Hi Mouse. I must apologize for having not posted and responded for so long. I don’t really have an excuse. I have thought about posting a hundred times but every time either something happens that needs attention or I get the wind knocked out of my sails. I wonder if others are having the same difficulty at this time in history. Anyhow, I’m Baaack !Originally Posted by Mouse
It sounds like you have a great wife and family there; with so many barterer and horse traders you all will be able to make your dollars stretch to the breaking point. I suggest that you each put together a list of your wants and needs. And share copies to each other. This way, when any one of you are out there on the hunt you will be the eyes and ears for each other - thus multiplying the odds of finding what you need. I even pay a finder’s fee for some items; this has made me deals and money that I otherwise would not have ever known about.
The sewing and knitting items that your wife found at garage sale prices would have cost many times more if she had bought them new. Besides saving a load of after tax money you had earned, she also bought these items with no state sales tax. And something that few consider is how your wife’s (and your) lives were enriched since she probably would haven’t bought these items if she had to have paid full retail. I bet momma was happy and you know the old saying “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”.
I can look all around my place and see items that I had found for practically nothing that I would have never bought new. Some we can use and some will be resold at a profit later. It’s all good. Remember what Ponce said about living in Cuba where many, many things cannot be bought at any price. Ponce believes that we will become like Cuba in time and that we should have multiples of things we take for granted such as coffee machines, toasters, drills, etc. I listen to Ponce and ACT on his wisdom and have accumulated backup items for the years to come. I just hope it will not be for 50 years like in Cuba.
Good score on the $15 toolbox. New it would have been hundreds of dollars, used it would have been $100-150 as you wrote, but you practically stole it for $15 ! As I have written through the years, we as a society are moving from form to function. Form is new, modern and most expensive while function is at the lowest price we can pay for the same utility of the item.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if we all were to calculate the savings by buying used items and then invest that savings into physical silver ? Could amount to a life’s savings in time. But this doesn’t usually happen since we all are pinching pennies and don’t have discretionary money for long term investments.
A few days ago I received a call from a seller who I had put on the back burner. It was for a large quantity of vinyl records. I wrote of this in post #41 on Sept 29 when I had first met this seller. So it has been two and a half months until I completed the deal. Turns out, he had “only” 1,400 records. I bought them for a total of $100. There were about 25 half speed master recordings. The last one I bought 15 years ago cost me $31 new. So I guess I got more that what I paid for in just those 25 records. The rest were a lifetime collection of rock and roll starting in the mid 1960s. Some really great stuff.
And to top that, he sold me a laser guided Technics turntable where the person never touches the tone arm; it is automatic. This accounts for why almost all of the records had no scratches on them. Oh, by the way, he sold me the turntable for $5 !
I asked the all important question, “What else have you got for sale ? He had about 60 Cds for $5; I bought them, not knowing what they were and later found about 15 I put aside for my own listening.. The rest I may give away or sell at a garage sale. Hey, I’m a packrat and can’t help myself.
He asked if I was interested in antiques and then pulled out a box full of antique jewelry and art objects. Some beautiful jade and ivory pieces. I still haven’t valued them all. A carved ivory bracelet like mine was on Ebay for $350 and some of the jade pieces were surprisingly expensive from what I could gather from Ebay and retail prices. The whole box cost me $30 !
This seller has lots more he wants to get rid of including a huge chest full of old baseball cards going back to the days of Babe Ruth and earlier. He said that they are in protective individual packaging. I know almost nothing about baseball cards and could lose my ass so I need to do some research before going into this. The whole chest may cost a couple of thousand dollars and I’m not sure that I want to risk this much capital. I’ve done this in the past and always come out smelling like roses but just one big slipup can destroy a year’s bargain hunting profits. My hesitance is that baseball cards are a hobby and the economy is bad and fragile and could break down without warning. So who would want baseball cards after a market crash ? Well, if I could get the lot cheap and sell off enough cards to recoup my initial investment within short order, it may be worth the risk.
And who knows; maybe I won’t even be able to make this baseball card deal in the future. This is why I always have my eyes and ears open for deals to make. Some fall through and some come in big winners but I try to always have some deals in the works.
Best wishes,
Agnut
The Coinage Act of April 2, 1792
(1 Stat. 246)
Statute I.
April 2, 1792 Chapter XVI.–An Act Establishing a Mint, and regulating the coins of the United States.
Section 19. And be it further enacted, That if any of the gold or silver coins which shall be struck or coined at the said mint shall be debased or made worse as to the proportion of the fine gold or fine silver therein contained, or shall be of less weight or value than the same out to be pursuant to the directions of this act, through the default or with the connivance of any of the officers or persons who shall be employed at the said mint, for the purpose of profit or gain, or otherwise with a fraudulent intent, and if any of the said officers or persons shall embezzle any of the metals which shall at any time be committed to their charge for the purpose of being coined, or any of the coins which shall be struck or coined at the said mint, every such officer or person who shall commit any or either of the said offenses, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and shall suffer death.