some hamfest 30 years ago and stashed  away; I'm always glad  I kept it because I never would have found another if I hadn't held onto the one I had, and I might  not have been able to proceed with the project without it.  In order to make it likely to have whatever I might need when I need it, I figure I must have at least 10 times as much on hand as I'll ever actually use.

I don't like to sell radio stuff for money, but I'll sometimes take cash if I see someone really has a want or need for it but doesn't have anything to swap that I would be interested in.  I'd much prefer to exchange it for something "in kind" than for cash.  If I get  rid of a rare piece, the money I receive for it just blends in with the rest and is soon gone for mundane daily living expenditures, and unless it was something  that fetched an extraordinary price, six months from now it won't have made an iota of difference in my finances, but the piece of radio gear is gone for ever and I'll probably never lay eyes on another one again.  OTOH, if I exchange it for a piece of radio material of similar value and rarity, I'll have something tangible to show for it that won't go away.

The  last few years, I  have been going to Dayton and renting a space, bringing some stuff I no longer want or need but don't quite have the heart to throw away. These are things I wouldn't really care if someone just took without paying for. I lay it out on a table and either put a price tag on it or just "make offer", or sometimes "free".  At the end of the table I have a box with a slot for money, chained to the table with a padlock to the table so box and all won't go away, with a sign saying to leave the money in the box and my cell phone number in case someone has a question. I don't want to be tethered to a vendor's stall when I could be wandering about the flea market hoping to find some piece of unobtanium I have been seeking for years.  Every time, I have made at least enough money to cover the cost of my hamfest ticket and the space, while gaining a little storage space in the shack for something  else that I might actually use.  if I break even money-wise, that's mission accomplished; the perk is that I get to  park my vehicle right in the middle of the flea market and don't have to  lug stuff I buy a half-mile to a parking spot in some muddy field. I don't like to see people rent a space and park an unattended vehicle all day without attempting to sell or trade anything.

When I go SK, I hope my kids will find a good home for at least some of the stuff they don't want to keep for themselves, but whatever they do with it will be their decision and their burden,  not mine.  I'm not about to deprive myself of my  radio stuff while I'm still here, just because I'm too worried about what will happen to it when I'm gone.

Don k4kyv