I have one such find, but for now I'll defer to someone else to start this thread...

Have you ever purchased a timepiece, only to find after arrival that the seller had missed something good about it? I bet a lot of folks have such a story. If you do, please chime in.

kh

Some obscure online auction in California.

2 internet bids in with high bid at $19. I bid $20 just because it appears to have a double sunk dial and won. It's in the mail, fingers X'd.

It's like putting a $20 dollar bill on a single number in roulette.

The only other watch was a Waltham single sunk that went for $35.

Check it out, 1100 posts, yeah!

Many years ago a well known watch site listed a 21J Ariston for sale- Only showed the dial and not the movement- price was about right for a regular Getty Ariston at the time- But I was suspicious about what it actually was. It was housed in the original 14K case

Of course I bought it and anxiously waited... A few days later Fed-ex delivered my Ariston 21 Jewel Grade "709"- I was Very Happy!!!

Terry

Sweet, Terry. Sounds like a low risk-for-reward ratio there. Why not go for it?!

My own story involves negotiating the price on a Waltham pocket watch last year. It was a 15J Model '83 A.T. & Co. non-magnetic. That's a good piece of itself, but after it arrived I put it away thinking I had paid a little too much. But the first time I pulled it out, I saw that the movement was gold-flashed, which made my day. The seller had never mentioned that.
It's difficult to capture in a photo. This one doesn't do it. But once you see it, you know it.

Non-magnetic written along the edge of the bridge.

kh

Some time ago I bought a nice watch that was sold by a jeweler as being a Wright watch. I could tell from a picture it was Swiss and appeared to be a high grade watch. I bought it and as I hoped it turned out to be a Patek imported by Wright McKay jewelers who were their agents at one time. Even a blind pig gets an occasional acorn!!

quote:

Even a blind pig gets an occasional acorn!!

You were able to "sniff" it out with previous knowledge of Wright McKay, good score!.

About 20 years ago I bought a bunch of watch junk from a guy that owned a jewelry store up in Sonoma county. There were a few coffee cans full of movements and in the bottom of one, protected in a round tin, was a 2 tone Otay Native Son movement which was in clean running condition. No dial though.

William

I spotted this modern mechanical in a local charity shop, it was only £2, and "the battery was dead"!
I wound it up when I got home, and it started right up. I then spotted the silver hallmarks on the back and edge!
I went to the Woodford manufacturers website, and they still make these, at around £600 a pop.

The $67.00 Gruen (eBay 2008) passed through my collection and after full service it brought $400.00 ++

This 19j model 1888 American grade was on the bay for everyone to check out. It had a crummy incorrect dial, and a horribly overexposed movement image. Went for the price of a Riverside.

19J. Nice pick-up! I'll let you know if I see a dial for it.

kh

I specialize in buying high, spending high to restore, and selling low, but I occasionally make mistakes. Twice, I have spotted nice solid gold Lord Elgins listed as gold-filled, reselling them for $300-$500 profit. And I once bought a Levy Wander purse watch that I perhaps unaccountably disliked, paying $355 in 2007 and selling the next year for $755, having done no more than replace the crystal for $35.

Side view.

Kevin, the dial you need would look like this.

quote:

Ethan Lipsig

I specialize in buying high, spending high to restore, and selling low, but I occasionally make mistakes.

I took that economics course as well, honour student.

Ken,I've been looking for the correct dial, but being a bottom feeder, they are too dear, if seen at all. Ethan, Your Old English script dial looks like the style I've been looking for. I think I'll have to settle for the Maximus dial I have on it currently. I've been looking for a private label, such as Bailey, Banks and Biddle which are pretty snazzy dials.

I have a tale of a surprise find that will qualify as an upper deck home run.(To me at least)

Trouble is I don't want to jinx it so will wait till the watch is in hand.

It will probably be 10 days or so.

Stand by! See Waltham CPR below.

Kevin, I should have mentioned that the dial in the photograph I posted is on my 19j American Watch Company 1888 Model, but my 21j American Watch Company 1888 Model also has exactly the same dial. My two Riverside Maximus 1888 models have different dials. One has the correct Maximus dial, which would not be correct on an American Watch Company 1888; the other has a wonderful fancy dial, nice enough for me to forgive it for not being a "Maximus" dial.

I just remembered another small surprise from further back. Early on I bought a small pocket watch thru eBay that the seller represented only as Tiffany. Just a few photos of it. On arrival I noticed the case was silver, and the maker was Agassiz. Turn of the century gentleman's dress watch. Value almost doubled.

kh

This is my $20 dollar mystery Elgin from the 2nd post in this thread.

B.W. Raymond
# 11098937
1905
Grade 240
!8s
19J
Adj 5 Pos.
R.R. Grade

Gotta be happy with that.

Crappy pic but it will look that much better when cleaned up.

Lorne, MAGNIFICENT!!!

Thank you Dave, it actually looks much better than the picture.

Here is another Elgin from an online only auction that I got for $21, bidding based on this one pic. I think a lesser quality dial than the first to me indicating not as high quality of a movement. If nothing else it will provide a decent case for the BWR.

It is on it's way to me now.

Another story to add- many years ago a fellow in town decided he was going to be a watch dealer and put an ad in the paper " buying old watches etc"
A little old lady came into his shop with a box- inside was a 992b and an obscure 23J- he gave her 300$ for the pair- she left happy
He later sold me the 23J Washington Greeenwich to me for a very substantial profit.

I was happy too!!

Terry

The Kid got lucky again. (885)

Online only auction, only this one photo, "Antique pocket watch, Waltham on face, missing glass" EDIT Actually there was a pic of the back of the case as well.

Auctioneer states "Don't bid if you can't pick it up, we don't ship" so I figured that would limit the interest.

I arranged for the UPS store to pick up if I won it which I did for $170.

Would you have bid that high?

I phone the next day and the lady is all excited.

She tells me "You are going to love this beautiful watch, I couldn't get the cover off until after the auction, it has a beaver on it".

Well I almost hit the floor as I had an idea it could be a high grade movement but didn't dare dream it to be a CPR. Wanting to prolong the mystery I didn't ask as to 1883/1892 or the jewel count.

So it gets shipped and I wait, and wait.

It took the shipper 9 days to send me a tracking number which showed it had been delivered to a PO box 2000 miles away in eastern Canada. I was disappointed as can be and pretty well gave up hope of ever seeing this watch.

Lo and behold it shows up yesterday in my mail box, they had sent me the wrong tracking number!!

So I end up with a 1902, Model 1892 #12020609 17J CPR Beaver, working, needs cleaned, 3 hairlines, in a no other screw marked AWCCo. high grade Cashier case. It ain't mint but it's mine and it is precious, my first CPR, a cornerstone of my collection.

Now, given that I posted earlier in this thread that I got a #240 19J B.W. Raymond for $20, am waiting on a DS Elgin for $21 and this Beaver for $170 anyone would be justified in calling BS but this is all deathbed true.

Here is the watch.

What a steal!!!Want to double your money?

Roger

I appreciate the offer Roger but I think I will keep this one.

I assumed as much,Lorne.Nice watch
Roger

And this one mentioned above for $21….

[See image in my post from May 23, 2014 @ 23:26]

Turned out to be a Grade 387 17jewel 16s in a 25 year Wadsworth Pilot original case, plenty of pocket wear but no brass and a nice "bloom" acquired from years of sitting around.

#16144438

I think I was a dumpster diving hoarding gambler in another life and much of the DNA came thru during the reincarnation.

This one for $16 is coming down the pike.

Thanks for starting this thread Ken, I have a few horror stories as well but may not be quite as forthcoming with those.

This turned out to be a Ho-Hum 12 size Grade 314 15 Jewel in a Fahy's Bristol 25 year case, brass on the bow only.

I picked up a 16s 20 yr. YGF Star case, which was listed as a decent used case by the seller.It turned out to just about mint condition, never even had a movement in it!It made a perfect home for my Hamilton 996.

I have been lucky enough to pick up a few this way, where they only showed one pictured of the dial or where they said they could not get the back off. I won a 20j grade 150 Elgin because the seller said it was 15-17j (unmarked movement) and it was a grade 150 20j which did not have the jewel count marked on it. The price was more than a 15-17j would go for but well under what a 20j 150 would go for.