About two years ago (2012ish) I started first watching the market on vintage archtops. Back then, you could get a Harmony or Kay archtop for around $100 if you were patient and knew where to look.
About three months ago, I noticed a jump. The same guitars are now starting bids at $400. In most cases, these are showing higher than their blue book values. Sounds like vintage may be a great investment.
The thing is, I've noticed that little or none of these guitars are selling! Even in a few cases where bids are going up (even into the $5,000 range on one Epiphone I've watched through four separate auctions by the same seller), they aren't hitting their reserve prices.
Then, two weeks ago, a buddy showed me this article:
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/08/hot-jazz-new-york
(Let's not even get into the author implying that New York is solely responsible for this rise in swing music. I have other thoughts there...)
My guess is that some collectors or even resalers noticed a small increase in demand and started raising the prices. I'm not necessarily against costs rising to meet demand. I did marry the daughter of an economist... But, I keep going back to a simple belief that items are only worth what an individual would pay for them. So, if no one is buying these things, then the artificially high prices are wrong.
Okay, so this post is simply a rant. I don't have any solution for what is essentially a free market occurrence. I'm just annoyed with it. Personally, I found a nice old National Archtop that I'm kind of falling in love with and I got it for cheaper than I believe it is worth.
So, yeah... I'm just venting.
About three months ago, I noticed a jump. The same guitars are now starting bids at $400. In most cases, these are showing higher than their blue book values. Sounds like vintage may be a great investment.
The thing is, I've noticed that little or none of these guitars are selling! Even in a few cases where bids are going up (even into the $5,000 range on one Epiphone I've watched through four separate auctions by the same seller), they aren't hitting their reserve prices.
Then, two weeks ago, a buddy showed me this article:
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/08/hot-jazz-new-york
(Let's not even get into the author implying that New York is solely responsible for this rise in swing music. I have other thoughts there...)
My guess is that some collectors or even resalers noticed a small increase in demand and started raising the prices. I'm not necessarily against costs rising to meet demand. I did marry the daughter of an economist... But, I keep going back to a simple belief that items are only worth what an individual would pay for them. So, if no one is buying these things, then the artificially high prices are wrong.
Okay, so this post is simply a rant. I don't have any solution for what is essentially a free market occurrence. I'm just annoyed with it. Personally, I found a nice old National Archtop that I'm kind of falling in love with and I got it for cheaper than I believe it is worth.
So, yeah... I'm just venting.
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