I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Tubas, euphoniums, mouthpieces, and anything music-related.
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hrender
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by hrender »

Urgon wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 10:22 am
arpthark wrote: Fri Sep 09, 2022 8:49 pm - Looks like a Keefer Eb recently sold on eBay for about $800
I don't see any results in All Categories, sold listings for "Keefer" and "tuba" (quotes used to force the words to be used). If I search just "Keefer" in the Music & Gear category, I see only three instruments, and none are tubas. Where did you find this listing?

I'm no eBay searching pro, though.
Got to Advanced Search (i.e. click on the Advanced link next to the search button).

Enter your search terms.

Under "Search Including" click on "Title and description" (for current listings) or "Completed listings" (for past listings). Note you can't do both.

Click "Search".

The completed listings search will give you a good idea of what prices things are bringing.
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arpthark (Wed Sep 14, 2022 11:11 am) • Urgon (Wed Sep 14, 2022 11:17 am)


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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by Urgon »

arpthark wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 10:56 am Try here.
Thanks! Now when I search for it from scratch, I see it. I didn't do anything different from my previous searches. :huh:
hrender wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 11:07 am Got to Advanced Search...
That's what I was doing, and now I see it. No idea why. I bet I did something wrong when I did the search and some box checked that I shouldn't have. I tired several times, though.

I usually do "Sold" listings because auctions can complete without selling, and it might be because the starting price was way too high, but this particular auction was sold, so I should have seen it.
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arpthark (Wed Sep 14, 2022 11:21 am)
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by greenbean »

That guy from Ohio REALLY lowballed you. Wow.

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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by hrender »

greenbean wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 11:58 am That guy from Ohio REALLY lowballed you. Wow.
Likely a reseller. That's how they make their money. Same folks you see with two shopping carts full of stuff at Goodwill that they load into the back of a Mercedes.
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by hrender »

Urgon wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 11:15 am I usually do "Sold" listings because auctions can complete without selling, and it might be because the starting price was way too high, but this particular auction was sold, so I should have seen it.
[edited for clarity]
It's also good to see what prices were asked on auctions/BINs that didn't succeed. Sometimes an "unsuccessful" auction occurs when the seller sells the item off-site. I have had instances of that, both on auctions I've won and lost, in the last year. In the former case, the seller offered me a BIN outside of my auction bid, I think because of my ebay score, but I chose to let the auction complete and got the item at the offered price. In the latter case, someone else made an offer to the seller that the seller took rather than let the auction complete.
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by bloke »

28K sousaphones are interesting and appealing, depending on condition, and also particularly after some circuit lengths are altered for more accessible intonation…

… but – just as real estate is “location, location, location“ - ninety-year-old sousaphones are “valves, valves, valves”, and - so far - there is no valve information…

… and then there’s the needed dent removal and cleaning (and for me: needed circuit length alterations) that the pictures are showing.

Consumers are going to either want the raw nickel silver valves to fit with original close tolerances, or they’re going to want them to be rebuilt with nickel plating to original close tolerances. These days, a valve rebuild job alone - on one of those - costs about the same as a used miraclone C tuba. 😐
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by bort2.0 »

hrender wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 12:04 pm
greenbean wrote: Wed Sep 14, 2022 11:58 am That guy from Ohio REALLY lowballed you. Wow.
Likely a reseller. That's how they make their money. Same folks you see with two shopping carts full of stuff at Goodwill that they load into the back of a Mercedes.
Offers are offers, and if they offend just ignore them.

But the person offering doesn't know what the seller's situation is (here or elsewhere). Sometimes sellers, particularly seller's of someone else's estate are happy to deal with speed and certainty, rather than holding out for top dollar.

Conversely, services can be highballed for the same reason... after I posted on uShip last night I quickly got a bid for $1100 to get the tuba from Minnesota to Texas in 2-3 days. That's a lot of money, but about what it would cost to do it myself. It's high, compared to other offers in the couple of hundred dollar range, where the tuba tags along with someone already hauling a trailer or whatever.

And for the Goodwill analogy, if those prices are lowballs, then that's on them for setting the prices. It's a store that sells things to whoever wants to buy them. I've been a few times to see what's there. I'll say though, I don't think the typical customer and I were in for any competition. And if you save on clothes (or whatever), that allows you to save for the better car. You don't get rich by writing a lot of checks...

I expressed interest in one of these tubas... I think it's out of my price range, but surely someone is going to want it, and I wish the seller the best with this.

If nothing else this is a caution to me to stay on top of my own inventory, and make sure my wife and kids know what my stuff is worth and how to sell it. And, to not have so much stuff to begin with.

Good luck to the OP, and best wishes to your dad!
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Urgon (Thu Sep 15, 2022 1:52 pm)
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by bloke »

I just posted about the valve condition and how important it is. Just to be a bit more to the point, I would personally consider the thing to be worth about $1000, considering the (seen in pics) work that’s needed to address damage and to do some things to circuit lengths to render more than just a curiosity. If (???) the pistons and casings are toast, I would sort of consider it to be of decor value (ie. just about what - reportedly - someone offered, if that much).
In stunning factory condition (with perfect plating and perfect valves), I could see $3000, but there would still need to be hundreds of dollars of work done to alter some circuit lengths. As far as the Chinese knockoff of this model (which I’ve seen offered for sale elsewhere) is concerned, I personally consider that one to be a no-go.
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by Urgon »

bloke wrote: Thu Sep 15, 2022 7:13 am 28K sousaphone... so far - there is no valve information…
I updated the gallery to include photos of the valves.

I updated all of the photo galleries with valve photos, except for the Yamaha Bf. It was in another room and I forgot all about it, and I'm away from Rochester again. Maybe I can get Paul Abel to send me photos.

I'm going to be listing these for sale very soon. Handy quote of the galleries:
Urgon wrote:
  1. Conn USQMC Helicon - https://photos.app.goo.gl/qE9XGzypSPsZCuVV6 (Includes a loose Conn valve cluster. It has a King valve cluster is on it now.)
  2. Conn Sousaphone - https://photos.app.goo.gl/GVRqxKbSkmfuDasv6 (c. 1939)
  3. Yamaha YBB-321 Bb Tuba - https://photos.app.goo.gl/VVZVaf96cW4YFiiLA
  4. Yamaha YEB-321S Eb Tuba - https://photos.app.goo.gl/QQcjJ6iobBaozUuP8
  5. Keefer Eb Tuba - https://photos.app.goo.gl/5w1VEfXEYsaW7vxk9
  6. Mirafone Standard 1610 - https://photos.app.goo.gl/bnHLyasgm5tvrUFh8
  7. Conn Alto Horn - https://photos.app.goo.gl/VjZaCcU1xgKFyJ7J7
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by humBell »

I figured i'd mention, since i didn't see anyone else point it out.

The separate Conn valve set is short action as are on 20Ks, so it probably isn't the original valve set either, as this would be the first i'd heard of a short action helicon. Doesn't mean they weren't made, just is a surprise for me (but one i'd love to hear)

Hope everything works out well for your father!
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Urgon (Mon Sep 19, 2022 9:57 am)
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by Urgon »

humBell wrote: Sat Sep 17, 2022 5:32 pm The separate Conn valve set is short action as are on 20Ks, so it probably isn't the original valve set either...
Ah, thanks for the info! I'll stop including that as part of the helicon, since it's probably no better of a valve cluster for it than the King one is has now. The King valves are in particularly good condition.

To everyone, I made the official sale listings:
  1. Conn Helicon - viewtopic.php?p=51672
  2. Conn Eb Sousaphone - viewtopic.php?p=51671
  3. Yamaha YBB-321 Bb - viewtopic.php?p=51669
  4. Yamaha YEB-321S Eb - viewtopic.php?p=51670
  5. Keefer Eb Tuba - viewtopic.php?p=51676
  6. Mirafone Standard - viewtopic.php?p=51674
  7. Conn Alto Horn - viewtopic.php?p=51673
I tried to reply to everyone who PM'ed me with any interest in any of the horns. If I missed one of the messages, I apologize!
Last edited by Urgon on Thu Sep 22, 2022 4:02 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by bort2.0 »

Corrected link: Mirafone Standard 1610 - viewtopic.php?t=5058
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Urgon (Tue Sep 20, 2022 4:47 pm)
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Re: I'm looking for ballpark appraisals of my dad's old instruments.

Post by Urgon »

bort2.0 wrote: Mon Sep 19, 2022 1:58 pm Corrected link: Mirafone Standard 1610 - viewtopic.php?t=5058
Thanks! I accidentally dropped a 4 on the post number. I had to fix every sale thread, too. :facepalm2:
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