[GreenKeys] Model 15 in Gardner, MA on ebay

[Teletypeparts]

David,

Thanks for the info on Steve.  The biggest problem on most TTY's today is congealed grease.  I emailed Steve and said I would pass the listing on to Greenkeys.  Mentioned you and Eugene as possible buyers, not by name, but location.  

On the 15 shown of ebay, I noticed some keytops missing and the paper handle there but the grip gone.  I really dont want or need a 15, but thot I might pick it up for $25 and look over his other stuff.  Sounds like its worth a trip there sometime for the "other stuff".  

American Pickers should make a trip there.  .  

I started my TTY career in Springfield, MA, but seem to remember there was a tech stationed in Fitchburg who would have covered that area.  

Did you happen to notice if he had any 32 or 33's?

Thanks again for the input.  

73,

Wayne



-----Original Message-----
From: David Burns <dvdbrns at rcn.com>
To: greenkeys <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sat, May 12, 2012 10:25 pm
Subject: [GreenKeys] Model 15 in Gardner, MA on ebay


The funny thing is, I bought that machine shown on eBay (230727737944) back in January (showed up in person in Gardner and met Steve G, the proprietor of "oldradiosnstuff.com"), and he hasn't bothered to remove it from eBay (it seems to be on 'automatic resell'). 

$25 would have been a better price, but I'd never laid eyes on one before and didn't know how to assess it.  I did check to see if the gears were stripped and whether the rust was too intense.  Looked OK to me, and when I threatened to get one 'for free' from Steve Garrison "later in the spring", he let me have it for $40.  Threw my back out getting it out of my car, and had to spend $150 at the chiropractor (!), but "I'm OK now"!!  So it's a $190 machine at this point!

He had no clue about the machine, nor a typical price.  He loathed the idea of boxing it up to ship, so any dickering with him that gets down to the wire but then includes "pick-up", he'd probably go for.

I believe I set the price (in his head) for a M15 at $40 by this sale.  He has a TG-7B (which I saw, and does indeed have broken glass) at his warehouse (for a while, it was for sale on eBay too).   I didn't look very closely at it, but I doubt it is in better shape than the one I bought from him.  (Broken glass makes me wonder?  Slammed the cover down, or entire machine dropped?  I just don't know.)  Not listed on his own site, is this reperforator which I declined to even look at in person. (Note: This eBay listing for the reperf has mixed into the images, pictures of the TG-7B!  It's all very confused! He's not familiar with the equipment. )

His prices are high because he just doesn't care much anymore!  He has a vast (multiple room) old warehouse (he might own it, I dunno...must date from the 1920's) full to the gills with old radios, old military gear and old ham radio gear of all sorts.  He started out playing with them, and built the business buying and selling over 20 years.  He was very entertaining (we chatted for more than an hour) and he had great stories to tell.  (He has an entire section of the warehouse devoted to old gasoline station signs!  Sells to guys like Jay Leno [to decorate the car museum with period signs] and sells to movie production companies for use in movies set in yesteryear.  Minimum price for an old Texaco sign?  $3K!  Teletypes do not move the meter.)

He has a guy who boxes stuff up, his son works for him and he has a technician that he thinks highly of for repairing solid-state equipment for resale, and that was my impression of his operation.  He's having a blast!  (He knows exactly what he's doing with old radios (particularly old military), but the teletypes sort of fell into his lap as near as I can tell.)

Now that I have my M15 apart, it is apparent that at some point, somebody dropped the print carriage on it's head, and bent the bracket that holds up one of the ribbon spools.  Whoever did it (it was a military unit), got it working again, as I've had it apart and (after freeing up some bearings), it's clear the mechanism should work OK, but "it ain't right".  The whole thing is gooped up in MFP sealant, and there is major "congealed lubricant" everywhere, but I will get it working!  (My first big adventure in rehabbing a teletype.)

I liked Steve G...very personable guy, and adept at recognizing and striking a deal in radio gear, but his collection of teletype gear seems to have come from one or two hams, and it is a side-line.

If you could show him a recent eBay sale (for say, a Model 14TD that went for $15 recently...somebody on the list I believe), he'd probably sell you the one he has listed on his own site for $20 -if- you picked it up.

-Dave in Boston



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