vintage scuba books

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scubapro50

Contributor
Messages
934
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Location
Port Arthur Texas
# of dives
1000 - 2499
Boy did I miss the boat .... look at what vintage catalogs have sold for on ebay lately .... 1971 Dacor catalog $50.00, 1971 Parkway for $56.00, a 1971 Sportsways for $47.00 and a 1980 U.S.Divers for $41.00 .............. I must have thrown out several hundred dollars worth of this stuff just a few years ago not knowing it's value ..... but I still have my collection of 30 years of Skin Diver Magazines I kept !
 
I feel the same way...but substitute music and drumming catalogs and magazines!

I had about 20 years of Modern Drummer, Modern Percussionist, Rhythm, DRUM, etc. magazines, and catalogs that dated from the early mid 70's sitting in boxes, and when I got married (no...not blaming the wife...well much) I tossed a good majority of them OUT! I've seen isolated copies going for decent amounts, as well as entire years of each magazine going for GOOD amounts!

I won't even go into the stuff ...toys, and otherwise... that I remember my parents throwing out! Between E-Bay and antique stores you can get the "fits"!
 
It would be kinda fun to look through some of those old catalogs, but I think anyone who'd pay $50 for one has to be narced! To each his own, I guess.
 
There were very few catalogs printed in relation to the number of SDMs and other magazines. Catalogs are unquestionalby the best source of information, and are highly prized by serious collectors, therefore the laws of supply and demand are involked.

In December 1951 Chuck Blakeslee and the late Jim Auxier printed and distributed 1200 first editions of SDM. Now, there is by actual count a little over 20 good first editions of SDMs remaining which are generally marketed inexcess of $1000.00.

There are other magazines that have appeared during the life span of SDM and just as suddenly disappeared. They too, have increased in value many fold but are still avaliable on the E bay market at bargin prices.

To further open your eyes may I suggest that you visit www.vintagedoublehose.com and review the bibliophile section of that forum. It is definely an eye opener.

SDM
 
You're so right Sam ( Hi there :D Say hi to your wife for me :D )! There are vintage scuba enthusiasts that will pay any price for a piece of scuba history - and the same applies for anything people want to collect. If you want it bad enough...you pay the price.
 
in 1968 I sent a $1.00 to New England Divers for their mailorder catalog ... they sent me about a dozen manfucturer catalogs and their price list for each line (U.S. Divers doublehose regulators started at $39) ....... If I had only kept them they would be worth $400 to $500 today ..... at one time I owned a 1966 U.S. Divers catalog but around 1970 I used it to cover the bottom of a bird cage.
 
Royal Aqua Masters in the box now might fetch closer to 1,000 dollars. I imagine a Voit Navy in the box might go even higher. I don't know if this is permenant or just a spike but lately all vintage stuff has been headed skyward, especially good useable dive gear and books as well. N
 
I just found my 1969 Central Skin Divers Catalog while cleaning up my "junk' room ..... I wonder how much it would sell for on ebay ?
 
I collect diving books and cannot pass a used bookstore without looking for one I don't have. Hit paydirt today and purchased DIVE by Rick & Barbara Carrier written in 1955 for $1.50 and a 1965 first edition of Above & Below by Tom Shelnick for $2.00 Both are loaded with great pics of vintage gear and are a great reference for a vintage diver such as myself. Needless to say I would have paid a bit more for these books if the sellers knew of the growing interest in vintage dive literature. They would also sell well on ebay. Don't throw your old brochures and catalogs away. Vintage divers use them to aid in classifying gear configurations and in collecting equipment.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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