[Milsurplus] Reality Comes Knocking.

[MICHAEL ST ANGELO]

Boatanchors have a fascination with oldtimers because it was an introduction to the hobby when electronics was expensive. Electronics is cheap and commonplace today and Moore's law has made electronics obsolete in a couple of years so the fascination with the hardware has disappeared. Younger people today are interested today in software.

The people I know from the Northeast who have moved to Florida downsized and got rid of most of their equipment before moving so I believe Hamcation is not representative of the typical local hamfest. Even so I believe the market is filled with sellers, not buyers. I have always been a proponent of selling your boatanchors at the local Hamfest. You will not get the price you want but at least the equipment would not land up in the landfill.

The Antiques Road Show, like most reality shows, is an exaggeration of reality. I believe for every gem shown on the show they edit out lots of items what are worthless.

Enjoy the equipment while you can.

Mike N2MS


> 
> 
> For those who've watched too much "Antique Road Show,"
>  those who think selling their boatanchors are going to 
>  save their finances, those trying to sell common
>  Heathkit/Johnson/Milradio etc. on Ebay for big bucks
>  (and relisting them for months), etc. etc., please
>  take note of this from a Hamcation attendee.
>  These stories are becoming commonplace.
>  Father Time is merciless to collectables, folks.
>  
>  "Update from Hamcation. 
>  So there was one seller in the field today who was 
>  offering a boatload of VERY nice boat anchors of 
>  various types. RCA, Johnson, etc. Beautiful receivers 
>  and transmitters, all said to be working, mostly going 
>  for $200 to $350 each. More than a dozen at bargain prices. 
>  Evidently he had no, or few, takers. By mid-afternoon he was 
>  offering the lot for $900. Methinks the boat anchor era 
>  really may be ending. My other thought about Hamcation, 
>  as I stood in the ticket line at 0830 this morning: 
>  "Jees, all these guys are OLD."
>  (He said, the day after he turned 72.)"
>  
>  To which was commented:
> 
> "Greying out. We’re on the shady side of the nostalgia bell-curve."
>  "I think most of the boatanchor enthusiasm was driven by 
>  Boomer hams remembering the radios they longed for 
>  but could not afford as kids. As this (my) generation dies off, 
>  I except the market for all old radios, to continually decline."
> 
> Advice from one who once sold estates: What one *thinks*
>  it's worth means nothing. It's "worth" what a buyer and seller 
>  agree at that moment, and that's all. 
>