[R-390] Value

[Charles Steinmetz]

Glenn wrote:

>What is a R-390A worth that is clean, working and with all covers?

You will probably receive a number of very different replies.  Also, 
note that you have asked two different questions -- *worth* and *value*.

If you are asking about intrinsic *worth*, IMO the worth of an R390A 
as you describe is $200, or maybe $250, based on what it is and what 
it will do.

However, they are generally overvalued by the market these days, so 
the market price is probably $350-$500.

You can still find them for $100-$300 if you wait patiently and don't 
confine your search to venues where prices tend to rise to the market 
value (i.e., avoid popular auction sites).  Hamfests and estate sales 
are good places to look for prices closer to worth than value.  I am 
long out of the boatanchor buying game, but I have come across at 
least a dozen clean R390s and R390As in the past couple of years at 
hamfests and estate sales that I could have had for less than $100 each.

One I had seen at 4 or 5 hamfests marked $550.  When I inquired, the 
seller said he hadn't even had any inquiries the whole season and 
immediately offered it to me for $125.  I'm pretty sure if I had 
waved $75 cash at him, it would have been mine.  Or, if he had marked 
it down to $200, he probably could have gotten $150 for it.  But by 
marking it $550, he scared everybody away from even asking.

At estate sales, the agent generally takes bids on everything not 
sold by the end of the day and the item goes to the highest 
bidder.  Anything left after that goes to the dump.  I have seen more 
than a few R390s and R390As fail to attract any bids at the end of 
the day, so they went to the dump along with the rest of the items 
that didn't sell.  Those would have sold for $1 if anybody had been 
willing to bid that much.

Patience, knowing where to look, and a little effort (attending 
estate sales and hamfests) can save you hundreds of dollars when it 
comes to big, heavy items for which there is a very limited market.

Best regards,

Charles