5 Jun
2011
5 Jun
'11
12:26 p.m.
We should keep in mind the source of this stuff: a
high-school lab. Sure,
there's always a possibility there are some old/valuable pieces in there
that perhaps were donated to the high school some time ago, but given the
situation it's more likely to be lower-end stuff for student/course use from
the 70's-or-so and not of much value. I wouldn't anticipate much, either in
dollars as the seller or in equipment as a collector.
I agree. Those sloped front cases also tend to detract from the value
of the meters. And any meters with cracked or chipped cases or glass,
open shunts and windings, peeling face paint, or needles that will not
zero, are generally worthless. Repair is easy, but I doubt she wants
to deal with repair at all.
The meter market is largely driven by the vintage audio crowd, and to
a lesser extent the ham builder crowd. They have no place for the
cases, and tend to junk them. This is also why certain ranges of
meters are good, and others are not - they basically correspond to
what the circuits are that the guys are playing with - tube filament
voltages, plate currents, and so forth.
I have sold more than 700 meters in the past 3 years. If the physics
teacher needs more advice, I can point out the ones that have
potential. Honesty, I think she should see if some local ham club
could take them off her hands and sell them at a hamfest, and maybe
get a percentage. Maybe the Boy Scouts could help.
--
Will