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The ebay optimist

cotterless45

By cotterless45
in The Astro Lounge

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John

John

Posted
Posted

FWIW it's a Vixen 4" F/12.7. Very rare scope with excellent Japanese optics - that's the first I've seen for sale for years.

It's not worth £500 but would be worth a punt at £150-ish and then given a bit of TLC. My guess is that it won't shift this time around but the seller may take some time to realise that he has to drop the price to sell it. He has probably based his price on the £699 that another seller is asking for the equally rare Vixen 4" F/15 optical tube also on eBay ATM. Thats also very optimistic of course but 4" F/15 Japanese achromats are really not very common - look at what Skylight Telescopes charge for theirs !

I'd reckon the optics in these scopes, provided they are in decent nick, are the equal of the much vaunted Carton's that people rave about.

Easy to knock these things when you don't know what they are but they are better than modern chinese equivalents :smiley:

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canuck

canuck

Posted
Posted

FWIW it's a Vixen 4" F/12.7. Very rare scope with excellent Japanese optics - that's the first I've seen for sale for years.

Easy to knock these things when you don't know what they are but they are better than modern chinese equivalents :smiley:

Indeed...

I actually owned one of these Vixen F13 Pulsar's a few years ago, it did have an excellent objective. I sold it for £395 as I recall and it was worth it. However, I didn't have a mount or eyepieces...much less an original mount like this one.

I think the price is fair, but the seller would need to find a like-minded buyer and this could take some time...so the seller may well drop the price. I wouldn't though.... :cool:

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Stargazer_00

Stargazer_00

Posted
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I think the quality of that mount detracts from the overall sense of quality of the scope to be honest.

I'd sell just the OTA for a reduced price and hide the corroded mount in another sale later. Whoever buys that OTA is unlikely to want it mounted on that mount in my opinion. The mount will inevitably be something more modern.

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John

John

Posted
Posted

I think the quality of that mount detracts from the overall sense of quality of the scope to be honest.

I'd sell just the OTA for a reduced price and hide the corroded mount in another sale later. Whoever buys that OTA is unlikely to want it mounted on that mount in my opinion. The mount will inevitably be something more modern.

I agree that it looks dated but the mount is a lot more substantial than it looks in the pics - they don't really show the scale of the scope. The pic below shows the same scope with Celestron branding (the orange one). To me, it would be a shame to break up a setup that has been together for 30+ years, but thats just me I guess :rolleyes2:

post-118-0-84376800-1376903990.jpg

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canuck

canuck

Posted
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I also prefer to not split up vintage equipment. It's a shame for a vintage scope & mount to be split up to simply maximise a sale price. Sentimental I know, but those are just my feelings toward it. If you can afford to be patient, a buyer who appreciates what it is will come along.

The mount looks little tired I agree, but with slow motion gearing on both axis, it would be perfectly suitable for use with the scope. If you Google 'Unitron alt/az mountings' you'll see pictures of similar mountings from this time period. If the scope in question was a Unitron, it would have sold by now at this price to a very happy buyer! In my experience, this Vixen would hold its' own against the Unitron...

A little alternative perspective perhaps... :smiley:

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Macavity

Macavity

Posted
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Ah, the Ebay "lottery". A few years back, decent, "vintage" (non-astro) stuff might have made a fair price from enthusiasts. These days it just won't sell or some speculator gets all your "precious things" for 99 pee? :angry5:

Even tried to dispose of some drawer clutter a few (family) porcelain items recently. The local "Aunty Wainright" (antique shop) confirmed it was NICE stuff. "A few years ago, I'd've offered you a significant price" - But "these days noone want stuff like that...". A "specialist market"... If you can (know how to) find one? :)

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canuck

canuck

Posted
Posted

Ah, the Ebay "lottery". A few years back, decent, "vintage" (non-astro) stuff might have made a fair price from enthusiasts. These days it just won't sell or some speculator gets all your "precious things" for 99 pee? :angry5:

Good point...

Ebay is not the venue it once was and is not (in my opinion) a good place to find an appreciative home for a scope like this.

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Marki

Marki

Posted
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FWIW it's a Vixen 4" F/12.7. Very rare scope with excellent Japanese optics - that's the first I've seen for sale for years.

It's not worth £500 but would be worth a punt at £150-ish and then given a bit of TLC. My guess is that it won't shift this time around but the seller may take some time to realise that he has to drop the price to sell it. He has probably based his price on the £699 that another seller is asking for the equally rare Vixen 4" F/15 optical tube also on eBay ATM. Thats also very optimistic of course but 4" F/15 Japanese achromats are really not very common - look at what Skylight Telescopes charge for theirs !

I'd reckon the optics in these scopes, provided they are in decent nick, are the equal of the much vaunted Carton's that people rave about.

Easy to knock these things when you don't know what they are but they are better than modern chinese equivalents :smiley:

Indeed. Be very interesting to put one of these side by side with an equivalent Carton objective. If its in good condition I'd imagine there shouldn't be a great deal of difference, and both should provide excellent views. I'd be tempted to take a punt if it was substantially cheaper. The Polaris you refer to John, also looks very tempting, but....

...I...do...NOT...need...another....4"...refractor...I...do...NOT...need...another...4"...refractor.... :)

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nightfisher

nightfisher

Posted
Posted

I also prefer to not split up vintage equipment. It's a shame for a vintage scope & mount to be split up to simply maximise a sale price. Sentimental I know, but those are just my feelings toward it. If you can afford to be patient, a buyer who appreciates what it is will come along.

The mount looks little tired I agree, but with slow motion gearing on both axis, it would be perfectly suitable for use with the scope. If you Google 'Unitron alt/az mountings' you'll see pictures of similar mountings from this time period. If the scope in question was a Unitron, it would have sold by now at this price to a very happy buyer! In my experience, this Vixen would hold its' own against the Unitron...

A little alternative perspective perhaps... :smiley:

fully agree about not splitting up vintage scopes an mounts, i have the swift 839 60mm, i wont ever use it on its original mount, but i have to keep all the box and bits it came with

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