Just when you think you've seen everything, life throws you a curveball. In this case (particularly since my focus here in Amateur Radio and eBay), the curveball arrived today via my rural mail carrier.
I've gotten to know my mail carrier on a first name basis. He's a very good carrier, and he treats us well — he goes out of his way to bring mail and packages to our front door rather than simply putting in a “pick-it-up-at-the-post-office” slip in our mail box. Heck, we even ran into him and his family while vacationing last fall at Disney World.
This morning John dropped off the mail and a Priority Mail box on our porch. As per our informal agreement, he leaves it in the rocking chair next to the door.
Even my kids have come to know that a rattling box is a bad sign — in fact, I think my kids get some kind of kick out of it. They'll gather around as I open, discussing what they think is rattling inside. “Is it a bug, Daddy?” …. “How bad do you think its broken?” …. “Can I have it if its broken and you want to throw it away?” ... and so forth.
Inside the box were two bubblewrapped items: A mid-50s Bud code practice oscillator and the ubiquitous Hi-Mound “coffin bug.” Both items shown at right.
What made the packaging “really different” was the fact that the seller packed the items in balloons. Yes, that's right ballons. Chuck E. Cheese balloons, to be exact. My heart sank. Having two items in the same box can be a problem, particularly when one is a heavy bug. But packing them with balloons sounded like a disaster in the making.
It wouldn't be an expensive disaster, the Bud and the key sold for a very very low price. I was surprised, given the high prices I've seen the “coffin” bugs bring these days.
Each item was wrapped in one layer of bubblewrap. The Bud oscillator was unwrapped first. It was what was clunking. One of its two tubes had been jarred out of the socket. Neither the tube nor the Bud were damaged.
The bug was packed in its original box (it was sold under the Monarch name brand), and inside it sat safe and secure — no damage at all. Surprised? You betcha. The key's safe arrival was due soley to the original box, which held it securely. I anticipated another Hi-Mound bug with a broken paddle, but the box was made with internal supports to prevent the key from moving in transit.
No damage, no problems — though I wouldn't recommend Chuck E. Cheese balloons as packing. Both items came from the family of a Silent Key in Ohio who are liquidating his shack.
The Bud oscillator is a neat item, and I wish I had one when I was teaching CW to a group. For a 50-year-old item, the thing has excellent tone and can get really, really loud without distortion. It could easily fill a classroom with audio. The Bud also has a switch to use it for a phone or CW monitor.
The Monarch bug is unmolested, and undamaged, which seems to be a rarity for the ones I've bought. I've kept the one that I resurrected at the operating position. I'm a little leery of it, figuring that the crazy glue may let go in the middle of a QSO. I figure the only way to find out is to use the thing. So far, so good.
BIG BUCKS BUGS? I can't really explain it, but I've seen some big spikes in the prices of bugs on eBay. A Hi-Mound bug just like the one I received today sold for more than $140 — more than $100 over what I paid. The buyer was from Europe, which may explain why he was willing to pay big bucks. When I sold a broken Hi-Mound bug a couple of years ago, I listed it for sale only to buyers in the U.S. and Canada, but I had more interest from Europe. I had Europeans literally begging me to sell the key, all willing to pay the very high price of shipping.
I sold the key to a fellow in Poland. I packed it securely and he sent me the money via Western Union. The buyer didn't speak English, and his son had a very poor grasp of it, so our e-mail exchanges were rather odd, to say the least. Until he e-mailed me a scanned copy of the Western Union receipt (which was in Polish, mind you), I wasn't sure this whole sale wasn't some sort of elaborate Nigerian scam. The key sold for about $20 and the shipping was that much plus more — for a broken key!
More recently I've seen several Speed-X bugs sell for well over $150. One was a rather worn-looking Les Logan Model 500 t-bar bug that needed TLC. The other is listed currently, a Les Logan Model 515 bug that has the Vibroplex-like pivot frame. It looks nice, but I'm not sure I would consider paying the current $153.50 bid for one.
The T-bar bug is one of the more collectible ones, and with the prices trending upward, I'm tempted to list one of mine and cash in on the trend. I would certainly take a $100 profit or more on a bug.
I've seen some very good deals on Vibroplex bugs pass thru eBay recently, mostly your standard finish Originals and the like. A Champion for $40 is a good price, and I've seen several sell at that level. Price is determined by demand — the first law of eBay economics. Its amazing to watch from week to week how prices can spike one day and plummet the next. If I could predict these cycles, I could join Kevin Trudeau in late night TV infomercial land.
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