How much is too much for an Old Hollywood Vintage Press

[Gearhead1]

Been awhile since I've been on the website and posted anyting had a life-threatening accident in my vehicle lucky to be here, anyway enough with that stuff I am alive and well for the most part saw a posting on eBay for a vintage Hollywood senior turret reloading press ,the bid is above $900 for this press .I guess people are desperate for these things I own several Hollywood's and three of this press and would never pay anywhere near what that guy's asking for it I know they're hard to find and when they come up they fetch a hefty price but realistically I'm wondering if this guy has his buddies bidding this thing up just to make a huge profit on the Press on its best day might yet 600 to 700 maybe what are your guys's thoughts.

[Markopolo]

i am not sure, maybe there is something special about that particular press that only hollywooder types recognize???

good to see you up an at em... you back to shooting and casting????

[Pressman]

For $900.00 bucks I thought it must be a Super Turret. But, sadly no, it is a dirty Senior Turret that has the swage bar and a shellholder adapter.

Interestingly the seller is a reputable dealer who listed it with a $9.99 opening bid and it took off from there.

Just a couple of years ago they were regularly selling for $250.00

[Nueces]

All it takes to cause one of these pricing anomalies is two bidders who 'must' have the item. Such a sale often brings other like items out of the woodwork, but sale prices then tend to be normal or even below the long time average. C'est la vie.

[Pressman]

One bidder placed a bid early on with a very high reserve, no one has broken his bid yet.

I just looked through the sellers other items, that was worth a chuckle. It looks like they must have bought an estate with nearly a dozen RCBS lubesizers, a Lachmiller and three Herter's. They have all been repainted or powder coated in some awful colors.

[abunaitoo]

evil bay
People just don't know. They just bid.

[georgerkahn]

I concur highly with Post #5 (Pressman), understanding from my more-than-2,000 purchases through the years, I -- e.g., ME -- observe but one, simple rule. To wit, "What is the maximum 'whatever' is worth to ME?" If I win the auction, great... if not, surely someone else will relist it, and 90% of the time I win auction at a VERY much lower price than prior listing. E.g, I had lent my Lyman Cast Bullet handbook to a buddy who had the displeasure to all of passing. "Easy! Go on eBay and buy one cheap". There were two listings for this, the 3rd edition, and both were already more than double what I'd bid. Every so often, I'd type in the search, and sure enough, I won one for twelve dollars -- still, to me, on the high side -- delivered.
Some people get "auction fever" where they HAVE to win an item; me? Well, retired I just don't have the income for such.
The Hollywood seeker may be one of the "gotta' have it" folks, with the income (or credit) to support same.
geo

[Shawlerbrook]

Sometimes auctions like that become a personal battle between a few desperate bidders.

[DougGuy]

The high bidder placed his very high max bid on July 12th. All the other bids cause ebay to increase his bid by proxy in the bid increment over the challenging bid. If it was just one bidder bumping it up I'd say yeah shill bidding but it looks like at least 2 have bid it up this high. Sometimes folks will bid against another for spite, i.e. they bid and are automatically outbid, then they get mad and keep bidding knowing they are driving up the other guy's cost.

[owejia]

Was at a cattle auction back in the 90's and saw two bidders get into "I've got more money than you" bidding war over a bull. A doctor from Paducah ky and one of the guys from the group Alabama. Run that sucker up to $35,000. Maybe it is an ego thing.

[LUBEDUDE]

Some of the posts about bid wars may be correct, but I’m not so sure. I think it is more of a supply and demand issue.

A year or two back the Senior Turrets (ST) would seem to average $400-$500. Naturally there were variances. Now when Tracvision was selling new old stock STs before that he was averaging $750-$800. But those were new presses.

Fast forward to 6 months + back and there just have not been the same steady supply of STs. Now, after this dry spell a ST shows up at the end of June. In early July it sold for $1,176.77 plus shipping!! It shocked me and obviously opened up the eyes of others. A few weeks later(now that is) another comes along, not as clean as the other one, but minor differences and options. It’s at $910 with 11 hours to go. Maybe potential buyers of the one they missed out on from 2 weeks ago are bidding on this one. And the bar has been set.

Just my view from the saddle.

[Kevin Rohrer]

For $900.00 bucks I thought it must be a Super Turret. But, sadly no, it is a dirty Senior Turret that has the swage bar and a shellholder adapter.

Just a couple of years ago they were regularly selling for $250.00

I almost choked on my iced tea when I read this, Pressman.

$900 is the going price for a Senior Turret especially if complete, and that isn't even a starting bid for a Super Turret. Prices can only go up as they are no longer being made, are built to last >100-years, and have a following.

[Pressman]

Kevin, you are correct. Not enough coffee and a too hot (no AC) day. It was 5 years ago that $325.00 was a fair price. I was thinking of a standard Senior for $225.00 two years ago.

[oger]

The last one just sold for over $1400.00 plus shipping. Not very long ago I bought one with enough spare parts that the package weighed 70lbs for less than half the selling price delivered. It is just crazy.

[danomano]

Who won the auction for the Group of Hollywood presses, maybe just the past few weeks it ended. The lady had been trying to sell for a couple years now. I think when she first listed it was like 15K??? last I say it was 9K?

[1hole]

Anything is worth whatever the seller can get someone to pay; who am I to say they are wrong? Especially for collector items! I mean a press is either for using or shelf display.

I can't speak for crazy collectors but if it's to be used I'd say a turret Hollywood in excellent condition is worth about what a current Redding turret sells for. Why should a user pay more, after all those excellent old Hollywoods failed in the market decades ago because they couldn't match their excellent competition for service and price. Nothing's changed. ???

[Kevin Rohrer]

Or, we can both collect AND use, which is what I do. At currently value, I have $12k of reloading equipment setting on my benches. In 10-years, most of it may well be worth double that.

I recall someone here denigrating Hollywood equipment every chance he got. Perhaps that someone has just refreshed that memory.

[Pressman]

It's all a matter of how much I think it is worth to me. There's no way I would pay $1000.00 for a Hollywood Senior turret. However, I have twice that invested in a CV Schmidt Model 16. It is neater, to me, than the Hollywood, much rarer and will probably appreciate in value at a much slower rate. But to me I have a real prize.

Currently on fleabay there is a 1908 Frankford Arsenal Reloading Set. I am scrambling to move some $$$ around to make acquiring this a reality. It is priced a bit high, is very rare and again will appreciate a lot slower than a Hollywood. But it is a magnificent part of reloading history. I don't mind spending the $$$ as I understand the historical significance of these tools.

Ken

[pertnear]

A few years ago, I needed a Rem 700 SA for a new project. I got tired of searching pawn shops & getting ridiculous price quotes for "beaters". An Academy store near me advertised a hunter's special Rem 700 ADL .308 Win for $379 + tax. I bought one & carefully removed the barrel not to scratch it. I put the barrel on Ebay as a new, unfired take-off barrel with a starting bid of $99. At the end of a 7 day bidding war, I got $425 for the barrel. That's right, I got a free action & stock & some pocket money! The buyer was very happy & left me some good feedback too!

Sometimes Ebay auctions are just plain crazy nuts!

[rbuck351]

I have seen it many times where people buy something at an auction that is still sold at Walmart for less than they paid at the auction. No longer available items are a bit different and are worth what some one will pay. I don't have a Hollywood press of any kind because I'm not willing to pay what others think they are worth.