This came by the shop today

[Eric Sedletzky]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that these regs, and especially the tanks, should be dove. You just want to be very careful, maybe only in clean fresh water, and only on special occasions. I like the idea of replacing the hoses/mouthpiece first, of course saving the originals.

They take Stradivarius violins out to get played, they drive ultra-mint antique cars, etc...


Edit; thinking about the tanks, it would be a shame to put a new hydro stamp on them, so you could do your own vis and fill with your own compressor. Best of all would be a friendly hydro tester that would test them but agree not to stamp.

I completely agree, all that stuff should absolutely be used. They are worthless sitting in a glass case somewhere just getting looked at. I would remove the original hoses and clamps and save all of it along with the boxes an I'd replace that stuff with new stuff along with the internals, then I would dive it and dive it some more.
Someday when it get's dove enough, like maybe 3000 dives or when I 'm too damned old, then I would replace all the original stuff and look at it.

 

[duckbill]

They take Stradivarius violins out to get played, they drive ultra-mint antique cars, etc...

You mean those Stadivarius' that have the original strings that have never been tightened or played, and those brand new antique cars that have zero miles on them?

 

[elmer fudd]

I'm not sure if I would dive them or not. There's really nothing about that equipment that would feel significantly different than diving with a Mistral and a beat up LP72 and as likely as not they would show some wear afterward.

On the other hand, the prices on them aren't likely to be freaky high. Maybe $2000? Lots of people spend far more than that on new dive gear that a decade from now will be selling for 10 cents on the dollar. You could dive this stuff and even if it did pick up a few scratches along the way chances are it would still sell for the same or more in ten years.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I also think that other people who don't dive vintage but appreciate seeing it would get a lot more enjoyment and appreciation actually seeing someone using the gear and doing a real dive with it. Everytime I go to the beach using my vintage gear I get a lot of people gathering around to see what I'm using and they all think it's cool. They don't get that sort of enjoyment seeing the stuff in a glass case and neither do I.

 

[halocline]

You mean those Stadivarius' that have the original strings that have never been tightened or played, and those brand new antique cars that have zero miles on them?

Well, strings are meant to be changed, and actually, the violin analogy is a little weak because musical instruments deteriorate if they're not played. So museums always have the instruments played from time to time. And, of course, you'll never find a 300 year old violin that's never been played.

Are there any antique cars that exist with zero miles on them? I read something about some extremely rare vintage mercedes at the mercedes factory, but the author of the articles was allowed to drive the cars.

As long as you're very careful, it makes sense to dive these. I'd be very interested in seeing what the tanks look like inside. Is there any pressure in them?

 

[Luis H]

IMO, the issue here is that there are plenty of used/ pre-dived vintage equipment for all of us divers to use. There are extremely few “new in the box” items that have been preserved.

The moment it touches the water it is not a NIB anymore and the value/ price would probably reflect the sudden status change.

Granted, this are excellent NIB examples, but are not immaculately preserved, the hoses have decayed (including color change), the tinnerman clamps show some rust, I am sure the duckbills are totally decayed, the boxes look good, but aged. Even do they are not perfect they are still one of the few examples of NIB collectors item that some collector would appreciate preserving.

Note: I am not really a collector, I am a diver, and I would never spend money on owning a NIB collectible item (unless I thought it was an investment, but IMO there are better places to invest money). I have and can locate plenty of great vintage gear that I can dive.

There is no shortage of used, excellent vintage dive gear to go around, and as mentioned, the prices seem to have dropped some.

IMHO, the price can have a huge range. All you need to find is the right buyer.


Added:
I would never try to own these pieces, because I would tend to want to dive them. IMO, that would be a disservice to those who would want to preserve them.

In order to dive them you could not preserve them as is. They would require as a minimum to have new hoses and duckbill, but a complete rebuild would be more appropriate. Just replacing the duckbill will alter the inside chrome of the horn. It doesn’t matter how careful you are (or what method of cleaning you use); the original duckbill is fused to the chrome and separating them will alter both.

 

[spectrum]

I'm not sure if I would dive them or not. There's really nothing about that equipment that would feel significantly different than diving with a Mistral and a beat up LP72 and as likely as not they would show some wear afterward.

I'm hearing something I can relate to here.......

If the owner is not a true vintage gear enthusiast there will not be anything extraordinary about a dive made with this equipment. As dive gear in service it's out of sight and of no special value.

As it stands with perished rubber it (the regulators) will never get into the water as NOS "as built" virgin.

However, as pristine examples of vintage equipment, never used and with packaging (despite deterioration of corrugated and rubber) they are a rare chance to have, hold and touch. This gives them significant value that will be destroyed with casual use.

So unless the owner has a real appreciation for this gear flipping it or holding it for safe keeping makes sense for me.

If I had it and decided to hold it unused, as is I would go get all new rubber for it and pack it away as well. The vintage community has made some incredible progress in making this stuff available and I see no end in sight but you never know. With all of these replacement parts being in silicone rubber they will store perfectly with minimal effort. I would probably round out the time capsule with other rebuild repair parts so when they emerge they are serviceable should some future owner ever decide to use them.

Inspecting the cylinders would be wise. Carefully brush inside & pressurize as needed but do not update the hydro or add a VIP, just stabilize them for long term storage.

Once someone pays a lot for the stuff they can put them in water or showcase as desired.

Pete

 

[halocline]

Lets take the question one step further...would you put the regs on a tank and pressurize?

How important is it, other than for pricing purposes, that the regs have never been in the water?

 

[Cave Diver]

I'm not a vintage diver, but from an outside perspective, I would hope that someone who buys these puts them on display and preserves them.

They likely cant be dove without some work being done to them first. That negates the NIB status, IMO. There are plenty of other vintage gear that can be acquired and dove, but its unlikely to find such pristine examples of new gear as this.

I hope they get displayed as part of a collection for someone who really appreciates them for what they are.

 

[fdog]

Indeed.

It strikes me that right now, as these regs sit (undiveable) NIB, they are the ultimate reference for rebuilding other regulators of the same model, designing replacement rubber goods, and generally for anything that isn't covered in to original manuals.


All the best, James