Yeah, a lot of antique dealers are in the wrong line of business. Years ago, my friends and I got permission to go through an old foundry that was going to be torn down. We took all kinds of really beautiful wooden patterns for gears and machinery components. One pattern was for a big pulley with beautiful spokes on it. I didn't want it anymore so I took it down to the local antique store and tried to sell it to the owner. She looked at me like I was an idiot and said, "Absolutely not interested!" As I was walking out the door, a customer was on the front steps and he stopped me to ask what I was carrying. I told him what it was and he asked if I wanted to sell it. He paid me a surprising amount of money for it. The store owner saw what had happened and became furious and threw both of us off of her front porch and told us never to come back again!
-Phil http://www.engineeringexpert.net/edphono.htm On 3/11/04 3:21 PM, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > On a similar tack I went into an antique shop near Williamstown Mass. some > yerars ago. It had a Going Out of Business, Make an Offer sign. There was > a large quantity of 65 note piano rolls. (For those who don't know, it's a > format that will only play on caetain pianos.) The selections weren't > exciting, but I had a Pianola, so I askled what he wanted, he said "Make > an offer" and I said how about a few bucks a roll. (I was aiming for a > buck or two a roll, although there were a couple selections I'd phave paid > five bucks for.) He was livid with rage. Insulted! He pointed out how old > they were, in the original boxes. He said that he could get fifteen > dollars a roll! I pointed out that they were not able to be played on > regular player pianos. He looked at me like I was an idiot. "People don't > buy them to PLAY" he bellowed- "They buy them for Antique Authenticity!!!"I'd > have given him two hundred dollars or more in business. I doubt that > he moved many of them at fifteen dollars. No wonder he was going out of > business. > Eric Stott
