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My interest in Whittington's location was rhetorical, but his stories - and especially his reply - make me suspect that his next "barn find" will be a "BS."

George P.

phonogfp wrote:My interest in Whittington's location was rhetorical, but his stories - and especially his reply - make me suspect that his next "barn find" will be a "BS."

George P.

My Thoughts exactly

Aaron

Well, grand then! I'm glad I wasn't the only one "suspecting"...



Sean

Ok, this will be my last post here and I apologize for causing such suspicion. I was honestly looking for some guidance on some machines and either came across wrong in my comment about these being "barn finds" or just came across as plain stupid as I don't know nearly as much as the people who I was seeking help from. I felt I was kind through it all though, even while taking some criticism from some. So I am not sure what caused people to think that my finds were "BS" but have to be honest in saying that I am disappointed that people would treat someone like this or say these things about someone rather than just ask me for details personally. I wrote several times if anyone is interested in any of the other machines I have found or would like to see pictures of any of them I would take them and email them to you. For some reason though, I'm full of "BS" and only a couple of people wrote me only to apologize for the other rude replies to my inquisitive posts. I tried to get information about machines and offered to show pictures and was cordial about things only to get some disappointing replies. Sorry to bother you, and even still I wish you the best of luck.

I'm sorry to hear this Jerry. I guess I can understand where you're coming from though. It's a shame, as you've been turning up some interesting machines that I"ve really enjoyed seeing.
I hope some of my suggestions were at least a little helpful.
Good luck with your auctions, and happy (& successful) hunting!

Whittington,

Here's one quote that caused you to come across the wrong way. This is taken from an earlier post.

"My wife and I are expecting and I decided to not only collect and restore phonos, but to make some money while learning this enthralling hobby. I seem to have good luck searching for these phonographs and have been fortunate to come up with some nice ones. That being said, I have no attachment to them from an intrinsic standpoint and I sell them."

Even though you stated that you have a demonstrated interest in phonographs in other posts on this forum, in that second quoted sentence you gave the impression that you are only interested in phonographs from a monetary aspect. This notion, combined with your practice of largely just posting machines that you were intending to sell for a profit, probably rubbed several folks the wrong way. Few people like to give free advice again and again, especially if that advice is hard-earned, and someone else is profiting from it. They would probably prefer to be paid a consulting fee. That said, there is also a fine line between personal enjoyment and profit in this hobby, and I know several folks that became dealers who earn a living in this hobby, largely because they love it so much. Unfortunately, whenever money comes into the equation, it gets nasty. I've gotten burned many times in the past, and today, I think you got singed pretty badly. There are a lot of great people in this hobby, and I've got a couple really good friends as a result of it, but be very, very wary and careful when you bring money into the equation. Sometimes good folks who were nice to you will come and stab you in the back. Trust me; I am speaking from experience.

Whittington wrote:Ok, this will be my last post here and I apologize for causing such suspicion. I was honestly looking for some guidance on some machines and either came across wrong in my comment about these being "barn finds" or just came across as plain stupid as I don't know nearly as much as the people who I was seeking help from. I felt I was kind through it all though, even while taking some criticism from some. So I am not sure what caused people to think that my finds were "BS" but have to be honest in saying that I am disappointed that people would treat someone like this or say these things about someone rather than just ask me for details personally. I wrote several times if anyone is interested in any of the other machines I have found or would like to see pictures of any of them I would take them and email them to you. For some reason though, I'm full of "BS" and only a couple of people wrote me only to apologize for the other rude replies to my inquisitive posts. I tried to get information about my machines and offered to show pictures and was cordial about things only to get some disappointing replies. Sorry to bother you, and even still I wish you the best of luck.

ps. I will not be on here anymore, so if anyone is interested in the phonographs I have mentioned, please feel free to watch them on my Ebay.

with all due respect, you can feel the way you want to feel, but you should try to appreciate the fact that when you join a board of enthusiasts/collectors/etc. solely to solicit information about machines you're simply looking to sell, that you've basically bought to flip on ebay or whereever, you're probably not going to find the most receptive audience. most of the people here know a good deal of information about this hobby, in part because they've invested the time in learning about it through books, phono shows, personal research, contacts with other people, etc. and most if not all don't mind, in fact probably enjoy, sharing their knowledge with others. but I don't think many enjoy being used solely as a value guide by someone who's only buying and selling, and posting messages on this forum and at least one other, that have nothing to do with anything but price information and monetary value. most if not all of the people here have also probably sold machines, or bought and sold a machine, in the past, but their sole aim isn't to simply turn an object for a fast buck like the typical "antique" dealer. additionally, the comments concerning BS which questioned the validity of your "barn finds" is nothing personal, how can it be being that no one here has any idea who you are. but any one who has a fair understanding of this hobby, and of the rarity of certain machines, particularly those of the sort that few people ever come across one of in their lifetime - let alone three in rapid succession - will naturally be a bit skeptical of situations such as this.

bostonmike1 wrote:Deleted by management

I would like to put in a word here... When i agreed with George on his comment about "his next find being a "BS" " i don't think either of us meant to hurt ANYONE... We just added a little "phono-joke" to this whole matter. I don't really think that Whittington made any "false acquisitions" but some of us just found it unlikely that a newcomer would run into machines that even the oldest collectors have been looking for all of their collecting lives... This indeed could be beginners luck. In the past month i have received 5 calls all about different phonographs, even though i am only 15 and i have only been collecting for 2 year. I really didn't mean any disrespect, and i'm sure George didn't either. I hate the thought of hurting anyone in general.

Kind Regards,
Aaron

I realize that we don't want the forum to become an Antique Road Show appraisal site, but i don't see the harm in giving someone an idea of what his machine might be worth. Phonograph collectors often buy a machine only to sell it at a profit to help decrease the cost of something else they really want.
Pete

I started composing this last week for the Berliner posting by hotrod351.

Recently there were pats on the back of just how great this board is. This is true. I've seen this as a non-registered daily observer. Respectful answers to questions and interesting conversation abound. That's a good reflection on an informal community such as this. This is why we bother.

The declaration of value is a touchy subject for buyers and sellers alike. Everyone wants a deal. No one wants to divulge what they actually spent unless it was a deal. Nothing personal, that's business and that business is interwoven with collecting antiques.

It's ok to profit. It's ok to be secretive. It's ok to point the individual in the direction of self help. It's ok to try and buy. It is ok to be a saint too. You cannot blame anyone for trying to get free and easy information. If you do not wish to handout value(d) information, just disengage. It should not be a compulsion to respond to a post. The users of these types of forums use them to conduct business on and off site.

It is a bad reflection on the community when discounting banter about the requester is being made and requires adminstrator/moderator intervention.

James.