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  #31  
Old 04-13-2009, 10:28 PM
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LeeR LeeR is offline
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Saros for $295! Maybe I should sell off mine that I built ~ 1976.
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Lee Reep
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  #32  
Old 04-18-2009, 02:50 AM
gerryfortin gerryfortin is offline
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The April 18th update is online.

I've expanded the earlier K kit listings to include no hangtag and with hangtag entries as no hangtag kits are slowly appearing on eBay; but one must have patience.

I did not realize that the ARV Condor was issued in a plastic bag along with the common boxed packaging.

So how many of you are using the Estes database for judging fair market pricing?
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Estes kit pricing history and individual kit descriptions at www.seateddimevarieties.com/BAR/home.htm At least a work in progress....
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  #33  
Old 04-20-2009, 08:45 AM
gerryfortin gerryfortin is offline
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Default Adding individual kit pages to the database

You are invited to take a look at the lastest addition to the Estes kit database. As I study the early K kits, it become obvious that numerous facecard and hangtag changes were made through mid 70s. The current database is inadequate to properly track the numerous kit variations without a visual guide. So I decided to use the same Liberty Seated Dime analysis approach and to build a separate reference page for each kit variation. The first Estes design to be analyzed is the K-2 Mark since I had images from recent eBay sales and a kit that is currently listed.

When building the individual kit pages, I am borrowing images from eBay sellers until I return home from this China expat assignment and can shoot my own kits. When I do not own a kit, then there is no choice but to borrow an eBay image. My goal is educational in nature and hope that eBay sellers will not mind. In addtion, I though it might be fun to add the Estes catalog artwork for the kits. To accomplish, I'm capturing the .jpg files from Ninfinger catalogs and cropping/editing as necessary.

Here is the link that will get you to the early Estes kit database. Then scroll down to the K-2 kits and click on each link to view the individual kit pages. Again, this effort is designed to be educational and I would invite feedback and help to populate pages as they are created.

http://www.seateddimevarieties.com/BAR/data1.htm
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Estes kit pricing history and individual kit descriptions at www.seateddimevarieties.com/BAR/home.htm At least a work in progress....
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  #34  
Old 04-20-2009, 09:39 AM
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mojo1986 mojo1986 is offline
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Gerry, you are really getting this database right! All of the upgrades you are making to it will result in a very useful reference in years to come for new and veteran collectors alike. I hope you can find the time to continue this work because it's going to get very time consuming with all of the detail you're now putting in! Congratulations go out to you for your vision of bringing the rigorous approach used in coin collecting over to the world of model rocketry!

Joe
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  #35  
Old 04-20-2009, 10:27 AM
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msm0202 msm0202 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gerryfortin
You are invited to take a look at the lastest addition to the Estes kit database. As I study the early K kits, it become obvious that numerous facecard and hangtag changes were made through mid 70s. The current database is inadequate to properly track the numerous kit variations without a visual guide. So I decided to use the same Liberty Seated Dime analysis approach and to build a separate reference page for each kit variation. The first Estes design to be analyzed is the K-2 Mark since I had images from recent eBay sales and a kit that is currently listed.

When building the individual kit pages, I am borrowing images from eBay sellers until I return home from this China expat assignment and can shoot my own kits. When I do not own a kit, then there is no choice but to borrow an eBay image. My goal is educational in nature and hope that eBay sellers will not mind. In addtion, I though it might be fun to add the Estes catalog artwork for the kits. To accomplish, I'm capturing the .jpg files from Ninfinger catalogs and cropping/editing as necessary.

Here is the link that will get you to the early Estes kit database. Then scroll down to the K-2 kits and click on each link to view the individual kit pages. Again, this effort is designed to be educational and I would invite feedback and help to populate pages as they are created.

http://www.seateddimevarieties.com/BAR/data1.htm


Dear Gerry,
I second Joe's comments regarding the addition of the variations that are so important to the value of a collectible kit. The variations (and there can be a dozen or more for a single kit) can mean the difference in hundreds of dollars regarding value in some cases. Also, I would encourage you to go far beyond the past year's prices realized on eBay in determining a high, low and median range of prices. (Joe, by the way, has the most comprehensive realized price list, in an Excel document, that I've ever seen, going back five or more years. Joe, hope you don't mind me mentioning that! But of course it's proprietary to Joe because he's done a great deal of work on this. His list literally has hundreds of entries, regarding Estes, Centuri (and other) kits, with variations noted.)

Of course, the current year is always important (especially in this economy) in knowing what a kit might bring now as opposed to five years ago. But it's still good to track these things over a much longer period of time than a single year in determining their value. In fact, it's even more important because it gives you an idea of what the kits brought in an "up" economy versus what they're bringing in a "down" economy.

When I was editor of Art & Antiques magazine, for instance, I covered sales of art and furniture often at Sotheby's and Christie's. I once saw a Goddard-Townsend 18th Century kneehole desk go from $30,000 to $3.5 million in less than a minute. (Two bidders wanted it and neither wanted to give it up.) Would that same desk go for that amount today. Maybe, maybe not, but in determining its value, I would always take that sale into account. I only wish I owned that desk, no matter the price!

As for images, some of us can probably help you in that regard. Sorry for such a long post regarding this. As Joe said, you are to be commended for doing this. It's great to have your experience from the world of numismatics brought to model rocketry.

All best,
Mark
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Last edited by msm0202 : 04-20-2009 at 11:13 AM.
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  #36  
Old 04-20-2009, 04:14 PM
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mojo1986 mojo1986 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msm0202
Dear Gerry,
I second Joe's comments regarding the addition of the variations that are so important to the value of a collectible kit. The variations (and there can be a dozen or more for a single kit) can mean the difference in hundreds of dollars regarding value in some cases. Also, I would encourage you to go far beyond the past year's prices realized on eBay in determining a high, low and median range of prices. (Joe, by the way, has the most comprehensive realized price list, in an Excel document, that I've ever seen, going back five or more years. Joe, hope you don't mind me mentioning that! But of course it's proprietary to Joe because he's done a great deal of work on this. His list literally has hundreds of entries, regarding Estes, Centuri (and other) kits, with variations noted.)

All best,
Mark


Mark, I don't mind the fact that you mentioned it. And if Gerry's list continues to evolve into the valuable document I think it could be, I will gladly send my information over to him for incorporation into his database.

Joe
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  #37  
Old 04-20-2009, 06:54 PM
gerryfortin gerryfortin is offline
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Dear Mark and Joe,

Your kind word are much appreciated as is the insight into the additional research informaton that might be stored in privates databases.

If you read my bio, I am passionate about numismatics but have taken the Liberty Seated Dime research to a point of diminishing returns. After jumping back into model rocketry, it was obvious that early Estes kits are quite historical and they do have an adequate collecting community. But pricing, population and rarity information were not easily available (on the web) thus the idea to take the numismatic approach and apply it to Estes model rocket kits. I do love to research the unknown (at least unknown to me) but also enjoy using the internet to publish that information and to create a community.

Currently, I work in China as an expat but that "adventure" will come to an end this year with a return to Maine for a semi permanent retirement. To fill the open time, I have aspirations to upgrade the Liberty Seated Dime reference website with improved photography and secondly, to build a comprehensive Estes model rocketry website in the same manner. It is recognized that I'm a newbie to Estes model rocketry and may be "discovering" what is already known by the "elders" of the hobby. I hope that we can collaborate towards a common vision of a state of the art Estes reference website. It will take time and information. The more information that can be secured through prior research the better else it becomes a personal project mainly from watching eBay every day.

The idea of posting historical kit pricings to show shifts in up/down economies is excellent. If you had access to the subscription portion of the Seated Dime website, you would notice that I publish the pricing trends (Coin World) from 1963 through 2003. Collectors can clearly see the appreciate potential of rare coins. I'm sure there is a similar trend from rare Estes kits with ups/downs from a year to year basis due to macroeconomics.

Again thank-you for the inputs and I will continue the slow updates. If you do wish to send me "personal and private" information for review and ideas to post, I will respect that private nature of the information until there is a consensus for opening to the public.
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Estes kit pricing history and individual kit descriptions at www.seateddimevarieties.com/BAR/home.htm At least a work in progress....
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  #38  
Old 04-30-2009, 05:39 PM
gerryfortin gerryfortin is offline
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Default May 1 Update

Well it is May Day here in China and a national holiday. The free time from office will allow for updates to the Estes model rocket database. So far, here are the updates that readers will note;

1. Top 10 eBay Pricing and Count tables are updated and expanded to Top 15. The Maxi Pershing is in top spot as most expensive kit in the Estes line up. The Count table clearly shows that scale models are always popular (11/15 are replica model kits).

2. All three database tables updated to April 30 pricing activities. In general, pricing seem to be drifting down a bit due to the recession.

3. Table 3 with Estes kits starting at catalog #2000 onward was updated with the 7000 series boxed kits, the 2400 series 2009 kits, 2800 series Germany boxed kits, 3000 series kits to be released this summer and the 7200 Walmart series kits that are now appearing on eBay.

Also look for individual model rocket page insertions throughout the database. This is a time consuming exercise but I do hope to add at least 10 pages per week and hopefully finish the database in 1-2 years time.

Also need to update the cross reference table with the 2009 kits......much to do!

I am heading home during second half of May and can't wait to spend some time on unfinished rocket projects.
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Estes kit pricing history and individual kit descriptions at www.seateddimevarieties.com/BAR/home.htm At least a work in progress....
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  #39  
Old 05-10-2009, 01:03 AM
gerryfortin gerryfortin is offline
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Well the May 10th eBay kit update is online.

Building the individual kit pages is taking much longer than I had hoped for but there is some limited progress in the database 1 and 2 tables.

eBay prices are tending on the weak side.

Enjoy!
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Estes kit pricing history and individual kit descriptions at www.seateddimevarieties.com/BAR/home.htm At least a work in progress....
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  #40  
Old 05-13-2009, 01:20 PM
Mikus Mikus is offline
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Yo Gerry, the Kit Catalog Numbers 0650 - 1299 listing is broken at 867.


0867 Airborne Surveillance Missile 1983-1985 - 1 Partially Assembled Kit 3 <font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
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