UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Very interesting auction of communications equipment

David G4EBT · 18th Jan 2020, 6:39 pm

If this really is - as has been intimated - the collection, or more accurately the 'hoard' - of one deceased G3, it beggars belief. ('The Hoarder Next Door' comes to mind). I've just had a quick scan of the 101 lots, and as near as I can tell, there are 180 domestic sets, plus horn speakers, empty wooden boxes that had once housed pre-war radios, boxes of valves and other bits and bobs. Then another 125 or thereabouts amateur and military sets, plus test gear, heaps of old phones, sundry boxes of spares and junk, a box of 50 panel meters, heaps of test gear and so on.

I think that if we believe that the auctioneers have somehow split the lots (as has clearly happened with some equipment) with the intention that bidders would have to bid for say three lots to get a complete HRO, we're endowing the auctioneers with abilities, attributes, inclinations and limitless time that they don't possess.

What a tedious and irksome task it must have been to have sorted this mountain of neglected and in many cases, seemingly incomplete equipment into some semblance of order, to transport it to the auction, photograph it, manhandled it to put it on display for viewing, then to organise and conduct the auction, and maybe to have to ship lots of it to all points of the compass.

They've made some attempt to put certain makes of sets into lots - Roberts for example, and three lots of Heathkit equipment.

Viewing next Weds/Thurs, Auction next Friday.

I guess some forum members will watch it live online and a few might even bid.

Don't know if the results are published on the auctioneer's website in due course.

Unlike eBay, both the buyers and the sellers have auction costs to pay. The 22.5% buyers' premium/VAT/Sales tax, plus 5.94% % online commission/VAT/Sales tax, total 28.4% significantly adds to the 'hammer price' so £100 becomes £128.40, £200 becomes £256.80, £300 becomes £385.20 and so on. Seems to me that for an auction of this magnitude, with bulky and heavy equipment to dispose of, the auctineers deserve every penny. Money for old junk, yes, but certainly not 'money for old rope'!

The whole auction has 230 more non-radio related items to dispose of too! 331 lots in all, between 10.30am - 4.30pm.

The mind boggles!

18th Jan 2020, 6:39 pm	#27
David G4EBT Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Cottingham, East Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 5,763	Re: Very interesting auction of communications equipment If this really is - as has been intimated - the collection, or more accurately the 'hoard' - of one deceased G3, it beggars belief. ('The Hoarder Next Door' comes to mind). I've just had a quick scan of the 101 lots, and as near as I can tell, there are 180 domestic sets, plus horn speakers, empty wooden boxes that had once housed pre-war radios, boxes of valves and other bits and bobs. Then another 125 or thereabouts amateur and military sets, plus test gear, heaps of old phones, sundry boxes of spares and junk, a box of 50 panel meters, heaps of test gear and so on. I think that if we believe that the auctioneers have somehow split the lots (as has clearly happened with some equipment) with the intention that bidders would have to bid for say three lots to get a complete HRO, we're endowing the auctioneers with abilities, attributes, inclinations and limitless time that they don't possess. What a tedious and irksome task it must have been to have sorted this mountain of neglected and in many cases, seemingly incomplete equipment into some semblance of order, to transport it to the auction, photograph it, manhandled it to put it on display for viewing, then to organise and conduct the auction, and maybe to have to ship lots of it to all points of the compass. They've made some attempt to put certain makes of sets into lots - Roberts for example, and three lots of Heathkit equipment. Viewing next Weds/Thurs, Auction next Friday. I guess some forum members will watch it live online and a few might even bid. Don't know if the results are published on the auctioneer's website in due course. Unlike eBay, both the buyers and the sellers have auction costs to pay. The 22.5% buyers' premium/VAT/Sales tax, plus 5.94% % online commission/VAT/Sales tax, total 28.4% significantly adds to the 'hammer price' so £100 becomes £128.40, £200 becomes £256.80, £300 becomes £385.20 and so on. Seems to me that for an auction of this magnitude, with bulky and heavy equipment to dispose of, the auctineers deserve every penny. Money for old junk, yes, but certainly not 'money for old rope'! The whole auction has 230 more non-radio related items to dispose of too! 331 lots in all, between 10.30am - 4.30pm. The mind boggles! __________________ David. BVWS Member. G-QRP Club member 1339.