3 Comments Posted by Williamson
Williamson wrote:
Nancy, was certainly not suggesting EVERY member of your group is a scoundrel by any means. But there are a select number of folks from this group who seem very cordial on the outside... But if they want certain fans or have their sights set upon certain fans, I pity those who get in their way.
Though I have never been a member of your merry group, I have monitored your site for several years. And do know several members. As with all collector groups, this one too has a dark side. A few of the seemingly eternally cordial members have been involved in some pretty despicable behaivor all in the name of protecting their interest in obtaining fans.
Usually having obsessions are a fairly unhealthy thing. And one can safely say anyone who feels the need to have say 10,000 fans in their back yard is obsessed. (Yes, there actually are a collector or two who have literally 10,000+ fans in their collection.)
I just found the earlier poster who spouted off of how these fans were worth at least $2,000 and how he seemed to almost request some poor sap to go out and get him one, a bit off. These gyros are not worth at least $2k anymore. A well used one which needs repairs and restoration can be had for much, much less. This is beside the point of the logical notion that they do in fact have value and taking them would in fact be illegal.
As a photographer who trips upon places like this from time to time, I can say they are very unsafe in many ways. Sure some shooters have probably snatched a little trinket here and there. I haven't personally. But most photographers who take a little 'remembrance' aren't doing so to resell. They are getting their treasures from the photos they take and for what they stand for.
I was Not suggesting in Any way that the bulk of the fan collector population would indeed plan a raid to New England to hit this hospital. According to the updates anyway it is obvious that the building has been bought and is under lockdown and restoration. Usually the type of people who buy buildings like this make sure no such treasures hang around anyway. To anyone remotely familiar with restoring older buildings, these fans would stick out like a sore thumb and be promptly removed.
By the way, LH, wasn't even suggesting you were rubbing your hands together planning a visit to New England. We've talked before and your a stand up guy.
Some of the fan collectors do need to step back and take a breath and realize... They are Just fans.
I do have a few old fans I use in my photography. Have always had interest in them. Used them a lot back in Texas in the 50s. Definitely a reminder of a better time. Though do like the cameras of today a little better. They aren't built quite like my Leica rangefinder, but I can't argue with the good lenses they make these days.
Sorry if I offended the earlier fan collector. But just sounded a bit too much like you were trying to find some pickers to go stick their necks out. I just wanted to clear the air that in the present fan market, $2k+ for westinghouse gyros in unknown condition was a bit deceptive. Go find an Emerson Gryo.. then you can overstate value.
I love most all the pics on this site. It's good to remember.
Though I have never been a member of your merry group, I have monitored your site for several years. And do know several members. As with all collector groups, this one too has a dark side. A few of the seemingly eternally cordial members have been involved in some pretty despicable behaivor all in the name of protecting their interest in obtaining fans.
Usually having obsessions are a fairly unhealthy thing. And one can safely say anyone who feels the need to have say 10,000 fans in their back yard is obsessed. (Yes, there actually are a collector or two who have literally 10,000+ fans in their collection.)
I just found the earlier poster who spouted off of how these fans were worth at least $2,000 and how he seemed to almost request some poor sap to go out and get him one, a bit off. These gyros are not worth at least $2k anymore. A well used one which needs repairs and restoration can be had for much, much less. This is beside the point of the logical notion that they do in fact have value and taking them would in fact be illegal.
As a photographer who trips upon places like this from time to time, I can say they are very unsafe in many ways. Sure some shooters have probably snatched a little trinket here and there. I haven't personally. But most photographers who take a little 'remembrance' aren't doing so to resell. They are getting their treasures from the photos they take and for what they stand for.
I was Not suggesting in Any way that the bulk of the fan collector population would indeed plan a raid to New England to hit this hospital. According to the updates anyway it is obvious that the building has been bought and is under lockdown and restoration. Usually the type of people who buy buildings like this make sure no such treasures hang around anyway. To anyone remotely familiar with restoring older buildings, these fans would stick out like a sore thumb and be promptly removed.
By the way, LH, wasn't even suggesting you were rubbing your hands together planning a visit to New England. We've talked before and your a stand up guy.
Some of the fan collectors do need to step back and take a breath and realize... They are Just fans.
I do have a few old fans I use in my photography. Have always had interest in them. Used them a lot back in Texas in the 50s. Definitely a reminder of a better time. Though do like the cameras of today a little better. They aren't built quite like my Leica rangefinder, but I can't argue with the good lenses they make these days.
Sorry if I offended the earlier fan collector. But just sounded a bit too much like you were trying to find some pickers to go stick their necks out. I just wanted to clear the air that in the present fan market, $2k+ for westinghouse gyros in unknown condition was a bit deceptive. Go find an Emerson Gryo.. then you can overstate value.
I love most all the pics on this site. It's good to remember.
- Location: Riverside State Hospital (view comments)
- Gallery: Wonderland
Williamson wrote:
Ambitious appraisal by the novie collector aside, these westinghouse fans are neat, but not overly rare. Certainly not worthy of breaking into such a place as this to attain them illegally. Maybe 10 years ago this fan may have brought $1500-2000 in great original functioning condition. But thanks to ebay bringing lots of medium grade fans out into the open, a typical westinghouse gyro fan can be had for $1000, and sometimes less. There were three main manufacturers of these fans. Emerson, Adams Bagnal/Jandus and Westinghouse. Westinghouse gyros are the most commonly found. Then the Adams Gyros, which also don't sell for what they used to (once upon a time $4-5k, now your lucky to get half of that. Seem them as low as $1500 for the AB Gyros. less if they are in need of work. Emersons on the other hald got into the gyro game late and subsequently there aren't near as many around. Those lucky enough to find one would comand a solid price.
this fan pic recently got posted on a fan collectors site. So there are now some of the more obsessed collectors probably trying to find this place. Frankly many a fan collector are pretty greedy when it comes to finding any of the rarer fans (those valued over $500) and would step over their own mother to get one, as well as lie, cheat, steal etc. Many of these more desperate collectors are oddly the ones with enough cash to buy the things legit. But they would break into a place like this easily if there were a half dozen of them laying about. Forget the rats, decayed floors, other unpleasantness, and oh yeah, IT'S ILLEGAL.
I can smile at the folks who simply want to take cool pics. But when you go salvaging it just isn't cool. taking a picture is one thing.
this fan pic recently got posted on a fan collectors site. So there are now some of the more obsessed collectors probably trying to find this place. Frankly many a fan collector are pretty greedy when it comes to finding any of the rarer fans (those valued over $500) and would step over their own mother to get one, as well as lie, cheat, steal etc. Many of these more desperate collectors are oddly the ones with enough cash to buy the things legit. But they would break into a place like this easily if there were a half dozen of them laying about. Forget the rats, decayed floors, other unpleasantness, and oh yeah, IT'S ILLEGAL.
I can smile at the folks who simply want to take cool pics. But when you go salvaging it just isn't cool. taking a picture is one thing.
- Location: Riverside State Hospital (view comments)
- Gallery: Wonderland
But yes, I guess it could get hot down in the Ozarks. especially if you hold an annual 'show and tell' at your farm where you have a big ole fire roasting a whole pig telling stories of how you acquired a particular fan. Im sure they fail to mention the fan that everyone is ooowing and aahhing over that is worth about $15,000 was acquired from a local picker for $300 who didn't know what it was worth. But I'm sure occasionally he taps his offshore bank accounts to pay retail for a fan from another collector that he can't steal.
But it's all in good fun I'm sure.. provided no two of them have their sights heavily set on a fan. As the great movie line was... "As long as theres no find, the noble brotherhood will last. But when the gold roles in, thats when the trouble starts." well, it went something like that.
Trust me, some of these guys get goose pimply when they buy that special fan. Then they have debates that last weeks over when someone finds a fan blade and doesn't know which exact fan it fits. Others get more excited than they did on their honeymoon when they find a fan that ran off of DC current instead of the more common AC version.
Though as silly as it sounds, it's probably no more strange than when they see people who like sites like this look in awe at some of the photos which to them aren't that exciting. But then again, I don't think many of the photographers are paying five figures for any of these photos. Nor are they throwing BBQ parties to show them off.