[Milsurplus] Saving stuff

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 11:15 PM, Hue Miller <kargo_cult at msn.com> wrote:

> Actually, there is some value to just saving things, as long as it's not
> really "rotting";  as long as it's being preserved across time.


<snip>

So did he do wrong?


Clearly not, or we wouldn't have most of what is out there today. OTOH,
there are differing views that range from 'if you're not using it you
should give it to someone who will' to 'if you have more than a couple
radios you're a hoarder' and so on. Some of that is based in jealousy and
some held by folks who need a clean, empty, sterile environment to live in
(compared to a collector).

Some years back I was sharing a story online through another list about an
old transmitter I'd picked up in 1988 and had very little money in, but had
since gone up in value to the collectors. One of the guys asked me if I was
the kind of guy who "ripped off widows and old people". When I asked him
what he based that on, he replied "Sorry, but if someone got a good deal,
that means someone else got screwed". Total BS, especially since I'd bought
the transmitter with a load of other gear at an antique shop. But it gives
you an idea of the way some folks thing about *stuff*. The ironic part was,
the fellow who was selling the gear through his friend's shop was only
doing so because the transmitter was too big to throw away and he was going
to have to pay to have it hauled off. So he decided to try to get a few
dollars instead, thank God. It had been left to him by a deceased uncle and
he had zero interest.

The sad cases IMO are those few folks who still have piles of good stuff
but won't let loose of any for fear that it's worth so much more(fear of
self-hosing). They have little or no interest beyond that. August Link's
collection was incredible, and he understood when the time came to give it
a proper send off. He has a true appreciation for its historical
significance and a realization of how important it was to save and,
eventually, move to new caretakers. An excellent example of how to respect
history.

The thing to keep in mind going forward is that 99% of the people out there
don't see an old radio unless it's in a beehive wooden cabinet. They see a
broken toaster oven or microwave or grandpa's old battery charger. Those of
us who know and recognize it are in a tiny minority that continues to
shrink each day. Value follows along close behind.

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4