[Hallicrafters] SX-100 for $1100 ?

[kiyoinc at attglobal.net]

** Reply to note from <nq5t at comcast.net> Fri,  9 Apr 2004 04:10:09 -0400 (EDT)

> misrepresent their wares .. sometimes through ignorance,  
> sometimes perhaps not. 

Yes. Then there are the Nigerians who offered "up to 3 SX-88's and
HT-32s" brand new in boxes.  But generally, you know what you are
purchasing. 
  
> Cough ...... people do a lot of stupid things.  Joe Walsh may have  
> spent $4k for an SX-115 -- but that is a poor indication of "value".  I  
..
> collectors of "those weird" Catalin plastics.  Many of the Catalin  
> radios were stunningly beautiful creations.  But it's not the radio ...  
> it's the art form.  I don't think the SX-100 (even though I have a soft  
> spot in my heart for mine, which I acquired from Henry Radio in LA  
> in the early 60's) cuts that same rug. 
..  
> Your could comfortably retire on a warehouse full of Catalin ..  with a  
> warehouse full of SX-100's (or SB-303's or whatever)  you might be  
> able to buy a boat .. ok, not a big one . .. maybe a bass boat ... :-) 

I think, and this is my opinion only, that boatanchors are way under
valued.  Way.  The problem with most collectables is that they can be
recreated from scratch to 95% faithfulness. 

There is a "barrier" between the 100X and 1000X price point.  The
"weird catalins" are past that point.  Some folk obviously consider
them stunningly beautiful. I think they're hideous.  But the problem
is the "barrier".  

SX-100's, any Halli, or any ham radio, is far from that point.  Most
are languishing UNDER their original price point. 

For example, I have my novice station, SX-101A, in storage,
unmodified, complete, original knobs. I think I even have the box and
speaker. This was $450 in the early 1960's. I've seen 101s change
hands in the $200 range. Call it .5X.

10X puts it at $4,500.  100X is $45,000.  1000X which is the extreme
top edge of the "barrier" is $450,000.  

I'm guessing that most on this list are my age or a few years older.
I'm 57, first licensed in 1963 at 16.  If you kept half the comic
books, baseball cards, toys from your teen years, you would be a
multimillionaire.  

In the last couple years, primo boatanchors have vanished from the
ham fests.  The prices have gone up about 50% and some folk have
commented, "It's rediculous" and "who are these idiots".  

At the current prices, these are not investments or speculation. I
buy the radios to fix up and use.  I like tuning around 40 meters
with the SX-100 and 75 meters with the SB-303.  

But.

I also expect that they will not fall in price and would not be
surprised if in 10 years, SX-100's are much, much pricier.

For now, I buy one or two radios a year for my collection and repair
and restore them for the sheer fun of it.  I use them and even if the
price falls to zero, I've gotten more than the price out of them in
utility.  

de ah6gi/4