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Re: [OM] ebay Auctions

Subject: Re: [OM] ebay Auctions
From: "John A. Lind" <jlind@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2001 15:09:58 +0000
At 13:58 1/14/01, George S. wrote:
Thanks a lot John! My coffee almost came out my nose/ears. I was expecting
something a little different, but this was even better. I hope we don't
recognize any list members in those questions!

My German is a bit rusty; my three years in Germany ended 20 years ago. Had to read it several times phrase by phrase (he is erudite). I just about choked on my coffee too!

It gave me visions of questions non-OM-saavy sellers might be asked about other OM items, and what they might think about the questions:

1. OM-2: Can you make a digital photo of the shutter curtain pattern and send it to me? [With complete instructions for how to perform this macro feat . . . What on Earth is this for, the TOPE Abstract Gallery? Make your own abstract!]

2. OM-2S: With a T-Series flash attached and turned on, is the LED in the viewfinder red or green? [What's it for, replacing Christmas tree lights; does he want a blinking one too? If a seller was wondering the sanity of a possible buyer at that point, a follow-on question asking about flying shutter strings . . . with instructions on how to look for them . . . would clinch it.]

3. OM-3/4: With the switch held in the battery check position, does the beeping turn itself off after 30 seconds or so? [What's he want, new cells too? I'll give him new cells. The high pitched beep makes some people ready for the "rubber room" after the first 10 seconds. 30 seconds of it would put them into a frustrated "ursa reefer rage."]

4. 50/1.4: Does it have a silver nose? Is the lens ring marked with "G.Zuiko," "Zuiko MC" or just "Zuiko?" Do *all* its elements have green reflections? Is the serial number under 1,000,000? Is it over 1,000,000 but less than 1,100,000? Is it over 1,100,000? [Nope, no silver nose; doesn't have Rudolph's red one either. With the rest of this I'm wondering if the buyer has W.C. Field's nose. Maybe he hung out with Timothy Leary a little too long, and wants it for the pretty colors its glass reflects.]

5. 50/1.8: Is the lens ring marked with "F.Zuiko?" Is it marked with "Zuiko?" Does it say "Made in Japan" on it? [What, is there some other "Olympus" camera company in Elbonia nobody else knows about?]

I think it is exasperation from lengthy questions about minutia with instructions for how to look for it. Yes, I forgot to include the parens with the reference to being worse than Leica-philes, and it was good too.

I've no personal experience with them, but have heard stories about some of the "glass case collectors" storing items in hermetically sealed plastic and handling everything with lint-free gloves, as one would do with valuable museum pieces. It doesn't just afflict the Leica-philes, there are parallels with early Rollei TLR and Nikon RF collectors too . . . looking for perfect, "uncirculated," mint samples of everything ever made for the entire system, in every variation and formulation.

-- John


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