Vintage McIntosh Motherlode in Connecticut

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I think I'm going to start cataloging the things in my (small) collection, so that if my loved ones are tasked with clearing it out some day they'll know exactly what is valuable or needed with each piece. Even with a small collection, I don't want it to become what this mess is.

I am under the impression however that the auction company knows exactly what these pieces are, and that they're all basically salvage and removed from service as working, semi-working, and parts units in bulk. I hope that I'm wrong and that there are many good complete and working units, but I'm not bidding unless they go for part-unit prices and many have passed that already.
 
I've often wondered what the motivation is/was for someone with this much high-end stuff. Did he acquire all of it because he "just could"? Did he, indeed, ever use any of it? Did he think he was depriving others from having it because he stockpiled so many of one type? He certainly couldn't have "enjoyed" all this collection, even if he rotated it on a regular basis.

I wonder what his house looks like. Mountains of newspapers and magazines? Did he have a listening room? Who carried those heavy amps back and forth if he did, in fact, use them in his system(s)?

Lots of questions ...

Dave
 
SaturationPt said:
I think I'm going to start cataloging the things in my (small) collection, so that if my loved ones are tasked with clearing it out some day they'll know exactly what is valuable or needed with each piece.
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I'm already on board with that plan. I've been downsizing and investing the cash. I'll keep my gear hoard to a minimum (with model and valuation data for the few remaining units as up to date as I can) and then I'll leave the investment account log in info handy for them from the sales of all the EXCESS.

It might be much a whole lot of money but cash is certainly more easy to figure out, whereas How much a pair of ATC SCM 20 or a McIntosh MC500 is worth and all the selling hassle that goes with it? Not so much. LIQUIDATION MODE CONTINUES FOR ME.
 
SaturationPt said:
I am under the impression however that the auction company knows exactly what these pieces are, and that they're all basically salvage and removed from service as working, semi-working, and parts units in bulk. I hope that I'm wrong and that there are many good complete and working units, but I'm not bidding unless they go for part-unit prices and many have passed that already.
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My feeling is the opposite. It's unrealistic to think these auctioneers are audio experts. They are corralling the goods and moving them out the door. This company's other auction is for the contents of a pizza restaurant; we wouldn't assume they know anything about making pizza, right?

I think they plugged things in, switched them on, and any click or glowing tube indicated a 'working' unit. Did they hook up speakers when switching on tube amps? Doubtful. I'm assuming any blown units are listed as 'not tested'.
 
Blue Shadow said:
More background info over on the asylum. Seems someone knew the guy and...pics, too.
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Gotta love the haters commenting in that thread. were people talking about things being OVERPRICED, how so? Its an auction :) or is all the negativity about things probably not working and how Mcintosh sounds bad just a strategy to discourage others hahahah . Sour grapes mentality prevails.
 
I noticed the same, but not really much about how the collection came to be. There was one comment about someone initially helping the sister sell the collection, then she reached out to an auction house, that was it.
 
I'd like to throw the min bid, $10 on everything and hope to win about 20 auctions. With fees, under 400 and I'm sure there would be something worthwhile in the pile. But someone has that strategy already and I would have to arrange for my driver to do the pick up and delivery.

Although an audio group offered assistance, this auction will get enough eyes that the workload will be lower for everyone but the auction house and the sale will be done, instead of some 159 units not finding homes for months and months. With all that name brand vintage gear that gets AKers upset because it isn't cheap enough there will be plenty of eyes on it as the word gets out on the interweb.
 
If I thought these guys knew how to ship them, I'd love to have one or two of those old CD players, even that Pioneer Elite DVD unit.
 
62caddy said:
Still a long way off from the final selling prices.
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True , but the auction house isn't dictating final prices, Bidders Emotions will :) Shipping via UPS store should be a deal breaker for anyone not able to travel to CT , They are truly horrible at packing. Dealers and restorers that are within driving distance will probably be bidding and will just have their minions go pick up items. Regular folks with a hope and a dream from within a few hours are probably going to jump into the bidding ( I saw some NON mainstream parts and randomness in those photos that I'd bid on and it's only a couple of hours away so who knows...)

How much of a frenzy depends on how many shipping option bidders join in on the melee. No matter what... it will be interesting to watch the auction and then see things trickle out to ebay and craigslist . I recall that happening when Stereo Exchange auctioned off their inventory of demos , open box , overstock etc before moving to their new location. New York Craigslist and ebay was littered with Totem Acoustics speakers for about a month or so. :rflmao:
 
So I hear its the type of Auction that doesn't have a set end time....but can go on and on if people keep bidding. Those can get rough.
That is how the GSA auctions are, and you can sit at the computer for hours....waiting for the bidding to end....past end time. How is that going to work with so many lots to auction off?
 
Leland47 said:
So I hear its the type of Auction that doesn't have a set end time....but can go on and on if people keep bidding. Those can get rough.
That is how the GSA auctions are, and you can sit at the computer for hours....waiting for the bidding to end....past end time. How is that going to work with so many lots to auction off?
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I used to buy cars and such at a very large auction company who operated this way, call it dynamic bidding or something like that: Any time someone bids within 20minutes of the end time it extends the bidding another 10minutes, bidding can go on for another hour. This auction co has thousands of items ending each night and manages it well. It tends to bring higher bids than the set end-time auctions do as everyone has a chance to go another $10, ... and most bidders will.
 
jmela said:
I think they plugged things in, switched them on, and any click or glowing tube indicated a 'working' unit. Did they hook up speakers when switching on tube amps? Doubtful. I'm assuming any blown units are listed as 'not tested'.
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Never owned any tube home audio gear but i know that ain't good for my tube guitar head.
 
What one guy said there that apparently knows about the collection (and is good advice anyway) is to consider everything as needing a complete restoration. A lot of those pictures, especially the Empire turntables suggests to me that this guy found more than a few "close out" sales of stores shutting down and bought out the remaining inventory. Some of those Empires look NOS.
 
So here's the deal...

I went to the auction house and previewed all the equipment. Vast doesn't describe this collection it. Obsessive might not cover it either. How about fetishistic?
The auctioneer doesn't know anything about vintage audio gear, but he's a heck of a nick guy. He hired someone from NYC to help him with the cataloging and testing, which entailed using a variac to bring up the amp to line voltage. Musta have taken forever to "test" all those amps.
The catalog descriptions are reasonably accurate, ie, if a listing say pitting, there is pitting on the chrome. Not a lot of boat anchors. All in all, the stuff is in decent cosmetic condition.

I asked about the owner of this vast hoard and it turns out I knew the guy from having sold him three Empire TTs over the years. Out of respect, I won't post his name, but some of you CT guys might have met him. He worked for the post office. Also collected lathes and lathe parts. The auctioneer already sold all the lathe stuff in an earlier auction: four double storage units full of stuff!. When the owner (now dead) had come to my house, I said I had too much stuff in my office room. He said, "OH, I really have a lot of equipment in my house. I can't even sit down."

The auctioneer verified this by saying there was really only one place to sit in the whole house. I asked the auctioneer what happened to all his records. He said there were no records. In fact, there wasn't a hooked -uo system in the whole house. How weird is that?

I hope these pix make all you hoarders feel better ...

BTW, I have nothing to do with this auction other than it's 1.5 hours away from me. And no, I can't pick up or ship anything for anyone.
 

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Aha I should've known; I know this fellow and have a had a few dealings with him over the years the last being him buying my MR78 a few years ago. Another interesting story is AC actually came to his home with a van a few years ago and brought a few MC3500's back to Binghamton with them. I thought that was the end of his purge but apparently it was the tip of the iceberg. I haven't seen him in a few years now and I hope all is ok with him.
 
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