Does anyone have a "supporting" theory as to why:

When you purchase a watchmaker's estate there is always a box filled with silverode style cases, and the blasted stems/crowns and sometimes bows and sleeves are MIA?

Where do they go?

very good question Jon

My questions is/are "where are you guys finding these estates?!?...and what do they cost to purchase, on average?"

Crowns, Stems and Sleeves were worn, broken and abused more often than any other parts of the watch.

Many "Mogilla's" Pull-Set a watch so forcefully they broke out sleeve fingers and bent the stem, then complained to their watch maker that "it got hard to wind". With a Gazillion different kinds of non-descript Case Maker's stems and sleeves to choose from a watch person with a lot of "scrap" cases would probably first look for a replacement used sleeve/stem and if the sleeve worked, file or machine the stem to fit Mogilla's watch.

Early Crowns were like fast wearing car tires with the outside "tread" swaged around a hard base metal middle part. Few watches have an original crown if they were used for any time. Hence a "cheap fix" would be a crown that fit from the "scrap" cases.

Very well put David. I found a box of 21 cases the other day and every one of them was scavenged. One had a bow in it but it was so twisted it was not worth messing with. The fellow just wanted scrap value, but that's not my balley wick.

Tom price is hard to establish you have too many
factors how many watches ,working or not names
and so on.
as where they are all over just look at the right places like flee markets,antique malls and so on
gold scrappers will hold them for you for few $ if you ask them nice

Tom for me it is word of mouth and been doing it for so long a lot of people know me thus they pass my name out. Whether it is a person who tinkered with watches or a fully operational watch shop, prices all vary, you just have to go see what is there, I have spent as low as $1000 and a ton more on larger estates. The fun part especially in passed on watchmaker estates epecially is after you buy is finding that stash of goodies that he had put up. It seems every deal I bought out has at least a few unforseen goodies, which adds icing to the deal. I usually get a average of 18 contacts each year, not buying them all, as anyone who buys will tell you some people just want to much for you to make money and sometimes it has been cherry picked or just plain junk that is hard to sell. So I only end up with about half the deals I get contacted about. There has been times I also passed on a deal because so far away and didnt sound like enough stuff or profit to make it worth my time. With prices varrying on Ebay sometimes you dont make out as well as you hoped and other times it is a home run.

Ok Dave... What the heck is a mogilla?

I think he is referring to a Gorilla from 'Mogilla the Gorilla' Bruce, you can correct me if I am wrong Dave.

Sorry about the sp error . . . that is who I was thinking of . . .