Unbuilt Kits

[Harvey A. Kader]

A unbuilt Dynaco ST-35 amplifier just went for over $600.00. Why would
anyone pay that? My Dynaco brochure from 1964 lists it at $62.95. That
means the unit went for 10 times the price in 1964! Plus, this
particular unit was a later version which means it was not as good as
the early versions in terms of parts quality. Boggles the mind!

Just a note on collecting unbuilt kits(and this is strictly my opinion).
Over a sufficient period of time these so called collectibles will each
be nothing more than a rubble of dust. Parts AGE over time whether used
or not. Metals corrode, switches stick, resistors change values so they
are completely out of tolerance, capacitors dry up to the point of being
non-functional, meters and motors eventually rust and seaze, plastic
insulation on wires dry up and fall off, paper dries up and eventually
gets corroded by its own acid, and paint falls off metal surfaces.And
many of these parts were custom made for the kits, and are irreplacable.

So what are you left with - RUBBLE! Absolutely worthless!! People may
think(erroneously) that an unbuilt kit that is 10-30 years old has much
value now. But, in another 20-40 years when everything turns to rubble
from age, does anyone seriously believe that people will want to
purchase such a collection of useless parts. I believe that unbuilt kits
are a lousy investment. Collecting them makes absolutely no sense{cents-
)}.

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