Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Sonny, Here's an urban memory for you: I purchased my first Leica, a black IIIc with Elmar and case, from a pawn shop for $10.50 when I was 11 years old. The pawn broker was mainly a gun dealer and didn't really know what he had--nor did I really, but something about the way the camera felt and sounded told me it was valuable. Soon after, a camera shop gave me an appraisal, around $250 at the time, and I was tickled. No remorse or guilt on that one, and still trying, (in vain), to duplicate that transaction... Cheers, Patrick - --- "SonC (Sonny Carter)" <sonc@sonc.com> wrote: > Patrick, > I think you'll find that managers of those thrift > stores are not > dummies. This whole thing is, IMO, an example of > the "windfall > legend." The person who first posted it, owned up > to the fact that > he doesn't know the man who bought the camera, just > that he is a > fireman. > > Check out snopes' take on the windfall legend, and > you'll see the > amazing similarity. > http://www.snopes.com/luck/declare.htm > > The moral contradiction in the Leica story is > similar to that where a > widow sells her dead soldier son's car for $200. > As Snopes puts > it: "Deep down we're really nice people, but we're > still not averse > to profiting from someone else's misfortune, even if > in the process we > have to skin the mother of a dead war hero." > > Notice that you never hear stories like this > directly from the person > who bought it? If you had the opportunity, what > would you do? > > Kim seems to think she knows exactly what I would do > if presented the > opportunity, but I doubt I'll ever find out, because > having been in > literally thousands of thrift stores, pawn shops > and garage sales, I > have seen far more over-priced things than > underpriced. > > SonC > (who has donated cases of Peanut Butter to charity) > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Patrick Jelliffe" <pbjbike@yahoo.com> > To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> > Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 12:58 PM > Subject: Re: [Leica] Leica Bargin BAH! > > > > In the last few years, some Salvation Army and > > Goodwill stores are putting much higher prices on > > collectible items, sometimes more than they are > worth. > > A few of them even sell on the auction site. In > this > > day and age, managers of thrift stores ought to be > > savvy enough to do a little investigation on the > rarer > > items that come their way. > > > > Cheers, > > > > Patrick > > > > --- Frank Dernie <Frank.Dernie@btinternet.com> > wrote: > > > different societies have different levels of > > > acceptable behaviour and > > > greed. The whole bargain hunting ethos and > caveat > > > emptor approach to > > > trade operates at a level of greed I, and > presumably > > > Teresa, find > > > immoral even if it is legal. If somebody steals > $30 > > > from a little old > > > lady because they can snatch her purse they are > no > > > more dishonest than > > > an antiques dealer who knowingly pays $30 less > for > > > an item they buy > > > from her. One exploits physical weakness, the > other > > > ignorance. Both are > > > dishonest even though one is legal. > > > Just MHO > > > Frank > > > > > > -- > > > To unsubscribe, see > http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > > > __________________________________ > > Do you Yahoo!? > > Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync > to Outlook(TM). > > http://calendar.yahoo.com > > -- > > To unsubscribe, see > http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yahoo.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html