How Much is Vintage Dive Gear Really Worth?
- My buddy Rich and I found some vintage treasures at a dive shop over the weekend and I got to thinking and comparing the various prices I've paid for my vintage diving gear collection... Sometimes I've paid next to nothing and other times I've had to pay a lot to get something (like a Voit regulator) that I could never find a bargain on.
- Last winter, I paid $50 for an old, used Mike Nelson Sportsways depth gauge and $80 for Voit fins with like new rubber... Items I needed for the Sea Hunt Forever event. But, this weekend, I paid $20 for a New-In-The-Box vintage US Divers Depth gauge. And, $20 for Like-New yellow rubber vintage shoe fins with a spear gun thrown in!
- The guy had a set of Twin 50s tanks made from low pressure (1800 psi) steel CO2 tanks with new HP stainless bushings, USD J-valve manifold, back pack, and SeaTec horsecollar BCD. VERY nice set up. He told me to make an offer and I thought $150 was low. He said he'd take that. Well it was for Rich and Rich is working on a different double tank project. So, he offers them to Rich at $100. I was ready to snap them up just because... But I have two unfinished double tank projects and lots of other tanks already. Rich passed on them, too.
- So then we went "Out back" to the shed, and that's where I got my depth gauge and fins. BUT, he had a nice DA AquaMaster with the blue "Made In France" label and offered it to Rich for $40. I paid close to $200 to get one like it a few years ago off Ebay. Rich also snagged a brand new unused (1980s) USD single hose reg for only $35. But then there is the story of how Rich bought a very nice Mistral from an antique store for $25 and the guy gave him another 10% off for cash! Followed by me ordering him a very nice DA AquaMaster from Rob in order to get one with good Chrome and a long yoke... That one was around $200 but the chrome, label, hoses and mouthpiece were still good.
- What I've concluded is that vintage dive gear in good condition is worth a lot more to me than whoever is selling it could get from selling it to anybody else. What I'm saying is: I bet I could have got that depth gauge for $5. And, I wouldn't be surprised if $50 would have taken those Twin 50s tanks home. Unfortunately, I now have almost too much of this stuff... But I sure enjoy it.