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Help needed to determine value of large collection vintage gear

uenjoymyself

uenjoymyself

Surrender to the flow
Received a call from a local gentleman wanting to sell a large collection of vintage gear. I have searched the obvious models Marantz, Pioneer, but the list is long and some of these are dynakits and tube gear that I a unfamiliar with. Some in the list are without model numbers from the seller (sorry) and possibly inaccurate descriptions (pre, stereo, receiver, amp)

I have an asterisk in front of the units I have interest in.

Some are not keepers but what would AKers value the LOT at?
And or what are the standout must haves?

*Marantz 2245
realistic STA 90 receiver
Laffayette LR 1500
Pioneer TX 9800
Marantz SR 4000
*Marantz 2230
*Pioneer SX 737 x 2
*Pioneer SX 838
Heathkit receiver?
*Klipshorn 18" drive electro voice patrician (kit made) Speaker lab?
Dynakit receiver?
Dyna frequency monitor receiver
Dyna frequency monitor tuner?
Dynaco FM tuner?
Dyna stereo pre amp?
dynaco FM tuner?
Dynaco stereo pre amp?
Dyna stereo pre amp? X 2
*Fisher Stereo master control amp X-202-B
*Fisher tuner FM 200-B
*Pioneer spec1 pre amp
Nikko STA 8010
Fisher master audio control 90-c X 2
*Marantz stereo amp 1060
*Marantz stereo tuner 110
Dynaco FM tuner?
Craftsman tuner?
*Dynakit stereo 70
Fisher anniversary series receiver mono?
*Sansui 990 euro black?
Kenwood KA 60 integrated
Wintec model 777
Fisher series gold 90
Fisher series 80
Tanburg TR 2060
*Marantz 2220 B
Phillips FR 911 Dynaco stereo receiver model 80
Laffayette LA 240

Thanks for any advice!!
I'm feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of the possible purchase of this collection.
There is probably some junk in there but I don't want to miss the keepers. Price seems reasonable but I am not a reseller (yet) and the whole pile would kill me. What to do?

Is this an opportunity to acquire some nice gear and sell the rest or should I just go for the known to me models and avoid the daunting task of selling off the excess. I do realize that this will be ALOT of hard work either way!

Thank you! Cheers
 
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There are a lot of really nice pieces in the collection. The problem is that pricing is highly dependent upon condition, both functional and cosmetic.

Best bet is to start with photo's of each piece, and also question the owner about both current functionality and any recent work on the pieces. For example, some of the lesser Fisher pieces (80, 90, 90-c) can have prices more than double between a complete unit needing a complete overhaul and having mediocre cosmetics and one tuned as new with great cosmetics.

Even with a bulk purchase discount you are talking a sizeable cost for everything. Its impossible to be more specific without knowing details of each item. The best you might do is get a range from completed Ebay auctions, but even then you need to know what items to look up.
 
I have no interest, but I would bet that you'd stand a better chance of getting a response for 'those in the know' if you would let them know just what "reasonable" price you're working with. Saves the trouble of pricing a whole bunch of equipment for naught.

Just my humble opinion.
 
The ones that I can see that are NOT keepers are as follows: :)

Dynaco ST-70:
Sansui 990:
Lafayette LA-240:
Fisher X-202-B:
Fisher master audio control 90-c X 2:

If you do acquire PM me and I'll be happy to take them off your hands

I could go on but it sounds like this guys has a pretty sweet collection.

Value will depend on condition cosmetically and mechanically I'm assuming you know that. Let's say they need work, do you have the skills to repair? if not do you have access to a qualified tech who can work on SS & tube? if so how much are you will to spend on said repairs if needed?

I'd start by asking him how much is he looking for then go from there.
 
If I purchase the lot it would be for a price that assumes- untested non working units; though the seller who is the son of the deceased collector indicates that his father worked on repaired or used all units at one time or another. The length of time the gear has sat unused is undetermined as well as the "collectors" electronics repair abilities.
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With the tube gear, if it's been sitting idle for many years even though it was in good working order when last used, it's wise not to just plug in to see if they are still working. You'd want to use a Variac to bring them up slowly as to not cause any potential damage.

Not to be nosey but what would you do with all those pieces? Here's hoping you have a big storage space
 
" Klipshorn 18" drive electro voice patrician (kit made) Speaker lab?"

There are a pair of these on CL for $2500 (in mint shape).
 
Retail value would be ebay so work your way down from there. If working, 50% of retail will cover minor service and sales (ebay SNAD) wastage. If condition unknown or not working, 25 to 30% of retail is appropriate. Tell the seller that it takes a lot of time prepping vintage for sale. Good luck. BTW, group buys are my favorite.
 
If there are potentially other buyers, your chances will be much better if you offer to take the whole lot instead of cherry picking. I have been "chosen" as the buyer several times even though I wasn't the first caller, due to me offering the easiest transaction for the seller...
 
Logistics, logistics! How to move it all, where to put it (storage locker) how to stack it, testing, cleaning, sorting testing tubes...
I've gotten ahead of myself. I haven't even seen any of this yet and have to wonder how the seller is housing over 60 units! I'm going to see this all in the morning and cannot sleep.

I think my question of how to value has been answered.

Are there any standouts that I should be looking at? To be honest I may not have any choice but to cherry pick. 60 is a lot of units that all need attention and a sturdy shelf to sit on.
This would be a huge undertaking.

Suggestions?

Thank you for the help!
 
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You need a garage or room to store.
If the "lot" price is $100 each or less, assuming they are all intact (complete) you should be safe. At 60 units, that's $6000. If the price is well below that, run!
 
uenjoymyself said:
Are there any standouts that I should be looking at?
Click to expand...

Me personally, I would say the tube gear i referenced earlier in this thread, 2 reasons A) if you want to keep some of the gear then these would be good pieces to get into, B) Vintage tube gear is in demand and holds it's value if intend on selling.
 
Personally, I would offer a fair price on the items I wanted and test them out. But, if you have the time and space to buy the whole lot I would not pay beyond 40% of the retail value.
 
Think twice. This might be your one and only chance at seeing this many possibly valuable and hard to find pieces. Any type of decent vintage gear are becoming scarce these days.

It would only take up 5x10 space to stack up those safely.

Do what it takes to close the deal, weed out the pile, make some money, buy parts and restore the gems, and feel lucky......and of course, come back here and show off.
 
gogofast said:
Think twice. This might be your one and only chance at seeing this many possibly valuable and hard to find pieces. Any type of decent vintage gear are becoming scarce these days.

It would only take up 5x10 space to stack up those safely.

Do what it takes to close the deal, weed out the pile, make some money, buy parts and restore the gems, and feel lucky......and of course, come back here and show off.
Click to expand...

Group buys of this quality are getting rarer. You could end up with free keepers and cash but it will take some work with that many units.
 
My suggestion is find the stars, decide which of them you want to keep for yourself, and then focus on getting the other stars ready for sale. You will want to clean them and ensure they are electrically working properly to get top dollar, but it won't take too many of those stars to pay for the whole deal, I'm guessing. I also love these lot buys. The rush is finding a special gem in the lot.

Last fall I bought a lot of McIntosh gear, and the result is that I finally have my dream blue eyes and matching components in my system. And it didn't end up costing me even 50% of market value.
 
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