[ Craig Wiley wrote in 130308 MMDigest:

> A couple of weeks ago at an Elgin, Illinois, auction by Bunte Auction
> Services two North Tonawanda band organs sold together as a lot for
> around $2,000.  I wasn't in attendance, but I'm curious why they
> brought such a low price.  Can anyone explain?

Hello Craig et al,  These organs (which are probably two Wurlitzer 105s)
were not the only items on the auction block; there were a variety of
other "basket cases" of grind organs.

I originally was also interested as the prices listed originally were
so low, but [after] considering shipping it wasn't an option at all.

Looking back at it -- and with some insight from an auction regular --
even the prices they hit (Internet bids!) probably were still waaay to
high and there will be buyers remorse setting in soon.

If you look back, there wasn't particularly much of information given
and the pictures only showed whatever "chocolate" side was left.  Some
of these organs might be missing quite a bit of pieces (e.g., barrels)
and what the two "large organ vendors" (that's what the Wurlitzers
were listed as) concerns: who knows if they had the entire roll
mechanism or even bellows!

It appears to me that most of the items listed were old stock of bits
and pieces that were used as spares for other instruments and, in and
of themselves, were too far gone to be worthwhile resurrecting (and
therefore were  auctioned).

The thing is economics: if paying $2000 for something that will require
$20000 of work to be presentable, at which stage you have a counter
value of $14000, you are going backwards!

Don't get me wrong -- I'm all for rescuing every bit!  But in the end
this will have to be entirely just as a labour of love, 'cuz
financially it don't make sense.

Ingmar Krause
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
http://www.grindorgans.com/