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Watch treasure hunting report

janice&fred
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Norfolk Norfolk
Sorry bout that Fred!

Seems like you covered the gas...look forward to going to the flea again. Are they doing it Sunday too? I thought it ended for good last December and the lease was up. Glad it鈥檚 back. Same people there?

Sunday too and yea seems like all the same peeps as before 馃憤
 
krogerfoot
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What's the black-dial one, then? That's the one I thought might be a Gen猫ve. Sorry if the misplaced accent grave threw you off. Feed the hamsters powering your modem and upload a shot of that one.
 
krogerfoot
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janice&fred janice&fred
Hah! You think that's merely an old Geneve? That my uninformed friend is an "Ultramar" and just in case you're not familiar with the language on the dial script and case back...neither am I but the red "special' caught my eye as that's what my mom says about me.
Spanish. Cuerda is mainspring and Cuerda Permanente is the name in the passport I'll use after I fake my death.
 
janice&fred
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krogerfoot krogerfoot
What's the black-dial one, then? That's the one I thought might be a Gen猫ve. Sorry if the misplaced accent grave threw you off. Feed the hamsters powering your modem and upload a shot of that one.

Oh that one is even more exciting! It's one of them there made in India watches and the guy told me it's a vintage all original 50's military issued piece.
Either that or he's lying and it's simply one of the gazillions of other similar examples I can buy any day in Manhattan for $50...

IMG_2578.JPG IMG_2581.jpg
 
inchpincher
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Hope it鈥檚 not rude to ask but how you sell these cheap finds? eBay, markets?

I see the better stuff can make it to forum sales but must be hard to make a buck on some of the obscure pieces.

Keep up the reporting please, it鈥檚 very enjoyable to spectate.
 
janice&fred
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inchpincher inchpincher
Hope it鈥檚 not rude to ask but how you sell these cheap finds? eBay, markets?

I see the better stuff can make it to forum sales but must be hard to make a buck on some of the obscure pieces.

Keep up the reporting please, it鈥檚 very enjoyable to spectate.

Most of the el-cheapo stuff I either give away or throw in as freebies whenever I ram the better stuff up the ass of youse guys on the forum 馃榿
 
McKinley
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$4 for the little lot, yard sale buy. Haven't even gotten home yet to clean up the Hamilton. Was overwound, played around with it a little, tapped on it and it started running. Has run for an hour since. I only bought the quartz Accutron because of the service medallion on the band. In my experience, there is usually just over a gram of 10K gold in these. I will acid test it, do what I can to make the Hamilton look a little better and post updated pics later. Is this what watch treasure hunting is all about, Fred??

McK

This is about as good as I can make the Hamilton look. Unfortunately, it stopped running after about 80 minutes, just before I got home, and it hasn't run since. The James River service medallion tested good for at least 10K gold.

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Edited:
 
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janice&fred
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McKinley McKinley
Is this what watch treasure hunting is all about, Fred??

Oh it is in my book and for $4 you scored big time! 馃憤
 
janice&fred
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Honestly McKinley, my absolute favorite watches in our bunch are the unusual finds we got for just a few dollars and managed to get lucky. Every year that goes by prices go up on the high end stuff, so much so that for me keeping and wearing them, even if gotten for cheap, is no longer enjoyable.
 
McKinley
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janice&fred janice&fred
Honestly McKinley, my absolute favorite watches in our bunch are the unusual finds we got for just a few dollars and managed to get lucky. Every year that goes by prices go up on the high end stuff, so much so that for me keeping and wearing them, even if gotten for cheap, is no longer enjoyable.

I have been telling my wife this same sort of thing lately....the ones that are the most fun to wear are my $1-$5 yard sale or flea market finds. Unfortunately, my dreams of wearing this Hamilton shall probably remain just that, a dream. I am loving the Waltham for a buck a couple of weeks ago, though.

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janice&fred
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McKinley McKinley
I am loving the Waltham for a buck a couple of weeks ago, though.

Yep I remember that snazzy Waltham score with the pocket watch! 馃憤
 
janice&fred
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So far a skinny week for treasure hunting but there's always tomorrow. I did manage to snag this 50's Juvenia men's manual winder from a small shop in Essex Ct. which is one of those old expensive snooty Yankee towns along the Ct river in Katherine Hepburn country.
Nice size to her, never polished or appears to have been opened, and still running great but will head in for a cleaning and lube next time I'm heading to NYC.

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janice&fred
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Latest update on the treasure hunting is I couldn't go to NYC this past weekend as I was stuck helping mom with her long planned garage sale at her home. Long two days let me tell ya. Anyways Sunday late morning this 50's ish lady and her elderly mother came strolling up the driveway and looked around but didn't see anything they liked. Being the relentless conniving weasel that I am I handed everyone that showed up with one of our "watch collector" cards with our name and number, and gave her one too. Her elderly mother lit up and said "oh I have a whole bunch of old watches from my husband". Oh yea baby! Well the daughter said she will bring the watches by within the hour as they only live a few blocks away. Needless to say I was excited!

Sure enough the daughter came back carrying a bag and I ushered her into the front porch for a nice private look-see and deal. There were about 8 to 10 watches in the bag and to give you an idea of the value, if I seen any one of them on the sidewalk as I was walking I wouldn't even bother to bend down and pick it up. 馃榿
 
lindo
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As the man said, "Some days are diamonds, some days are rocks."
 
Walrus
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Lucky for her if she had something good she would have been hoodwinked
 
Shabbaz
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janice&fred janice&fred
if I seen any one of them on the sidewalk as I was walking I wouldn't even bother to bend down and pick it up. 馃榿
So they were all Rolex...馃榿
 
vintage hab
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janice&fred janice&fred
... if I seen any one of them on the sidewalk as I was walking I wouldn't even bother to bend down and pick it up. 馃榿
Tsk, tsk... serves you right for trying to take advantage of little old ladies.馃槈
 
janice&fred
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Walrus Walrus
Lucky for her if she had something good she would have been hoodwinked

Jealousy will get you nowhere...
 
Rumar89
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It isn鈥檛 a good story, but estate sales and a keen eye can be your friend. The dial is mint under a busted crystal. Every lume pip is intact and you can still see the Breitling engraving on the case back.

4D814AA0-C55D-4D8A-8177-4B57C8E33DC6.jpeg 910F89E3-B03E-43CA-BB15-A675481A216F.jpeg
 
Redwes25
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Rumar89 Rumar89
It isn鈥檛 a good story, but estate sales and a keen eye can be your friend. The dial is mint under a busted crystal. Every lume pip is intact and you can still see the Breitling engraving on the case back.

4D814AA0-C55D-4D8A-8177-4B57C8E33DC6.jpeg 910F89E3-B03E-43CA-BB15-A675481A216F.jpeg

Nice 815 long playing. Hands look right on it as well. Case back say 815?
 
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