[Milsurplus] 20 Years into the Future

[William Donzelli]

> Will, i have to agree with most of what you said. ( While laffing. )
> You will not have an easy shot at the very tip top of the collectibles.
> The spy radios, German pack sets, Japanese radios, i think there
> will be a steady increase in bidding for those, even if the bidders
> are not technical radio people, but more interested in the historical
> era.

You have a point - to a point. I look sat what I have now - I am not
afraid to say I have one helluva collection. This happens when you get
in at the bottom (20+ years ago for me - my first mil piece is a
BC-459-A I found while garbage picking on my bike. I still have it.) -
things like new-in-box BC-348s for 25 dollars. But, I see that when it
is time for me to pass it on in 40 years or so, a lot of what has
value today will be worth a lot less, both in terms of money and
interest, to those that make up the hobby. OK, maybe the mint BC-348
will still turn some heads, but I doubt the mint AN/APT-1 will. Or the
tons of other things just like the /APT-1. I will be lucky to give
that stuff away.

However...I think the old tube radios that will retain both monetary
and popular value will be the German equipment from World War 2, as
well as the high end commercial sets from any nation. The German
military stuff has that Nazi magic aura that will last for centuries,
just like Civil War Confederate equipment, or stuff from the Romans.

This is why I have recently looked into obtaining more German stuff.
There...I finally justified myself.

Some of the other things at the "tip top"? Maybe not. I can not see
Japanese radios retaining their value in the long term. I think that
stuff will fade away in 50 years, just like so many other combatants
in nearly forgotten wars. And for other parts of the "tip top", like
US  World War 1 radios? I think I will have my pick of the litter when
it comes time to buy a Western Elelctric subchaser set. Too many sets
out there, not enough big gun buyers.

And also, I just am not into spy radios. Overrated, I say...

> Another thing came to mind. I read an editorial somewhere, can't
> recall, but the gist was that for a hobby to be appealing mostly to
> "mature" people wasn't all bad. They have more time, money,
> stability, and usually, smarts, than the younger crowd. Maybe at
> some point, people just get tired of paying attention to  pointless
> ephemerality of  some mass-marketed diversions and look for
> more substantial interests.

This is a point that did not make my rant - the assumption that the
under-30s (the "kids") only collect "pointless ephemerality of  some
mass-marketed diversions" (OK, maybe I was not going to use that
phrase, but it is a good one). There are LOTS of kids with money,
drive, and genuine interest, spending their resources on legitimate
technological hobbies. There are enough of them that have matured in
the collecting world. Hue, you are like many - you just do not see
this, and this is not helping ham radio.

> I tend to look to the militaria hobby as kind of a bellwether for how
> ham radio and milsurplus radio in specific, will be doing. But being
> more or less isolated out here on the coast now,  far from militaria
> shows and hobby stores, i don't have a good feel for how those
> interests are doing now.

Not to slam you or anything - but not a good excuse. The Internet has
wiped all that out.

--
Will