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REPLY FROM: Kempinski, Robert M.
Frank,
Now I really don't understand your position. You said responding to Jeff
>"While I would no sooner like to see their value
>drop far below what I paid for them as I would like to see air cleaner
>prices drop, I don't ever PLAN to sell my stamps or my coins or my Tiger air
>cleaner."
So why do you care what your air cleaner is worth and why worry about an
accurate reproduction being made available? If you paid big bucks to get an
original air cleaner and you don't plan to sell it certainly you didn't do
it for speculation. I would hazard a guess that you did it for the
satisfaction knowing you have "an original air cleaner." That
satisfaction is what you paid the big bucks for - not the hunk of
metal. However, that satisfaction should have no affect on the true market
value of an air cleaner.
Right now air cleaners are rare so sellers jack up the price demanding a
premium due to supply and demand. But air cleaners are not priceless art
nor a collectable with a worldwide appeal. There was no individual genius
with artistic skill making one - just some basic mass production
manufacturing know how. They are late 20th century stamped
metal that obviously can be replicated. There is no law saying they can't
be copied (unlike currency and stamps). When so, their value will reflect
the supply and demand. Since you are not a speculator, why should this
bother you? You will still have the satisfaction knowing you
have an original and not a reproduction and no one can take that from you.
If you are forced to sell it due to dire financial circumstances,
(hopefully never to come to pass) tough luck. You may have made a bad money
decision. Then again, maybe you'll make money on it. It happens a thousand
times a day. Hell, I stand to lose a heck
of a lot more based on what I spent for my Tiger. (Of course, we all know
what you spend is not necessarily what something is worth.) But I
would still like to see a reproduction air cleaner. In fact, I would like to
see an accurate reproduction for every part on the Tiger so that when the old
ones wear out, they can be replaced. Pyschoanalysts call this Mustang Envy.
Consider the premiums people pay. Take the green fees at Peeble
Beach. I think it costs arround $300 to tee it up there. People pay the
extra couple of hundred to know they played a classic/ great
golf course. But what do they really possess afterwards? A score card and
some nice memories (alright maybe a shirt or golf towel too.) Those are
always theirs and the money is Peeble Beach's. Now there are many other golf
courses that try to replicate Peeble Beach and cost a lot less. And people
play them like crazy. Anyway, I'm getting off track here - must need a golf
fix.
I can understand people collecting stamps and coins and other items for their
worldwide apeal, chance to learn history and geography. But I can't
understand anyone wanting to collect Tiger air cleaners (other than one for
their car) other than to make money on other Tiger owners.
Sorry if I misunderstand your position.
Rob
Houston, Texas
Just say - And when the next gas crisis hits all our cars and air cleaners
will be worth squat.
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