The one that got away: tell us about a good deal that slipped through your fingers

Concer · Nov 18, 2020

Wow, iam not that firearms guy, but they look amazing. Very nice artwork! May i ask the price those duelling pistols are worth?

Edit: Relating the topic ive had such a moment last time yesterday. On a local selling portal a elderly woman was selling the watches from her late husband. Among those watches was a Vintage Heuer Autavia... for 50 Euros 😵‍💫😡
I called her two minutes after she put the ad online... but it was already sold.🫨

Canuck · Nov 18, 2020

About 60 years ago, I bought a 1929 model A Ford touring car out of a farmer’s field, for $50.00. I had to tow it 450 miles, but it was a steal. I was young, and I had a row with my father because the car (not running) was a bit of an eyesore, sitting in the driveway. I sold it for $50.00😬.

Fast forward to 1985 when I found a Hamilton model XXI marine chronometer for sale. I decided not to buy it for money reasons. My wife blew her stack. She told me to buy it, and we’d worry about the money, later. Her reasoning was she didn’t want to have to listen to me bemoaning the fact I didn’t buy it. Apparently, I had been grumbling about missing out on the model A for the 20 years we had been married. I still have the chronometer.

onlyomega94 · Nov 18, 2020

Cool how I intitially thought about vintage Omegas that got away but the stories have branched out to other items also. Many good stories out there.

janice&fred · Nov 18, 2020

Oh man I got enough of those "shoulda, coulda, woulda, if only" stories to exceed the band width of this site!

However the most recent was last Saturday at the NYC flea market. Me and our fellow member here Norfolk were perusing the various flea market vendors when we simultaneously spotted a red hot watch deal for cheap. We both started nervously eyeing the watch when I blurted out that I'm gonna grab the deal. He said "good plan but first take one of these breath mints". Next thing I remember is waking up an hour later slumped over in a plastic chair at the coffee and snack area and no more Norfolk. I stumbled over to the vendor and the red hot watch deal was gone as well.

I texted Norfolk and asked him what happened and he said since I chose to take a nap he bought the watch as he didn't want to see it slip away.

JwRosenthal · Nov 18, 2020

onlyomega94
This is very interesting - and scary - reading. I guess the takeaway for a young collector as myself is to buy if at all possible and rest assure that money will most likely come at a later point

I think the underlying theme is that if you know you want it, and the purchase won’t cause economic hardship, then don’t hesitate. But do not put yourself into debt for a collection nor fool yourself into justifying a purchase because it’s a “sound investment”. The market for collectibles (art included) is incredibly fickle- buy it because you love it, when you start speculating you have lost the raison d’ etre.

myatt · Nov 18, 2020

Dero13
I missed this Speedmaster Racing which sold for 5k about 2 years ago. I knew enough to know it was something special but not enough to act aggressively on it.

Oh hell no! That must hurt...

Lonestar · Nov 18, 2020

Dero13
I missed this Speedmaster Racing which sold for 5k about 2 years ago. I knew enough to know it was something special but not enough to act aggressively on it.

don't have too many regrets - this is not a racing speedy, just a touched-up dial with 145.029 hands it seems. If someone bought that for $5K they got the short end of the stick 😵‍💫

For comparison:

STANDY · Nov 18, 2020

Woke up Saturday morning and check the forum to see a nice Bulova alarm for sale listed 1minute ago. Thought I would make a coffee and wake up a bit and send a PM. Made coffee sat down and gone within 3 minutes. Nooooo

https://omegaforums.net/threads/1967-bulova-wrist-alarm-outstanding-condition.26260/

To end happily I got dibs a few months later. 👍👍

Rudi99 · Nov 18, 2020

lindo
Three pairs of duelling pistols were illustrated on the back cover - the first two were from the Queen's Royal Collection, and the third were mine.

So you can guess the moral of my story - sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind, and go for it.

Wow, such a great story! Thanks for sharing it. I think for the fact alone, that the pictures of your pieces were there next to those of the royal english collection, it was worth it!

I am not into firearms, but they do look really beautiful. Congrats.

onlyomega94 · Nov 18, 2020

lindo
The objects of my desire were silver mounted duelling pistols made in 1776 by the man who was one of the leaders of early duelling pistol design, Robert Wogdon.

I am not into these but agree with others that they look like the most beautiful craftsmanship.

STANDY · Nov 18, 2020

lindo
The objects of my desire were silver mounted duelling pistols made in 1776 by the man who was one of the leaders of early duelling pistol design, Robert Wogdon.

Duelling pistols, “what do they want for them” (in The Castle darryl kerrigan voice )

High Hope · Nov 18, 2020

Mine is a tragic tale that I will painfully remember forever. 1985-ish, out of grad school and wanting to get into the market and buy my first house. A program for lower income borrowers (me!) offered a great interest rate but you had to have 10% down. I borrowed $5,000 from M&D and eked together the $10,000 for a down payment and started putting the deal together. I was a regular reader of the the local "Cars Wanted" cheesy newsprint publication with tiny B&W photos. There it was, my absolute dream car! A "running, needs work" Aston Martin DB4, asking $10,000.

Oooh did I want to go buy that Aston. Cash. I hesitated and did the adult thing and passed on the car. Ironically, it was bought by a local lawyer I knew who routinely flipped high end collector cars. I know, 'cause I saw him driving it a day or two later after he'd bought it! He and I later had an another unpleasant encounter whereby I hesitated on a $20,000 Allard J2X that he then scooped up.

The one that got away. Any Aston, in any condition, will start at $250,000 for a basket case and go to $500-800,000 when perfect.

ETA I see that this is a DB5, but you get the idea...

Lonestar · Nov 18, 2020

not a watch story but I still haven't come to peace with it 20+ years after.

I've always been a very passionate about cars since I was old enough to launch my hotwheels full tilt through the living room, build Tamiya models, blow all my pocket money on car mags and RC car parts... One of my dream cars when I was a teen in the 80's was a Vette, any Vette, really, the whole franchise had that quintessential "american aura" thing, big engine, brash looks, totally non-european, and thus so desirable. My dad travelled a couple of times to the US back then and once he brought me back the full sale brochure to the ZR1 C4... I was just beginning to learn English at school, and this was strong incentive to become better. This and understanding the words on these Dire Straits CD leaflets, it's all about incentivization 😉

15 years after, here I am in Texas, my first "real" job contract signed in the Tech industry, feeling extremely lucky to be there, and ready to take on the world! And then my beat-up Toyota Corolla breaks down for good 🤪 Well.... maybe living that American Dream fully is going to arrive even faster than I though 😁

I start shopping around and end up at this amazing Vette-specialized dealer in North Austin, called Corvette Country... and they have a red 96 Convertible Collector's Ed with the 6spd and the sport suspension.... 30K$. That's a lot of money for someone who just started making a living, but then again, no kids, living in a 2 bedroom, totally mobile, feeling invincible, you get the idea. I walk out of the shop around 4pm with stars in my eyes, after having said "Let me think about it and come back to you".

After talking to my g/f of the time, who is still with me as my wife now, and who actually encouraged me to go ahead (this is why we are still together I guess!) we get to 6pm - I call them back and explain I'm the young guy with this weird accent that couldn't take his eyes of that '96 red jewel and asked them all these questions... and I will buy it.

And then : "Sir - I'm so really sorry. We sold it 1hr ago"

Had I been run over by an 18-wheeler, I wouldn't have felt any more devastated... This was the end of my american car dream. I ended up buying a Mitsubishi Eclipse convertible because it was still somewhat fun and I was in a serious "whatever" mood after a few weeks of driving around in a rental sh!tbox. I was back in Europe a couple of years after. Driving such a car as the Vette in Europe is utter nonsense, plus life, kids, mortgage, job, etc...

I still have the ZR1 sales brochure. I also still have the business card from Corvette Country. I still look at it with misty eyes sometimes... The very fact that I know exactly where it is 20+yrs after is a sign that I haven't fully moved on 😁 Defo first world problems. Just pulled it out for you guys:

Take care and stay safe everyone!

Tony C. · Nov 18, 2020

During the 1980s I spent some time working as a waiter in an upscale seafood grill in Chicago. I had a regular client, in the sense that he would request me as a server, who was a successful stock broker. I enjoyed chatting with him (and his invariably beautiful girlfriends) about a variety of topics, but almost never about stocks. One evening, while he and his friend were enjoying the last of their wine, he said something to the effect of "Look, our company will be bringing a company public shortly that is the best managed start-up I have ever seen. If you have a few bucks to invest, I'd encourage it strongly."

Well, at the time, I was far too interested in "investing" my capital at the local Chicago racetracks, which actually worked out fine, as I became a professional in the racing industry with a several decade career. But I did tell my father, who was a teacher, and invested most of his disposable income in the stock market. He ignored the advice.

The company was Compaq computer. 🤦

STANDY · Nov 18, 2020

Tony C.
During the 1980s I spent some time working as a waiter in an upscale seafood grill in Chicago. I had a regular client, in the sense that he would request me as a server, who was a successful stock broker. I enjoyed chatting with him (and his invariably beautiful girlfriends) about a variety of topics, but almost never about stocks. One evening, while he and his friend were enjoying the last of their wine, he said something to the effect of "Look, our company will be bringing a company public shortly that is the best managed start-up I have ever seen. If you have a few bucks to invest, I'd encourage it strongly."

Well, at the time, I was far too interested in "investing" my capital at the local Chicago racetracks, which actually worked out fine, as I became a professional in the racing industry with a several decade career. But I did tell my father, who was a teacher, who invested most of his disposable income in the stock market. He ignored the advice.

The company was Compaq computer. 🤦

Working at Sydney airport and had to spray a jockeys saddle with a solution that had just flown in from Hong Kong to ride a group 1 race in the Sydney races. Being a cheeky guy I asked for a tip in the treatment room whilst spraying his saddle. “Anything I’m on today but have the most on Race 5 no 10” he replied.
Didn’t bet on it and he rode it to a win by 3 lengths and payed quite well 🤦
He won 4 of his 5 starts the same day

Tony C. · Nov 18, 2020

STANDY
Working at Sydney airport and had to spray a jockeys saddle with a solution that had just flown in from Hong Kong to ride a group 1

Do you remember his name?

STANDY · Nov 18, 2020

Tony C.
Do you remember his name?

PM coming

eugeneandresson · Nov 18, 2020

Lonestar
this is not a racing speedy, just a touched-up dial with 145.029 hands it seems. If someone bought that for $5K they got the short end of the stick 😵‍💫

You are joking/being sarcastic, right?

rcs914 · Nov 18, 2020

eugeneandresson
You are joking/being sarcastic, right?

I would hope he is. Even it it was all cobbled together from parts, that's definitely a legit dial worth way more than $5K

ezinternet · Nov 18, 2020

jeppehh
Keep in mind that not all investments are good investments. I’m sure we could fill another thread with stories like that. 😲

Fill a thread? I have a watch box full of those "story" watches 😀

The one that got away: tell us about a good deal that slipped through your fingers

Concer

Canuck

onlyomega94

janice&fred

JwRosenthal

myatt

Lonestar

STANDY

Rudi99

onlyomega94

STANDY

High Hope

Lonestar

Tony C.

STANDY

Tony C.

STANDY

eugeneandresson

rcs914

ezinternet

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