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Looking for Help w/ Old Binoculars! (1 Viewer)

G

Gibberjabber

New member
I am looking for some help/insight/advice on some old binoculars and this looked like a promising forum to try.

I recently decided that I have too many pairs of binoculars and decided to part with the two pairs that need repair. I listed them on offerup for free and was immediately overwhelmed with a deluge of messages. I am now thinking that perhaps I was wrong about the value. Since I am in a situation where I could use the money if they were worth something, I figured I'd better look into it.

One pair is a Jason pair with a missing eyepiece. I saw a similar looking but complete pair on ebay that sold for $5 or $10, and it appears it would cost me more than that to replace the eyepiece. Doesn't seem to have anything else wrong, usable even without the eyepiece, just kind of annoying.

The other pair was the old pair from our family's cabin, a pair of Saratogas that have a shoelace for a strap and is misaligned / may have been dropped? First thing I am looking to find out is if they look fixable. I am having issues adding images to this post, but could email them or try to post them some other way. Second mystery is that this pair says Saratoga, but nowhere does it have the Swift label, and everything I have seen online has that, so haven't been able to verify what the value would be if they were fixable. I am hoping one of you may have some knowledge to share here.

Ultimately trying to learn if my instinct to give them away for free to someone who wants to repair them or use them as is in desperation, or if I have another option I am not aware of. Help?
 
Gibberjabber said:
I am looking for some help/insight/advice on some old binoculars and this looked like a promising forum to try.

I recently decided that I have too many pairs of binoculars and decided to part with the two pairs that need repair. I listed them on offerup for free and was immediately overwhelmed with a deluge of messages. I am now thinking that perhaps I was wrong about the value. Since I am in a situation where I could use the money if they were worth something, I figured I'd better look into it.

One pair is a Jason pair with a missing eyepiece. I saw a similar looking but complete pair on ebay that sold for $5 or $10, and it appears it would cost me more than that to replace the eyepiece. Doesn't seem to have anything else wrong, usable even without the eyepiece, just kind of annoying.

The other pair was the old pair from our family's cabin, a pair of Saratogas that have a shoelace for a strap and is misaligned / may have been dropped? First thing I am looking to find out is if they look fixable. I am having issues adding images to this post, but could email them or try to post them some other way. Second mystery is that this pair says Saratoga, but nowhere does it have the Swift label, and everything I have seen online has that, so haven't been able to verify what the value would be if they were fixable. I am hoping one of you may have some knowledge to share here.

Ultimately trying to learn if my instinct to give them away for free to someone who wants to repair them or use them as is in desperation, or if I have another option I am not aware of. Help?
Click to expand...

Hi, GJ:

Because of what you have shared, you may not get a lot of takers on providing pleasant ideas. When I was at Captain's in Seattle, folks would often bring such instruments to drop off at our bino boneyard that they might provide parts for other, less distressed, instruments.

However, when 121-year old Captain's sold in 2014, most of my sacred boneyard went to the dumpster. Based on what you have shared, someone really qualified to restore and collimate them would likely charge several times what they cost ... new.

I hate to be the barer of such news. However, I think that is better than wasting your time with false hope. :cat:

Bill
 
Last edited:
Gibberjabber said:
...
Ultimately trying to learn if my instinct to give them away for free to someone who wants to repair them or use them as is in desperation, or if I have another option I am not aware of. Help?
Click to expand...

Your instinct was correct. :t:

Welcome to Birdforum!

Ed
 
Gibberjabber said:
...Ultimately trying to learn if my instinct to give them away for free to someone...
Click to expand...

GJ,

Hello and Welcome to BF! :hi:

About three years ago, I was in a similar situation. Had obtained some porro optic deals off the bay to play with (Jason & Sears-all in descent physical conditions). Out of the 5, 3 needed collimation (performed conditional adjustments for my IPD). Got those set, cleaned all the porros up, then went to the Salvation Army and donated the lot!

Back a month later with clothes donations, all 5 porros were already gone to good homes and the donation bank generated some needed cash. Believe your instinct to give away certainly could benefit others!!! :t:

Ted
 
Theo98 said:
GJ,

Hello and Welcome to BF! :hi:

About three years ago, I was in a similar situation. Had obtained some porro optic deals off the bay to play with (Jason & Sears-all in descent physical conditions). Out of the 5, 3 needed collimation (performed conditional adjustments for my IPD). Got those set, cleaned all the porros up, then went to the Salvation Army and donated the lot!

Back a month later with clothes donations, all 5 porros were already gone to good homes and the donation bank generated some needed cash. Believe your instinct to give away certainly could benefit others!!! :t:

Ted
Click to expand...

Ted:

Not only did you learn something about collimation (Cond. Align., anyway), you got to experience the warmth of helping others. THAT is a win/win situation and you are to be commended. :t:

Bill
 
WJC said:
Not only did you learn something about collimation (Cond. Align., anyway), you got to experience the warmth of helping others...Bill
Click to expand...

Just thankful I was able to do this! Hope GJ gets to experience this also! ;)
 
A large high street retailer in the UK (Dixons) offered £10 to £30 trade-in on new binoculars and it was so successful that they had a warehouse full of 'old' binoculars. They offered them to the International section of the RSPB who were sending refurbished bins to conservation projects around the world. I was doing the refurbishing for them and when the total at Dixons reached 11500 we stopped counting. I had a friend at the local RAF station who very kindly stored them for me whilst I took the next few years sorting and repairing. Some were only good for spares but thousands went all over the world. The last count was over 126 countries so the point of this story is look for a charity which may be able to make some use of your old bins. The RSPB are still happy to take them.
 
richard866945 said:
A large high street retailer in the UK (Dixons) offered £10 to £30 trade-in on new binoculars and it was so successful that they had a warehouse full of 'old' binoculars. They offered them to the International section of the RSPB who were sending refurbished bins to conservation projects around the world. I was doing the refurbishing for them and when the total at Dixons reached 11500 we stopped counting. I had a friend at the local RAF station who very kindly stored them for me whilst I took the next few years sorting and repairing. Some were only good for spares but thousands went all over the world. The last count was over 126 countries so the point of this story is look for a charity which may be able to make some use of your old bins. The RSPB are still happy to take them.
Click to expand...

Great story and awesome service, Richard! The RSPB, and the world, are better for your efforts! :t:

Truly you are a Philanthropist with your talents and time!! :king:
 
This reminds me of a trip to Southampton, to the department store, in the 1960s.
We had a job lot of hearth rugs.
I showed the buyer the samples and he asked how many we had.
I said we had about 3,500.
He said he would buy the whole lot.
I asked if he was sure as that was a lot of rugs for one store, even though the price was low.
He said yes.

When this shipment turned up a few days later, the store owner was amazed.
He said to the buyer, 'Fine, but you have to move out of your office and store the rugs there'.

I think it took a couple of years before the buyer could move back into his office after being banished to the shop floor.
 
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