Sorry tdzep I just wanted to let our friendly little community here know about it! I did think about that though ( if someone from here was bidding already )

I debate whether to post some of these announcements myself sometimes but most times come down on the side of 'trying to inform' for those who might be looking for a particular item. In most cases it seems these type 'highly sought' items get 'found out' eventually by enough people on eBay that trying to get a good deal most times seems to be a lost cause.

Every once in a while however someone will list an item incorrectly or with such an incorrect description that few people find it.

I once got a real good deal on a pretty good vintage Centuri catalog for a friend because the seller listed it under the name 'Century'. Got it for like $2.50. And a pretty good deal on a complete and unused Cineroc because the seller mis-spelled it in the listing as a 'Cinerco' movie camera. Got that one for under $110.


Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

I can't do that!

__________________
I love sanding.

Agree with Tbzep !
Keep those ignorant about vintage kit values that way.
Some of us prefer to score items WITHOUT paying astronomical and as-inine sums of $$$ for them.
If I could talk someone into selling me this kit for $20.00, I would have NO qualms about doing so.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, TURMOIL, FIASCOS, and HAVOC !

GH,

The best and I mean very best score I ever had for a model rocket purchase was buying a mint sealed Centuri Lazer-X and a Mint Centuri Saturn V (color box) for $10.00!!! The Laser-X was being sold for $0.50 and the Saturn for $10.00 but I made an offer on both and got them for $10.00.

Now look at the $190.00 Centuri Laser-X that just sold on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/60s-70s-Cen...=item27c76e9580

There are still deals to be found ... just have to work at it

Jonathan

The LJ II went for $319.09. I bid on it, just not that high. It was sniped with 2 seconds on the clock anyway.

The buyer should be pleased; that kit looked practically mint.

Allen

Yeah, as I posted above, I don't think this person really understood the value of this kit when he first posted it......which is understandable if one is not in the hobby. I suggested he post some photos of the box contents not just the box alone and told him these kits usually fetch upwards of $300 or more on ebay. In this case the bidders didn't make a liar out of me.

I suspect he is a VERY happy ebayer about now.


Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

The Centuri 1/45 Little Joe II was one of my favorite model rockets. it has been a great investment for over the past 20 years, especially if you bought the kit along time ago. The original 1969 price was $12.95 , adjusted for inflation this would come to over $80.00 in today's money. Selling for $319.00 puts you at 4 X the rate of inflation.The kit sold on EBay was in the illustrated box, the last catalog price for this kit was $19.00, (I think in 1974). Centuri latter closed out these kits in 1977 for the original price of $12.95.
So don' feel bad if you sold one of these 10 yeas ago for say $ 250.00 because that is
equal to $325.00 now. I sold mine 12 years ago.

__________________
Neal Miller
Master Blaster NAR# 58296

I remember getting that Centuri Rocket Times issue in the mail (spring of '77 as I recall) stating that the Little Joe II kit would be closed out and sold at the price you mention above. While that was indeed a much better price than the going catalog price at the time (the kit was still listed in their latest catalog then), I remember thinking that $12.95 was still a fair chunk of change more than I had available at the time.

But gosh, if one had known then what we know now about the escalation in value as you point out, I suspect many of us would have FOUND a way to scrape up the money to get at least one of them. As it was, it would take me some 31 years later before I snagged my first Little Joe II kit.


Earl

__________________
Earl L. Cagle, Jr.
NAR# 29523
TRA# 962
SAM# 73
Owner/Producer
Point 39 Productions

Rocket-Brained Since 1970

Earl,

I think Centuri actually sold the Little Joe II for $8.95 back in 1978 or 1980 for funds to help the U.S. FAI team. There was a flyer sent out asking people to support ... that may have been something that was not corporate, but what Grant Boyd did on his own; not sure of the details, but I think that was the last available price for the kit... even below its original starting price. I don't think Centuri sold many of the kits. There was rumor that the special wrap was no longer available and they had to discontinue the kit.

Grant had flyers with many different products including plastic kits, model rockets, and NASA stuff for sale.

I would have either dig it up or have one of the readers here dig it up and confirm. $8.95/$12.95 either way that was a lot of cash back then:

What cost $12.95 in 1977 would cost $46.04 in 2010. <- http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi

So even in today's money, these LJ II's are over priced

The highest I have seen for the LJ II was over $500:

Name Qty Low Mean High
Little Joe II, KS-8 5 [510]... 589 ...[668]

Gerry doesn't have Centuri kit prices

Jonathan