What is your biggest vintage find ever???

[kirbyclassiciii]

Will

I would like to think that the one Classic III with the old-style handle grip (#173376) and the newer-style shake-out bag (#190077) looks to have a serial # of C666667 or higher.

~Ben

 

[bnsd60m9200]

ben, honestly the handles, and bags were not matched to serial #. we had so many, we just put matching colors with machines as at the time we didn;t know about bacth build differences. my classic III from this is a E6xxxxxx and has a 1976 NOS bag and handle fork. only really detailed collectors would notice, and i didn't know about these differences in handle forks, till after i restored my classic III.

will Hemb

 

[hygiene903]

Last Summer

My biggest acquisition ever was last summer, when a good friend of mine and fellow collector who wishes to remain annonymous was downsizing his collection. He gave me 15 on July 7, 28 more on July 12 (my birthday!) and 10 more on Aug. 18, along with several sets of attachments. All told there were 53 of them, all uprights in good to excellent condition and many are all original! There were 28 Hoovers (including 7 "coffee cans"), 10 Royals, 10 Electro-Hygienes, 2 Eurekas, and one each Health-Mor, Good Housekeeper, and Stark.
Some are real gems including the Health-Mor (of course!), Hoover 825 (which I've wanted for a long time!), an all original Hoover 700, Hoover 725, Hoover 634, Royal 189 Super Chief, Electro-Hygiene 2-230 (the last straight suction model), and the rare Electro-Hygiene 980 (the one with the removable nozzle similar to Kirby). Thanks again my friend, for this kind and generous gift!
Jeff

 

[Real1]

<a name="start_16574.176958">Well Kevin... I do plan on taking the works, and I will certainly let everyone one here put in requests when I catalog all of it. This should be happening within the next few weeks if all goes according to plan... Will keep you all posted!</a>


 


Can't wait!!! It's like 'What's behind door number 2?'....oh well, put me down for any interesting cannister LUX from the late 60's to the early 80's.

 


@Neil;How did a swimming pool get filled with vacuums....are we talking about a reg size, built in pool??

I've heard of vacuum related weirdness....but.....



 


Kevin

 

[henry200]

re: the swimming pool

I suspect the craigslist seller was a vacuum dealer, maybe a DTD salesman who had been taking trade-ins on new machines.  I guess the unused pool was the only place big enough to store the trade-ins.  The couple photos in the ad showed a fairly good-sized indoor pool (maybe 12x20 ft) with hundreds of vacuums of many different brands, low and high-end lined up in it.  The ad was up for months.  The asking price started at about $5000 for the lot.  After awhile the price dropped bit by bit.  The last time I saw the ad I think he was still asking about $1500, then the ad disappeared. 

 

[Real1]

Wow....

I just find that story incredible, even in the annals of looney history trivia

  I wonder if he even got interest @$1,500....well, its madness to mourn gone vacuums....think about all the vacuums that are in landfills....actually, I'd rather not.

 


Kevin

 

[reo580]

@ bnsd60m9200 / Will Hemb

@ Will Hemb-
That is an amazing find!
I am so jealous- Lol I hate you! Haha
About how many Kirbys did you get in that haul?
I noticed a couple of early run Kirby Classic III handles.
Kirbys are a funny lot; I recently decided to do a restoration on my Classic Omega and it's funny how Kirbys can sneak up on someone. I have been buying parts left and right for my Omega. There never seem to be enough even with three diamond pattern bags laying around(I wash and rotate them through out the year) I can always use just "one more" whether it's a bag, hose or random attachment. Just like Rockefeller said: "never enough".
Good luck with your find. I'm sure you'll have many, many happy hours ahead of you doing the restoration work on your new Kirbys.
Congratulations on your find,
Derek

 

[electrolux137]

Well, if you're talking about single machines, I've had quite a few wonderful finds over the year.

As to the most vacuum cleaners I've ever seen in one place:

http://www.1377731.com/hoover/

 

[dysondestijl]

1970's numatic NV-250 all steel commercial vacuum purchased for £1 ($1.64)!! From a yard sale
Kirby heritage for free from James
2 1960's lux 65's one in original box with the rare telescopic wand from James
Hoover junior deluxe purchased for £3 ($4.61)
Vintage 50's/60's for free from James

 

[nallo69]

My biggest vintage?, was my Vorwerk Kobold Model S from 1938, with all her attachments, niiiiice!!!

 

[kirbyfan99]

My biggest find is a good, free package deal from my grandma: my 1985 hoover custom convertible with a pack of type a standard filtration bags and a 2 pack of durabelt brand hoover style 48 belts (I don't recommend those belts, btw, as, when brand new, they are a PITA to put on as you need to take out the brush and put the belt on the motor shaft then, with the belt on the brush, put the brush back in place also the motor doesn't run as smooth because they are thicker than the OEM belts)

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Will,

I can also see a Clarke (Royal) metal upright, a variation of the model 153, in one of your Kirby pictures. I know it was sold by Clarke because the usual hammertoned or bare aluminum parts of the motor and handle were painted red.

~Ben