Recent thrift store finds

[casualcollector]

HI Guys and Girls,

I've been pretty quiet lately. Liz and I have been busy gettng established in new quarters. We chose to furnish "economically" as the place is rented and the lease may not be renewed next year. We shopped the thrift stores so we wouldn't take too bad a beating if we have to yard sale or recycle the stuff.

Honest, I went looking for everything but cameras, but I've mentioned before about what happens when "Lucky Liz" accompanies me.

We walked into a church store that usually has the same bunch of plastic fantastics on the shelf from week to week. This time I spotted metal! The woman said "We don't test 'em with film, so we only charge a dollar". A grubby but functioning Aires IIIC missing its accessory shoe. Nice paper weight at the very least.


Different store. Spotted this Spotmatic body as soon as we walked in. Several lens cases were near it. One contained the 105/2.8 Takumar with hood. Other cases contained hoods but no lenses. Working condition with non-functioning meter and some ugly stuff growing in the lens. Bought the whole bunch for an absurd sum.


I saw this one with its rounded back to me and thought, "Yecch. A Petri". I was some surprised when I turned it around. The 28/2.8 Elmarit with hood was on it, the 135/2.8 Elmarit was next to it. Ugly but functioning. Meter works with questionable accuracy. Viewfinder showing signs of desilvering. Problematic iris on the 135. I'm embarassed to say how much I didn't pay for it.


Found this one last weekend in the same thrift I earlier found a Yashica FX-D with two Kiron zooms. Body with 45/2, winder, flash, Soligor zoom, two cable releases, some literature. All in a gadget bag for eight dollars! Fresh batteries got the camera and winder working. Flash needs some serious scrubbing of contacts at least. Soligor 80-200 has sn*t growing in it. 45/2 Rokkor-X focuses right past infinity! All are pretty dirty. About what I expected for $8 US.


By the way, we also got the place furnished! If you're traveling to FL, give me some advance notice. Hopefully we can get together and chat about our hobby.

I'll post some picture from these finds in the near future.

Bill

[Randy]

Hey Bill... you did good!!!

[GeneW]

Great finds, Bill!

[nikonbob]

Looks like you have better thrift stores there than we do. Good bunch of finds.

Bob

[mickeyobe]

Bill,

Do you give lessons?

Mickey

[casualcollector]

Mickey,

Be where the stores are and hope you arrived before the other camera buffs!

Never found anything like this in Vermont. Don't know where NikonBob is but I think Florida has more and better thrift stores. Huge numbers of people have moved here from all over the U.S. and brought their stuff with them. When they eventually die, their stuff has to go somewhere! If it isn't digital the family seldom wants it. I've found that Florida stuff often has heat and humidity related problems. I was always reluctant to bid on FL stuff on E-bay.

The guy in front of me in the checkout line said he had looked at the Minolta kit and decided to pass. The camera didn't release, the flash had housed leaking batteries, both lenses have problems. For $8 it was a gamble. Fortunately fresh batteries made it work but won't know how well 'til I finish the roll.

[minoltaman]

Nice XG1!! Man, if only we had shops like yours here in NY.