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Well...

What I think is outrageous is that a brand new Model 1205, in 1968, went for $249.00...and people think, that after 40 years of use, that they're still worth that amount!

Of course, something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, but...it's not like these vacuums are rare or antique. Back in the days when these machines were still being manufactured, they were common as dirt.

Personally, if I were going to spend upwards of $300 on a vacuum, I'd just buy a brand new one. Just because an older vacuum looks to be in great shape doesn't mean it's flawless, and these old vacs don't come with a warranty (other than no DOA, big deal).

Regarding Charles' link:

I'd like to know who has enough money to bid $313 on a 45-year old vacuum cleaner. Plus $45.00 shipping, bringing the total to $358! I certainly don't mean to undermine anyone's passion, but that's just insane!

And from what I am hearing, even the thrift stores are now jumping on the inflation bandwagon for these things!

All I have to say is, congratulations to everyone who scored their nice vacuums before this hobby became too pricey. (Certainly too pricey for my budget...I'll just have to be happy with the few machines I have.)
 
Well, mercuryman, for as long as this club has existed, that has been the eternal, unending argument about collecting .... that the price that people will pay is...whatever they will pay.

If something is beyond someone's budget, than there is no more discussion. They won't pay it. Over the last 25 years, I have seen things go for OUTRAGEOUS amounts of money. Many of us frequently complain about how eBay, the internet and thrift and collectible stores have driven up the prices of collectible vacuums. But....that is the way the world is.

I'm with you....walk away from the outrageous bid-fests. They only add fuel to this silly fire!
 
Yeah...

John, you're absolutely right.

I suppose the REAL thrill of collecting comes when you find a gem when you least expect it...and it comes at low (or no) cost whatsoever.

Furthermore, I think I'd rather come across something in so-so condition and pay a little for it and restore it. To me, it would be more valuable as a result due to the time and effort I invested in it.

It's just shocking when something sells for so much money...
 
I agree, John.........

That goes for the pricing that some thrift store and a few Goodwill stores are charging.

They are there to make a profit. I certainly understand and can appreciate it. However, it's when some of them start becoming antique stores it get's a little frustrating.

However, I walk away. And, so do many others as well. I've watched a Kirby Sanitronic sit in a Goodwill store for weeks on end at $199.00. It's even been passed by on 1/2 price days.

I just won't support the prices they want in those enviornments. I'm not saying the items aren't worth the money, but it's not the place to sell it then. Obviously, it was donated to raise money, not become an even older antique sitting around a charitable organiztion group.

On the flip side, the next store within the same chain you walk into, you can find a like item marked $3.99. So......who knows? But, bottom line - who's merchandise is moving and who's isnt.

vintagecanister++1-10-2011-20-42-55.jpg
 
The 1968 price for the 1205 needs to be adjusted for inflation to get a true idea of the time value of money. Multiply by a factor of seven, so the asking price of the piece on Ebay isn't too comparable.

Having said that, I've sold similar machines on Ebay for lots less but they've sold. Say $60-$75 range but often without all the attachments, etc. Some for less. Auction venue is a good way to determine value, but with online auctions, shipping over long distances can depress final price.

Some people might have success in starting an auction high, like with the matter at hand. The idea is, a potential buyer might see a high price and think the thing actually trades in that range. It's hard to say but some do sell for low hundreds. I just don't have the nerve to start that high; for one thing, there is always the prospect of getting the thing back from a disappointed buyer or someone with buyer remorse. When I'm ready to let something go, I never want to see it again. I'm happy to get what I do because I pay so little when I get them. A guy I used to know in the used car business once told me, "The sale price isn't as important as your cost price."

Take a look at the hose in the Ebay listing. With those narrowed sections, it's a good candidate for leaks and poor suction at the nozzle.
 
Absolutely rediculious!

It is NOT original,it is scuffed up wrong hose, power nozzle etc, if it were brand new in the box yeah,maybe, but ive bought much better at Goodwill fot 10 to 20 dollars!!
 
My folks bought a Model G with Power Nozzle and hose in Jun 4 1966 and it was 203.15 with tax.

A tan Model G with Power Nozzle and hose set my back 60 bucks on ebay with shipping recently. As Charlie pointed out in the other thread, by recent tan G has a replacement hose and PN-1 from the 1205 era.

These vac vary all over the place in thrift store and ebay. My 60 buck tan G has a good working hose and PN-1, the shipper had a box not large enough and I have to replace the two rear wheels.

At a thrift store about 3 years ago I bought a great blue G with a good cord retractor and good non orignal hose for 20 bucks.
 
Model G was worth 20,000 Crickets for Fishing in 1966, or 10

Here is the Invoice form my folks 1966 New Model G.

To place these 1966 prices in prospective, my school cafeteria's lunch cost 30 cents per meal,

ie a weeks "lunch money" was thus 1.50 dollars .

I worked in the cafeteria to get "fee lunch" thus I pocketed the 1.50 bucks my folks gave me via serving food, clearing trays, dumping the old uneaten slop/food into a big trashcan for the local farmers pigs. One spent about 1/2 to 3/4 hour to make that 30 cents.

Gas was about 23 to 26 cents per gallon then.

Another way to make money was to catch crickets and sell them to a neighbor for fishing for 1 cent each, or 2 cents for giant grasshopper.

Neighbor paid us around 25 to 50 cents to cut their grass, the later ws for a larger yard and or raking too.

In gallons of gasoline; the 1966 Model G was like 800 gallons of gasoline today

electroluxtank++1-12-2011-10-37-44.jpg
 
2400 buck vac

So in todays costs a model G would be about 2400 bucks if one used Gasoline as an inflation metric, and that used 275 buck ebay vac a tiny fraction.
 
Other 1966 price comparisons

In 1966 Kroger paid one about 40 to 50 cents to bag groceries and about 65 to 75 once one was 'trained enough' to price can goods with the stamp inking "pricer".

A Revelle 1/72 model of a ME109 was 50 cents; maybe 35 if old stock.

Those Testers 1/4 Oz paint bottles for painting models were a nickel; so was a first class stamp for US mail.

My dad sold his running 1961 Plymouth in 1966 for 100 bucks, it had one plug that would foul in about 1 month but ran well.

That new 1966 Model G cost about 1/10 of what a lower end new 1966 car cost; or say 1/15 of an average one, or double what a running used old car sold for.

All those old prices look rather goofy as time passes
 
the eternal, unending argument about collecting ....

John, how very, VERY true! Still, it does make for rousing discussions. One or two people went nuts when a very nice/complete Pink GE Roll-Around went for $700 a number of years ago (seems like about 5) Yes, anything is at least temporarily worth what a person is willing to pay, or, in the case of an auction, an increment above what TWO people are willing to pay! The tan/bronze G Charles referenced was very nice, nicer than this $275 prize in my opinion. The 'prize' has multiple things wrong with it that I recognize right off the bat while the tan G (the machine) seems far nicer though missing its original plug (a deal-killer for some of us!!)
Rick B
 
Both auction linked above look( to me) like non original AC

The Model G my folks bought new in 1966 has the AC plug that is round and looks like the bottom of the three images. This is my tan machine. My Folks 1966 blue has the same cord since then then and looks the same.

Thus here I equate both auctions folks linked as non stock plugs, non original. But I thought too there were two cord vendors too.

When yet another Model G here had its cord replaced a few decades ago; it came back like the middle image.

electroluxtank++1-12-2011-13-22-46.jpg
 
To Get Nit-Picky

The tan Model G that sold for $313.00 wasn't all original either. It didn't come with an original hose (rather, a vinyl replacement), and it was being sold with a newer PN-2 with beige telescoping sheath. However, cosmetically, both vacuum and PN appeared to be in terrific condition, and I do consider a vinyl hose that doesn't leak to be a plus.

Against my better judgment, I contacted the seller of the turquoise Model G (listed for $275) and explained precisely why he is highly unlikely to sell that machine for that ridiculous price, for the following reasons:

1) He is offering it with a PN-6 (20 years newer than the G and a complete mismatch)
2) The hose is not original and it is kinked; therefore, there is no way it could be airtight
3) The original cleaning attachments are missing (no flip rug/floor tool)
4) The floor attachment being offered is from a Model XXX
5) The machine is scuffed and has stickers/sticker residue on it.

The seller responded insinuating that I know nothing about vacuum cleaners, that the PN-6 is from the 1970s, and that he'd "only been working on Electroluxes since 1960, so he should know his machines". WELL THEN! Of course, after reading that response, I chuckled and reminded myself of just how asinine some people are.
 
Yes, and...

Might I also add that this was part of the description:

"The motor is a little noisy but doesn't interfere with the suction."

I thought the Model G was very quiet? Hmm...could the bearings in that vacuum be shot?

For someone who claims to have worked on Electroluxes for 50 years...wouldn't you think s/he'd call the power nozzle by its correct name, and not call it a "power vac"?
 
Rear sleeve bearinfg probably dry

The Model G's I have taken apart have a bronze sleeve bearing in the rear commutator end and ball bearing in the front fan end.

The fan end on an early G and older luxes is often a 9mm bore ball bearing;, later it is 8mm bore.

The commutator end of an XXX is a 7mm bore ball bearing, this design has little load and goes to about 1960 until the sleeve bearing is used.

With a recent model L a part, when one turned it off the last second of the armature stopping mad a nasty sqweelie odd sound. Its rear sleeve bearing was dry. Ther is a metal cup that can be pried off and wazy old grease one the felt pad removed and regreased. If dry one has to get some oil on the shaft. With his L unit I took the entire fans apart and relubed the ball bearing and got the crud out of the fans passages. BEFORE that one got some funk of old dirt if one used this vac
 

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