Moving on from Keith's great find at a car boot, what's your best find. Free doesn't count 2 years ago on the way home from Newark we called into a car boot, on a stall there was a little lad playing with an almost mint 96. How much says I, ?1 says he, I'll give you 50p says I, OK then Well it was only loose in a plastic ice cream container
Umm...probably my $15 (I think it was, might have been 10) Optimus 22, complete and working if a bit tatty. Then again the $5 working 8R was pretty cool, too
I don't think many of us will top yours Henry, mine is a mint Coleman 400A @?3 - -and a 199 for ?8, both in the last month . Is it going to be a good year.
My NZ$50 Taylor boat oven (GBP17): still available new for GBP1200! But just bettering that wasn't a stove: a mint pair of Swarovski binoculars for $45 at a Cash Converters. I would have readily paid ten times that
Hummm; well if you are counting only cash paid for the item then it has to be the $5.00 paid for four Coleman lanterns. Two worked right off with only fettleing the pump leather and new seals in the filler cap. and two are junk at the fount but by using another fount stored away i we able to make a third. Ohh and the ventilator tops were all like near new. One is now taking a slow boat to the UK. Most likely it will go by way of Japan, Hong Kong, Brisbane, Sri Lomkapor, back to Hong Kong, and then off to France and Italy where it will get lost in the local postal system until next year. It will then go by submarine to Ireland and finely across the sea to Wales where it will again get lost in the postal system and remain hidden in an attic for 50 years. lance
By far the best deal I have ever encountered came off eBay and out of Germany. It was a Primus commercial burner with four vertical roarers, in mint (never used) condition with all of its bits. I bid the one euro starting price and everyone else in the world must have been asleep for nine days!! ! 8) 8) This one was definately worth the cost of shipping!!! That was about three years ago. With the way this hobby has grown and the increasing number of folks prowling eBay looking for stoves, I don't expect to see the like of this find again. Of course that doesn't stop me from looking. Gordon
Henry: Today I am getting and installing a new digicam chip reader and software. If everything works I will be giving the picture thing another try. If it works, LOOK OUT for a flood of pics. I also picked 3 of those little Enders Benzin Babys, the olive green military model, unused and with the original tissue paper still wrapping some of the bits inside the case. I recall the total being about 12 euros. Again, no other bidders. A mint Volcano 111 and "modern" Juwel 34, also mint, fall in that same catagory. 8) 8) Our friends from the isle of the rising sun have pretty much put the kabash on these kinds of finds. I'm sure there a few more nuggets to be mined, if they can be found, AND no one else is looking in the same neck of the woods that you have nailed down. Good luck!! Gordon
Baby Ender's - adopted out to a good home, CampingGaz Globe Trotter and Optimus Mouse Trap all for $12US. Just a few months ago. Then there was a poorly described MSR X-GK for $29US last month. I tend to be a bottom troller who hopes to slip by. My worst was a Whiperlite that need a Maintence kit after paying more than it would have cost new. Iain Where's Doc at a time like this. He is a divineing rod for stove bargains.
A "belysningssett" that is 2 optimus 350CP in a box, with spares, mantles, extra globe, two meth cans and a paraffin can, for 250Nkr. Never used military equipment. Now they have burned a few hours
Aaaah can i add two of my smaller stoves: No? Okay, thanks for that, i'll do it anyway. Way back when i first started collecting stoves i found a treasure of brass stoves and picked up a Primus 96 and an Optimus 00 for $15.00 USD each. They were complete but still needed to be fettled and i didn't have a clue as to how to do this. Enter the internet and CCS. They now reside in my storage case to take to gatherings and then on those occasions do get used for their intended purpose. lance
Just got in from a boot sale with a 210 sport, all there & the tin is in good nick. No probs with the boss lady - - 'twas her that saw it - - AND payed for it too - -bargained it down to ?4.00 - - tight old moo.