High prices for Old Gear!!!

[canuckdiver]

apologies to seahunter for getting a little crusty in my last post.


My frustration is not with him, it is basically with the industry. I see a trend in the vintage scuba equipment that is very similar to what I have seen in the vintage motorcycle, car, and boat industry where speculators get involved, and turn out of date (but still useful) equipment into collectors items, and push the prices up by hoarding the equipment until the value is way out of reach of the people that have an actual interest, and now it is an "investment".

sorry guys, I let my opinions get the better of me there again

 

[Butch103]

http://www.vintagescuba.com/al/almask6.html

This is the mask. Not for sale but I am grateful for the links and the info. I am thinking i may start to collect vintage gear. I am not really concerned with collecting valuable gear, but create a collection.

My wife says go for it, she has started a vintage collection...says i am the first piece......??????????? Not sure what she means.....

 

[Butch103]

is the skirting around the mask rubber? or an early silicon?.....Also what is the metal, white brass? or stainless steel?.....Thanks....

PS can I still use it if the skirting is intact, and without any cracks breaks etc...

 

[dmdalton]

seahunter once bubbled...
At my age I now know much too late that you shouldn't throw anything out Bubbleboy!

There are 3 versions of the Snark Bob3. Drop in some time and we can look at them and reminisce. I often take one of them into my equipment class to show how beautiful the older regulators were. The Nemrod Snarks were among the most elaborate. You can see them on the vintagescuba site.
For some reason they do not get the big bucks of some of the rarer US regs. You can buy a Nemrod Snark for about $200 which is pretty good as two hose regs go.

I had one of the original Nemrod Snark III in the brushed finish with the blue hoses and the straight mouthpiece. It's serial number was in the 5000's. My buddy got it used in 63 or 64 and left it at my house in about 67.

I've still got my first reg the Voit Polaris 50, bought for $50 in 1962. Still works. Just got new hoses and duckbill for it from Dan Berringer (sp?) of Vintage Scuba Supply. Also a Bendomatic with instructions AND the letter SP sent to the owners telling them to change the way they were using it, no doubt due to cases of DCS.

Dave D

 

[seahunter]

Sure you can use it butch. Some collectors will argue that these old items should NOT be used but stored away carefully. I have lots of items that I won't use and keep them out of harm's way but I enjoy using and sharing the other stuff. I offer regularly a Vintage Scuba course in which we learn a lot about old scuba gear and then try a bunch of it in our pool. Everybody loves to dive with 2 hose regs and other old stuff. Graduates of that course are then invited to a Vintage Dive in open water where we use old wet suits, masks, fins, tanks and 2 hose regs and go diving. It's a hoot and we take lots of pictures so you can show your diving buddies. No harm is done and most of the gear I use is seconds anyway so nothing is really lost.

The skirt is definately rubber. Silicon didn't appear until the late 70's.
The band is usually plated steel. Much later they used stainless steel.

 

[seahunter]

That sounds like a nice Snark DM!
Be sure to rinse it well in tap water after any use.

Dan BARRINGER is a good friend and is very knowledgable about old scuba. He has quite a collection too and a very informative web site. The only real difference between Dan and myself is that he's trying to make a business of it. He actually financed the manufacture of hoses and other parts for the old regulators.

 

[seahunter]

BTW DM, the Voit is quite valuable now - probably worth around $200. A Voit 50 Fathom (same age and style but plastic) just sold at auction for over $600.

 

[normoxic]

Hi SeaHUnter

I have this old double hose regulator my grandfather gave to me a few years back. The regulator is still in its wooden box with paper work and on the front of it says Le Liquid air Cousteau. Is this thing valuable?.

Thanks

Normoxic

 

[Nitrox Junkie]

Hello Seahunter and to everyone else that has participated in this thread. Since we are here talking about vintage dive gear, I thought I would run a couple of items acoss you to hopefully find the age..
First item is a Regulator which is all metal (chrome). It has a red sticker that says CALYPSO. The mouth piece has two ears coming off it with snaps and it has rubber exhaust ports. On the purge button it says "Cousteau-Gagnan"/ "Aqua lung" / "U.S. Divers co."/ There is also a ring around the outside of the first stage that seems to hold two halves together. I have never had it apart so don't know for sure... The first stage Says "AQUA-LUNG". It has what I think is a pressure valve. There is a needle that pop's up when it is pressurized and has a frame around the needle that has the numbers, 4, 3 & 2. A pretty simple looking unit. No other port openings. The knob has the same writing as the purge button on the first stage.. I will post a picture later.
The second item is a set of doubles. Not sure of the Cubic feet but they look like about 30cf bottles. there is a U.S. divers manifold connection them w/ a air knob and yolk in the middle. The tanks are black. There is also the old reserve rod attatched. Could you tell me what I am looking at here? I will also post a pic of these but will have to wait till after March 1st because they are still up in Michigan and that will be my next visit up that way.
Thanks in advance for your help!

Jeff "Great lakes diver"

 

[seahunter]

You've got a nice mid to late 60's Aqua-Lung scuba unit.
The regulator is one of the most popular models ever made and was produced from the mid 60's until the early 80's. It's the Calypso and yours wasn't the earliest model which had metal exhaust and no needle guage. I'd guess yours at about 1972-5. It was one of the early piston first stages and was renowned for its reliability. Later models had ports. Yours doesn't because there were no SPG's or octopuses so no need for ports!
The last model had a swivel with several ports and a smooth chrome shape and finish. Does yours have the steering wheel yoke screw? It was a classic even if impractical.
Twin tanks were very popular in the mid 70's and every diver wanted to wear a pair. Yours are likely 50's. Can you tell if they are steel or aluminum? If they have flat bottoms they are aluminum which I suspect from the color and size. Do they have a plastic back pack or just straps attached to the tanks? Twin 80's were also available but very heavy so the twin 50 set was very popular. Also they looked like the tanks that Mike Nelson of Seahunt wore so lots of divers had to have them!
I'd love to see some pictures and then I could verify what you have.
I wish I could tell you this stuff is very valuable but its value is more in the pleasure you get out of it.
The reg might fetch $100 if in great shape.
The twin tanks might sell for as much as $200.

Let's see some more old junk. Some of it is very valuable.