Another depressing trip to the local jeweler

[Cary]

I took a watch today to get cleaned and luckly the original owner was there. He has decided he likes me and likes to talk watches. I was looking at a nice original Bunn Special 60 hr motor barrel, used but nice, hanging on a flimsy paneling nail behind the counter. I said, "I wish you would take that watch off that nail, it scares me" He asks, why, is it a good one? I explained that it was nice enough that I couldnt afford it. He tells me to take it down and goes back to the safe, and says, hang another one up there then.

Well out comes the red leather Hamilton box, holding 12 of the most beautiful watches of the RR era.

The bottom 6 were mainly Hamiltons and the top 6 were Illinois, E Howard and an Elgin and a Waltham.

All NOS. Yep, I was drooling over a NOS 950 an New Bunn 60 hour in white gold, its mate in yellow with the marked dial. I was about to expire as he and his son think they are "neat" but have no real interest in them.

Then comes the kicker, he says I got this case when so and so closed his store in 74, do you want to know what I paid for them?

I figured lets see 1974 and jeweler to jeweler, I was actually afraid to ask. Well, he told me his wife fussed at him for paying $300.00

I need a nap...


The kicker is I went in there to try and buy a 16s 17j Bunn off him, that is sitting in a box marked "unclaimed repairs, too high to fix" I forgot to try and buy it!!

I am going to try and get some numbers next Tuesday when I go pick up my watch, but he is sort of funny about that.

Cary

[Cary]

I took a watch today to get cleaned and luckly the original owner was there. He has decided he likes me and likes to talk watches. I was looking at a nice original Bunn Special 60 hr motor barrel, used but nice, hanging on a flimsy paneling nail behind the counter. I said, "I wish you would take that watch off that nail, it scares me" He asks, why, is it a good one? I explained that it was nice enough that I couldnt afford it. He tells me to take it down and goes back to the safe, and says, hang another one up there then.

Well out comes the red leather Hamilton box, holding 12 of the most beautiful watches of the RR era.

The bottom 6 were mainly Hamiltons and the top 6 were Illinois, E Howard and an Elgin and a Waltham.

All NOS. Yep, I was drooling over a NOS 950 an New Bunn 60 hour in white gold, its mate in yellow with the marked dial. I was about to expire as he and his son think they are "neat" but have no real interest in them.

Then comes the kicker, he says I got this case when so and so closed his store in 74, do you want to know what I paid for them?

I figured lets see 1974 and jeweler to jeweler, I was actually afraid to ask. Well, he told me his wife fussed at him for paying $300.00

I need a nap...


The kicker is I went in there to try and buy a 16s 17j Bunn off him, that is sitting in a box marked "unclaimed repairs, too high to fix" I forgot to try and buy it!!

I am going to try and get some numbers next Tuesday when I go pick up my watch, but he is sort of funny about that.

Cary

[terry hall]

great story!

Take your camera at least and lets see a pic of that Hamilton box!

[rrstd]

Cary,

Travel agencies around the country are wondering why all the sudden interest in flights to Texas :biggrin:

Great story, I'd love to see pics of the box also.

Rhett

[Dave Haynes]

Cary: I've run into these type of people before. They actually know what the stuff is but get a supreme thrill out of watching you squirm over it. You could put a gun to their head and they wouldn't sell anything. Like the kid who slowly licks his ice cream cone while you woof yours down and then makes you suffer for a while while he takes his time.
Dumb like a fox.

[hc3]

Dumb like a fox, ha. He'll die owning the watches, which his widow or children will sell for $25 each.

Not to you, though, but to some family friend that they trust to do them right.

[This message has been edited by hc3 (edited 08-28-2002).]

[Cary]

Oh,,,dont worry, the son, who now owns the store, knows what they are. He doesnt know how much they are worth, but he knows it is a pretty good bit. He came over to see what we were doing as soon as dad got the box out of the safe.

I can assure they wont get sold by anyone for 25.00 each

The only way I could get anything was to find the RR Regulator clock, they think it was a Howard, that they sold and now want back. I know where it is, sitting in an unheated garage, but I havent mustered up the courage to go and ask. That clock is one of those that will be sold at a garage sale for nothing. I just hope to be there when it happens.

The older man was our RR Time inspector and I have no idea what he has laying around that he thinks is worthless.

He recently, threw out all of the old store displays, including a Longines that had an animated watchmaker on it, working on watches. Neither he or his son had any idea there was a market for such things.

I dont even want to go into all the parts and tools that are sitting upstairs. He hasnt worked on watches for retail in 20 years.

Cary

[Greg Davis]

Cary,

Sounds to me like you need to take up solid waste collection as a hobby. Of course, you'll specialize in picking up HIS trash and only his trash.

- Greg

[fffffg]

he probably wont sell them untill he gets a value on them...
if you go back soon hell know your hooked and charge you full value by checking.... you need to wait at least 2 weeks befor you return if you want a good deal...
you need to go in when he needs cash.. take cash, what you want to spend,and have no more in your wallet,hell look when you open it, like its your last dollar, and go in the 6th of sept.just before the 10th bills are due... he didnt bite recently so his 1st rent bill is covered... this should be a slow time of year for jewelers.. as we aproach christmas his sales and accounts recievable may go up.. so if he dont bite, dont fret, go in next spring just before tax time and offer again... say you got your taxes back and this is how much you have left over after paying bills.. he has his own buisiness and may need tax money... just offer and leave... dont go in and google at them alll the time or youve already lost the game.... good luck...

[Dave Haynes]

fffffg: Been smokin' a bit of that black powder buddy?

[fffffg]

not enough bp, my email is ffffg@yahoo.com if you want to talk off list, or well both be breaking the rules...

[Steve Beck]

NOS Rail Roads I didn't know such things existed. Excellent investment much better than stocks.

[Tom McIntyre]

Just out of curiosity, since these are nearly unique specimens, why would anyone want to pay less than they are worth?

Why don't you offer to put them on eBay for him with a high reserve and buy them at a small premium over the high bid?

------------------
Tom McIntyre
Nice Person
Tommy the JOAT's Web (http://www.AWCo.org)

[Cary]

I can assure you, they really are not available for sale. Not while the dad is still with us anyway. I am not sure how serious the son would be once that happens, but in the next few years or a decade even, they will sit in the red leather box in the safe.

Which leads me to another question. Dont you wonder how many are still in jewelers safes?

When I was a Jewelry store manager, watches were almost a liability. You wanted to sell diamonds. You just had to sell watches to keep the folks happy.

I never miss a chance to go into small town mom and pop stores and ask to buy the unclaimed repairs or anything to start a conversation.

[John Cote]

Although I disagree with Tom, and would like to pay only a penny apiece for these watches, I think his idea of putting them on eBay and buying them if you wanted them is a good one. I would just say that it is fair and SOP to charge between 10 and 15% for selling someone else's stuff on eBay.

------------------
JohnCote
President, Indiana Chapter 18 - NAWCC
Member Chapter 149 (Member #105)
http://www.interstatetime.com