Hi Jeffry, welcome to the group!!! As a long time Nixie fan, clock builder, collector etc, I applaud you for keeping the treasure trove together. I noted a lot of highly sought after goodies in the photos (including a rather *excessive* number of old Axiris VU meters!). As a fellow nixie/neon nutcase and one of the moderators of the group, let me know if there's anything I(we) can do to help you with info, pricing etc....there are a lot of really knowledgeable and thoughtful folks on this list and whilst a lot of us are probably *agog* at the collection, deep-down we're happy that it is all in one place and with someone who knows its value (not just monetarily).
Cheers, Nick On Mon, Aug 23, 2021 at 6:16 PM Audrey <[email protected]> wrote: > You should give them to me :) > > On Mon, Aug 23, 2021 at 9:14 PM Jeffry Portell <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> Yes he and I are the same age. I need to think about where all this >> should go in the event of my demise. >> >> On Mon, Aug 23, 2021, 3:27 PM Jeff Walton <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Nice to hear that someone from the group was able to make the trip. You >>> are fortunate to have your hands on such a treasure trove of antiquities! >>> Looking forward to seeing photos of the collection. Eventually we all have >>> collections that will change hands, some sooner than others... >>> >>> >>> *Jeff * >>> >>> >>> -------- Original message -------- >>> From: Jeffry P <[email protected]> >>> Date: 8/23/21 11:15 AM (GMT-06:00) >>> To: neonixie-l <[email protected]> >>> Subject: [neonixie-l] Nixie Nirvana >>> >>> Good morning to all! >>> >>> >>> I joined the original Neonixie-l group on Yahoo many years ago when >>> Raymond W. was moderator. I had the privilege of paying him $100+ for a >>> ‘Four Letter Word’ kit that never arrived. Raymond was good at making >>> excuses ( waiting for parts, illness, earthquakes, no reliable help, etc.) >>> and always promised that no matter what I would get a kit. Meanwhile, the >>> time had run out for a refund. The (4) B7971’s were gathering dust while >>> waiting to broadcast their message as tame, colorful, or indecent per your >>> preferences! I think there was something in there about nuns blushing as >>> well. I still get a twinge while checking my postal mailbox and recalling >>> the 2 years of looking for a package from ‘Indonesia’. >>> >>> R.W took a lot of money from people and didn’t deliver. I believe many >>> of his unfortunate customers were, and still are, responsible for the >>> renewed interest in using nixie tubes. Kits were being designed by >>> hobbyists and enterprising individuals found and marketed tubes that could >>> be used to build clocks. I had bought the (4)B7971’s for my FLW on eBay in >>> anticipation of the kit arrival. >>> >>> I love clocks-flip clocks, nixies, and electronic types especially. >>> Online auctions made access to these clocks easy and somewhat affordable. I >>> ordered another kit from a seller on eBay named Pete Hand. I actually >>> received the kit, built it, and I was now the proud owner of a Four >>> -Letter- Word. I’ve owned quite a few four letter words in my lifetime but >>> once they fall out of your mouth….. >>> >>> I bought and built another kit and was hooked on nixies. I watched >>> prices rise for certain tubes and bought them and others as my budget would >>> allow. The intention was to make clocks with them when I retired. I bought >>> a few kits that featured newer display types and learned about SMD’s >>> through trial and error. >>> >>> This past weekend I made a trip to Madison Alabama which is a suburb of >>> Huntsville AL. NASA and it’s supporting industries (Northrup, Intergraph, >>> Boeing, Dynetics, etc.) put Huntsville on the map as a hub for technical >>> and engineering products and services. The area has computer scientists, >>> mechanical and electronic engineers, Material Science PHD’s, and thousands >>> of really smart people. >>> >>> Please bear with me as I feel there is a story to be told here. A >>> computer scientist, whom I’ll call RS had a more than passing interest in >>> Nixes. Unfortunately he passed away suddenly while in his prime years. I >>> believe this person was personally known to members of the Nixie >>> community. I am in possession of RS’s extensive collection of Nixie tubes, >>> built clocks, and collector's pieces. Technical documentation and assembly >>> manuals were kept in file folders. Included is some correspondence related >>> to RS’s support of the art of manufacturing Nixie tubes. >>> >>> I arrived home yesterday after having flown to Huntsville, renting a >>> truck, packing the collection, and driving 12 hours. Saturday and Sunday >>> were one long day for me and I need to rest a bit and recover. If RS’s >>> brother reads this I want to say it was great to meet you and thank you for >>> giving (no it was purchased) myself and the world this fine collection to >>> enjoy. I plan on keeping this collection complete. >>> >>> Now for the good part……… >>> >>> I believe RS was friends with engineers in the aerospace industry as a >>> lot of the tubes are NOS in original boxes with identical date codes. These >>> would have been backup replacements or engineering samples used by NASA . >>> Most of these were American manufactured and include the full range of >>> tubes from Burroughs, RCA, Amperex, National, AEG, etc. The items range >>> from 6 to 20 pieces of each model. >>> >>> There_is_a_ mouth_full_of_hen’s_teeth_here! That last sentence is a >>> matter of fact. I’ve seen the pages of Claus-Dieter, Cathode Corner, and >>> Sphere and a few others. Are these pages of tubes they actually own or just >>> reference info and sale availability? Does anyone have a complete list of >>> every type of nixie tube that was manufactured? >>> >>> RS’s collection contains some Russian and Chinese tubes but I think they >>> were extras for the clocks he built. >>> >>> Most of the shipping boxes for all the tubes he had were emptied in >>> preparation for the sale. I took me 5 hours to pack up everything and RS’s >>> brother and Estate agent were very gracious in the time they allowed me to >>> pack everything. I didn’t have time to wrap each tube that didn’t have a >>> box and I have a 3’x3’x4’ box of loose tubes. The egg cartons you see in >>> the photos were literally stacked atop each other in a box and transported. >>> So far I’ve found 1 broken tube and my heart sank -it was an E1T. >>> >>> This message has become way too long but I want everyone to know these >>> tubes weren’t scattered to the wind or thrown out. >>> >>> >>> PLEASE BE PATIENT >>> >>> >>> PLEASE BE PATIENT >>> >>> >>> PLEASE BE PATIENT >>> >>> >>> PLEASE BE PATIENT >>> >>> >>> I work and am in the midst of remodeling my home so my time is spread >>> out thinly. I plan on inventorying the collection, trading with other >>> collectors to mutually enhance our collections, and putting together a >>> website that features the collection. Any surplus that I have will be >>> auctioned on eBay. I have no idea what those tubes will be but members here >>> will be alerted. It may be 3-6 months before I can unpack everything. I’m >>> not a tube dealer so getting things listed and sold is not my priority. >>> >>> Please don’t message me asking to buy something you saw in the pics. >>> Until I know what all is there nothing is for sale. Don’t ask what I paid >>> for the collection- If you do I will block you from messaging me. Don’t be >>> rude money was not the issue here it was about keeping this collection >>> intact. >>> >>> If you know RS personally I would love to hear what your interactions >>> were. Many of the shipping boxes were from familiar names and were from all >>> over the world. The number of tubes is overwhelming and I feel very >>> fortunate to own them. There are tubes that I thought I would never in my >>> lifetime be able to see or touch. I’m an old school guy and I don’t take >>> pictures of many things. I may start to Instagram or something to share my >>> finds but if I I get bombarded with offers to buy etc I’ll have to stop. I >>> don’t keyboard very fast (cause I didn’t take typing in high school- I >>> thought I’d have a secretary) so answering emails and messages takes me >>> awhile. Took me 2 plus hours to get this out from the computer. >>> >>> Have a good afternoon, >>> >>> Jeffry >>> >>> *** >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "neonixie-l" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion on the web, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/c88048ff-4540-4ecb-9595-0c8b8824c60en%40googlegroups.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/c88048ff-4540-4ecb-9595-0c8b8824c60en%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >>> Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/neonixie-l/1ZLwWJYUnmk/unsubscribe. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >>> [email protected]. >>> To view this discussion on the web, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/61240494.1c69fb81.3c3cb.d144%40mx.google.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/61240494.1c69fb81.3c3cb.d144%40mx.google.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "neonixie-l" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion on the web, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/CAF5gi3P4fcxK0Fz7njA1CjzfLpYhE_nPF7ApQXv%2Bv85tq8CsXw%40mail.gmail.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/CAF5gi3P4fcxK0Fz7njA1CjzfLpYhE_nPF7ApQXv%2Bv85tq8CsXw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "neonixie-l" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/CAPDJQ6BUeRPjd24tCTiT4WJHDxxm8j21CYuTWSW83RTtTB2cqA%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/CAPDJQ6BUeRPjd24tCTiT4WJHDxxm8j21CYuTWSW83RTtTB2cqA%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. 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