Is it me or what?

[earlyjukeman]

What's missing now are investors. With the stock market breaking records every week middle class people who have money are leaving it there. Those who are spending on "big ticket collectibles" are only buying ones that are making a quick buck. So if you have a Ferrari or a 60's Vette your in great shape as they are hot right now but they will crash and burn like Ferrari did in the 1980's. Those of us who are collectors are witnessing the return to the days before a visitor would look at your Victor 6 and ask you what it was first and not what it's worth. This is happening in all the boomer stuff like toy trains. Prices are coming down also because we keep saying they are. It will reach a point where those of us in the later years will buy something we always wanted but couldn't afford. This has been covered in many chat rooms. The internet spreads it instantly and you can find out what the prices are. In the old days we just had the Buy Lines or selling post to use as a guide. I am happy with all of this. I just want to live to see it all go back to the way it was. Right now it's a good start.

[Curt A]

A friend of mine who owns a high end antique shop and has a wonderful collection of most unusual things said this recently: "You can't get young people interested in good antiques (or any old things for that matter), because all they want is IKEA furniture and a souped up Japanese car with a big muffler." Seems kind of true to me... lots of younger people spend lots of money on tattoos, but what is the future market for those? Do you take the skin off your arm or elsewhere, frame it and re-sell it as original artwork?

[De Soto Frank]

Uncle Vanya,

I'm not sure whether to read this as "wow, that's cheap for a turn-key drive-away 1928 car", or "that sounds like a lot for a Model A Ford"...

One thing I have observed from the Model A and Model T guys (especially the older ones) is that if "THEY'RE buying", they want it dirt cheap, and if "they're SELLING" they want top dollar, which is probably true of any good capitalist/ business person, but there seems to be a wide gulf between the two numbers...

Interesting that you mentioned the Dodge Bros. sedan... I'm a die-hard Chrysler man, and one of my "dream cars" would be a 1924-26 Chrysler 70-series touring car or sedan.

Model A's seem to bring higher prices than other makes of the same era / price class( at least in driveable / survivor condition), but they are also about the most maintainable auto of that era, due to the sheer number originally produced, and the amount of repro parts being made to restore them / keep them going.

You may find a '28 Whippet, Dodge Bros., Plymouth, Star, Chevrolet cheaper than a Model A in like condition, but god help you in sourcing parts...

Around here (NE Penna), most driveable, presentable Model A's are going between $9,000 & $12,000, depending on body type and condition... the open models fetch more...

In the 4+ years I've owned and driven my little '28 Special Coupe, I've put about 10,000 miles on her, and found her very reliable, and a lot of fun... just no room to bring home talking machines !

(Heck - a few years ago, I picked-up a running, driving, turn-key '28 Ford Coupe for $6,000 and that has actually almost paid for itself as transportation ! ).

Wow! $6,000.00? For an A?

That's what I'oysters a bargaior a Dodge Bovine SECAM.



Dratted autocorrect!

"That's what I'd esteem a bargaind for a Dodge Brothers sedan
!

[Uncle Vanya]

Uncle Vanya,

I'm not sure whether to read this as "wow, that's cheap for a turn-key drive-away 1928 car", or "that sounds like a lot for a Model A Ford"...

One thing I have observed from the Model A and Model T guys (especially the older ones) is that if "THEY'RE buying", they want it dirt cheap, and if "they're SELLING" they want top dollar, which is probably true of any good capitalist/ business person, but there seems to be a wide gulf between the two numbers...

Interesting that you mentioned the Dodge Bros. sedan... I'm a die-hard Chrysler man, and one of my "dream cars" would be a 1924-26 Chrysler 70-series touring car or sedan.

Model A's seem to bring higher prices than other makes of the same era / price class( at least in driveable / survivor condition), but they are also about the most maintainable auto of that era, due to the sheer number originally produced, and the amount of repro parts being made to restore them / keep them going.

You may find a '28 Whippet, Dodge Bros., Plymouth, Star, Chevrolet cheaper than a Model A in like condition, but god help you in sourcing parts...

Around here (NE Penna), most driveable, presentable Model A's are going between $9,000 & $12,000, depending on body type and condition... the open models fetch more...

In the 4+ years I've owned and driven my little '28 Special Coupe, I've put about 10,000 miles on her, and found her very reliable, and a lot of fun... just no room to bring home talking machines !

(Heck - a few years ago, I picked-up a running, driving, turn-key '28 Ford Coupe for $6,000 and that has actually almost paid for itself as transportation ! ).

Wow! $6,000.00? For an A?

That's what I'oysters a bargaior a Dodge Bovine SECAM.



Dratted autocorrect!

"That's what I'd esteem a bargaind for a Dodge Brothers sedan
!

No, the post-1920 Dodge machines have always sold for about a third less than the equivalent Ford, so a DB should sell for about ¾ the price of a T model. The A is an altogether more expensive machine.

I've always had a soft spot for the 96 and 96-A Whippets. Darned advanced cars. About the size and power of an A Model, but getting a solid thirty miles to the gallon. I remember an elderly mechanic telling me that the Chrysler Six was " the first of the good cars". Four-wheel hydraulic brakes, seven main bearing crankshaft and a beautifully balanced chassis. What's not to like?

There is an interesting '27 sedan for sale in Ohio just now. http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/4502036033.html. You might want to look in to it.

[HisMastersVoice]

You may find a '28 Whippet, Dodge Bros., Plymouth, Star, Chevrolet cheaper than a Model A in like condition, but god help you in sourcing parts...

I have a hard enough time finding parts for my '40 Dodge, I can't imagine!

[drh]

Coming back round to the original question, I think prices for records and particularly phonos have fallen some. Doubtless this is a good example of how one should get into collecting for love of the object collected, expecting the return to be in pleasure and pride of ownership, not $$$. That, at least, is nothing new.

On the other hand, I recently received a new list by e-mail from a 78 dealer in England; I replied with some wants within a couple of hours of when it landed in my inbox (about 7:00 AM Eastern) and supplemented my order by late in the morning. Several of my requests were for fairly big-ticket items, at least by my standards. Of all that, I was in time for only one solitary record. So maybe the interest in the market is starting to come back....

[FloridaClay]

There is no doubt that the phonograph market sank considerably with the recession, like many other things, but based on the reports I get each week of the top 40 phonograph sales on eBay, they have been coming back up for awhile. Not back to what they were certainly, but the trending up.

Clay

[De Soto Frank]

I think in general, the prices in the antiques and collectibles market that we saw circa 2000-2007/8 were a balloon, reflective of the economy and bullish "investment" market...

The era of ENRON, sub-prime mortages, mortgage-backed securities, credit-default swaps, etc...

A climate not unlike the later "Roaring Twenties"...