65 replies to this topic

[grif 678]

Say there was a classic scope that you wanted all your life, many years ago, and was never able to get it because of money, availability, etc. Years have gone by, and you do not observe anymore. Then all of a sudden you see this scope you wanted for so many years, appears at a very good price. Knowing you would never use it, would you buy it?

[John Berger]

no

[J A VOLK]

If you would enjoy displaying the scope, absolutely.

[RichA]

Say there was a classic scope that you wanted all your life, many years ago, and was never able to get it because of money, availability, etc. Years have gone by, and you do not observe anymore. Then all of a sudden you see this scope you wanted for so many years, appears at a very good price. Knowing you would never use it, would you buy it?

Hard to say.  I've seen people with huge microscope collections, brass microscopes from 150 years ago, but no one is going to use such an item if they have a good modern scope, except for the odd curiosity view.  However, if it's a decent telescope, better better-off in the hands of someone who will use it.  Go to a star party with it, 20 people might get a chance to look through it, that kind of thing. 

[wrvond]

The having of a thing is often not as satisfying as the wanting of the thing (or something like that).

[deSitter]

Say there was a classic scope that you wanted all your life, many years ago, and was never able to get it because of money, availability, etc. Years have gone by, and you do not observe anymore. Then all of a sudden you see this scope you wanted for so many years, appears at a very good price. Knowing you would never use it, would you buy it?

No I would use it now and then. What fun is a telescope that doesn't work? We had a baby grand Steinway piano in the faculty lounge at the Ga. Tech library that was just a magazine stand. I'm sure a lot of those professors and assistants knew how to play. It was just unthinkable, because it useful as a magazine stand I did test it for being in tune, and it wasn't bad. I put the magazines back like I found them.

 

-drl

[CHASLX200]

Say there was a classic scope that you wanted all your life, many years ago, and was never able to get it because of money, availability, etc. Years have gone by, and you do not observe anymore. Then all of a sudden you see this scope you wanted for so many years, appears at a very good price. Knowing you would never use it, would you buy it?

Well i went on a buying freeze in July. I am done for good and selling it all. Only really a few scopes i may jump on. Have to be local and mint gents and cheap.  Say like a 6" Unitron but i am sure none are mint anymore or one of them fancy Japan made Newts from around 1962 pops up .Pretty much had it all over 47 years time. . Gonna have to B a rare bird and something on my top dream scope list.

Edited by CHASLX200, 21 November 2024 - 07:13 PM.

[deSitter]

The having of a thing is often not as satisfying as the wanting of the thing (or something like that).

Yeah that's Spock regretting using the wrong head to think with "Amok Time"

 

-drl

[jragsdale]

That's something I would do, yeah.

[Couder]

What's the fun of having funds to buy something you've always wanted, if you don't get it? Sure, I'm one of many who are guilty of having something we don't use. So what? If I want it and can afford it, I'll get it.

We had a very large house one time, and one of the guys at work asked me if we used every room every day. If not, we didn't need a house that big. My response was "do you use every tool in your toolbox every day? If not, you don't need it."

[jgraham]

For me... absolutely, and I'd start observing again, just to finish the thought.

You only have one chance to do this right.

Enjoy!

[CHASLX200]

What's the fun of having funds to buy something you've always wanted, if you don't get it? Sure, I'm one of many who are guilty of having something we don't use. So what? If I want it and can afford it, I'll get it.

We had a very large house one time, and one of the guys at work asked me if we used every room every day. If not, we didn't need a house that big. My response was "do you use every tool in your toolbox every day? If not, you don't need it."

That is me. Once i get a scope i never use it and want the next thing. Well 650 scopes later i had to tell myself to stop for good. I have just run out of stuff to buy. Anything i have not had was too big or cost too much to fool with.

[apfever]

Hard to say.  I've seen people with huge microscope collections, brass microscopes from 150 years ago, but no one is going to use such an item if they have a good modern scope, except for the odd curiosity view.  However, if it's a decent telescope, better better-off in the hands of someone who will use it.  Go to a star party with it, 20 people might get a chance to look through it, that kind of thing. 

Interesting choice of comparisons. This one is right at 150 years old. It was made no earlier than 1872 and no later than 1880. It is a J. Swift high powered medical bino scope. It has a mono lens but uses a beam splitter that can be slid in or out of the light path. Everything on it works perfectly, original finish.  I made the display case. I have used the scope but have more practical ones for my needs. 

 

"However, if it's a decent telescope, better better-off in the hands of someone who will use it."

Absolutely disagree. Collecting scopes is no different than collecting coins or cars. Coins are ones you would never spend and cars may be more than you can drive. Collecting old tools that work perfectly....pick your fancy.  There is no shortage of decent scopes (in general) and no one is going to be denied views because someone doesn't share their vintage classic regularly. Mine get shared every time someone comes through the door and admires or enjoys them as is. That includes several regulars in this forum.  No different than Concourse Cars that are never really driven. People who think concourse restorations are wasted time need to back off their blinders. "Collection" usually entails more of something than a person has practical use for.

 

I share my collection inside and share the views outside if I can. 

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[rolo]

Say there was a classic scope that you wanted all your life, many years ago, and was never able to get it because of money, availability, etc. Years have gone by, and you do not observe anymore. Then all of a sudden you see this scope you wanted for so many years, appears at a very good price. Knowing you would never use it, would you buy it?

I would seriously consider it cause it may motivate you to use it. Classic telescopes that evoke such feelings are fulfilling just to look at, like a Questar for example 

[98105dude]

Telescope, car, ancient coin... Yes, I'd buy it in a minute - and I'd enjoy the heck out of it, even if that meant just looking at it in my study, or my garage. Especially if that enjoyment took me back to a time when I was younger, healthier, and it seemed my dreams might someday be realized.

[DrBB]

I guess it's different with a musical instrument as opposed to a scientific one, but I always have a real problem with people who have loads of cash buying up classic guitars--your '57 Strat, your 1953 Les Paul--putting it in a glass case and never playing it. Buying old classic cars and never driving them, kinda similar. I guess a scope that's aged into a condition such that it's only good to look AT, and not THROUGH, well... maybe its design speaks of a different era and that's its only value any more. But other things being equal it kinda lands in the same place for me. If it could be used to hand on your love of stargazing to someone else--an offspring, say--not just sitting in a closet or whatever, that would be a better fate for the the thing.

 

None of these objects can re-live our pasts for us, nor do they travel with us to whatever the next phase of existence (or non-) is; we're just their custodians, really. I like Adam Savage's take on the objects that have come into his life, beautiful tools, useful things. He says he regards himself as a custodian of these things not an owner, and is happy to pass them on to the next custodian, gratis, when that moment comes. Maybe good custodianship is the right frame for thinking about this case. 

Edited by DrBB, 22 November 2024 - 07:52 AM.

[jragsdale]

None of these objects can re-live our pasts for us, nor do they travel with us to whatever the next phase of existence (or non-) is; we're just their custodians, really. I like Adam Savage's take on the objects that have come into his life, beautiful tools, useful things. He says he regards himself as a custodian of these things not an owner, and is happy to pass them on to the next custodian, gratis, when that moment comes. Maybe good custodianship is the right frame for thinking about this case. 

I like that philosophy, that's how Leslie Peltier regarded his instruments. Here's a passage from Starlight Nights;

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[NinePlanets]

I exercise the "No" option every time I glance through the Classifieds.

 

(But I have bitten a time or two...)

[Exnihilo]

Hmm, would depend on the scope.  As far my current set of scopes goes though, probably not.  Even though I don't have any classics right now, I have more than enough "modern" scopes, and I do have several classic mounts.  First I'd need to pare down my "modern" scopes, something that's only going to happen slowly.

Edited by Exnihilo, 22 November 2024 - 08:25 PM.

[Terra Nova]

Say there was a classic scope that you wanted all your life, many years ago, and was never able to get it because of money, availability, etc. Years have gone by, and you do not observe anymore. Then all of a sudden you see this scope you wanted for so many years, appears at a very good price. Knowing you would never use it, would you buy it?

Absolutely not. I don’t believe in owning telescopes just to have them. If I don’t use a scope fairly regularly, I want somebody else to have it. Grasping at possessions just for the sake of holding on to them only ties you down.

Edited by Terra Nova, 22 November 2024 - 02:54 PM.

[deSitter]

Absolutely not. I don’t believe in owning telescopes just to have them. If I don’t use a scope fairly regularly, I want somebody else to have it. Grasping at positions just formthe sake of holding on to them only ties you down.

Yeah, well said. However I'm about to come into a third AO 76/1200mm scope I think, this one pretty rare, and the Tasco 10TE-5 will have to go - but where and how? Shipping isn't an option, and I have few known astronomical neighbors. I will probably trade my friends for the 60/700mm Penncrest I sold them and give it a nice life at their lake house I really miss that little scope! I put a lot of work into restoring it.

 

-drl

[Kefka1138]

What a beautifully framed thought experiment OP!!

 

Immediately upon reading your post, I thought of Schrödinger's Cat. The question doesn’t just ask what you want—it forces you to confront why you want it. In this way, it’s less about the telescope itself and more about the human tendency to attach value to dreams, nostalgia, and unfulfilled desires, even when the practical need no longer exists.

 

That said, yes, I would buy it, hoping it might reignite my passion for astronomy. But, as with Schrödinger’s Cat, we won’t know until the wave function collapses.

[Mathieu Olivier]

Say there was a classic scope that you wanted all your life, many years ago, and was never able to get it because of money, availability, etc. Years have gone by, and you do not observe anymore. Then all of a sudden you see this scope you wanted for so many years, appears at a very good price. Knowing you would never use it, would you buy it?

That's a great question, and I can definitely relate to the emotional pull of a scope you've dreamed about for years. It's more than just the equipment; it's the memories, the nostalgia, and the "what if" scenarios. If I were in that position, I think I'd have to pause and really consider why the scope was so important to me in the first place. Sometimes, the desire isn't about the scope itself, but what it represents—the joy of observing, the excitement of discovery, or just the fulfillment of an old dream.

 

At the same time, there’s the reality check of why you don’t observe anymore—maybe life’s busy, or other interests have taken priority. If I knew I wouldn't use it, I’d be cautious. As much as the deal might seem tempting, it would probably just gather dust and not serve its purpose. But on the other hand, there’s something special about owning something that was once out of reach, even if just for the sake of the story or the memories.

 

If I did decide to buy it, I’d make sure it was going to a place where it could be used and appreciated, whether that's by a fellow enthusiast or in the future when things might change and I could take it out for a spin. Sometimes, it’s about more than just the money or space—it’s about making peace with the past and enjoying that feeling of finally checking something off the list.

Ultimately, if I could afford it and it wouldn't be a waste, I think I might just pull the trigger—maybe not for the observing sessions, but for the story and the joy of owning something I thought was lost to time.

 

 

Anyone else ever bought a "dream" scope just for the nostalgia, even if it didn't make practical sense?

[deSitter]

That's a great question, and I can definitely relate to the emotional pull of a scope you've dreamed about for years. It's more than j

 

Anyone else ever bought a "dream" scope just for the nostalgia, even if it didn't make practical sense?

Of course! Only once. My first scope when I was 10 was a Sears 6344. I REALLY wanted another. One showed up in the nearby mountains of N. Ga. Off we went. It was a great moment to relive putting it together part by part and trying out the accessories and marveling at the precision work and elegant design.

 

But, I've resolutely resisted getting another RV-6, because I have no space for pedestals, and no back for schlepping them. (I did some heroic schleps with my RV-6 the year we lived in an apartment when I was a tween. The idea alone makes my back bark now )

 

-drl

[Terra Nova]

Of course! Only once. My first scope when I was 10 was a Sears 6344. I REALLY wanted another. One showed up in the nearby mountains of N. Ga. Off we went. It was a great moment to relive putting it together part by part and trying out the accessories and marveling at the precision work and elegant design.

 

But, I've resolutely resisted getting another RV-6, because I have no space for pedestals, and no back for schlepping them. (I did some heroic schleps with my RV-6 the year we lived in an apartment when I was a tween. The idea alone makes my back bark now )

 

-drl

A 6344 is a big telescope for a 10 y.o. kid! Wow! I just gave mine away to my club after it came back to me following a several year long hiatus at my daughter’s. They never used it because they felt it was too big to take outside and set up. They already had my little Sears Tower 50mm x 600, which was a sharp little scope in its own right. That's the one they wanted to keep.