Public surplus school auction-Westminster, CO

[Tubajug]

https://m.publicsurplus.com/sms/adams50 ... uc=3312713

One auction appears to have an Olds O-99 (or its Bach equivalent), a Besson 2-20, a well as a bell-front euphonium, bassoon, and drums. Might be worth it if you're in the area. I thought about driving out there for it, but probably not in the cards at the moment.

[gnimoyw]

I guess I’ll get to find out what’s in this lot. Thanks for posting this OP, I’m only a five minute drive away so decided to give it a shot. We’ll see…

[Tubajug]

I guess I’ll get to find out what’s in this lot. Thanks for posting this OP, I’m only a five minute drive away so decided to give it a shot. We’ll see…

Nice! You won the auction, then?

[gnimoyw]

Yes, I did. Picked it all up this morning. Definitely a mixed bag of stuff. I assume the bassoon is probably the most valuable. The Besson 2-20 is a small tuba, not baritone (I was at least confused by this). The Olds 99-looking tuba is a Bach. It’s definitely in rough shape. Might take it to the shop, but we’ll see…

[arpthark]

Link's broken for me; what was the winning bid, @gnimoyw, if you don't mind sharing? I had been following that one out of idle curiosity, living a few thousand miles away.

[gnimoyw]

Link's broken for me; what was the winning bid, @gnimoyw, if you don't mind sharing? I had been following that one out of idle curiosity, living a few thousand miles away.

About $525 after fees and taxes. Not sure if I'll make any money on this stuff, but we'll see.

I buy a lot of things from that website from the surrounding school districts for resale, just kind of a hobby. One of my best sellers for me were some of those ipad charging carts. It's wild that schools pay $1500 for those, use them for five years, and then dump them. I paid ~$20 each for 10 and resold them for between $75 and $125. They make great tool carts, etc... super heavy duty. Biggest hassle was storing them.

[Mary Ann]

It was decades ago but I knew how to play a tuba, so not that incredibly long -- local guy bought military surplus musical instruments, apparently locally somehow. If I remember right, among them was a 3+1 Besson BBb tuba. I played it and it was in pristine condition; I still remember how smooth the valves were. He said he got the entire batch for a song. I don't know if he kept the tuba, and also don't remember who he was.

[Tubajug]

Yes, I did. Picked it all up this morning. Definitely a mixed bag of stuff. I assume the bassoon is probably the most valuable. The Besson 2-20 is a small tuba, not baritone (I was at least confused by this). The Olds 99-looking tuba is a Bach. It’s definitely in rough shape. Might take it to the shop, but we’ll see…

I hope you're able to turn a profit on it! That little Besson alone should cover your costs unless it's completely destroyed. They're nice little horns. Small size, but relatively large bore (0.687) and play with a good sound. Good luck! I'd love to see better pictures of everything that was on there.

[gnimoyw]

Yes, I did. Picked it all up this morning. Definitely a mixed bag of stuff. I assume the bassoon is probably the most valuable. The Besson 2-20 is a small tuba, not baritone (I was at least confused by this). The Olds 99-looking tuba is a Bach. It’s definitely in rough shape. Might take it to the shop, but we’ll see…

I hope you're able to turn a profit on it! That little Besson alone should cover your costs unless it's completely destroyed. They're nice little horns. Small size, but relatively large bore (0.687) and play with a good sound. Good luck! I'd love to see better pictures of everything that was on there.

Definitely! The Besson is actually in pretty good shape, just needs the bell straightened up. I'll probably bring it to the shop for the budget-level dent work.

The baritone in the pics was a Conn 14i, 3 valve, bell front. It's actually quite a good player, I was really surprised. Has a few dings but plays really well. Not a huge market for those but I'm hoping someone's kid who plays Euph would like an at-home instrument for a few bucks.

[gnimoyw]

I managed to sell all of the random percussion stuff for $150. It was pretty rough and random but the buyer was a percussion teacher and said he had lots of other random stuff to pair it with so he was happy to get it. Win, win.

Next up is the Conn 14i. It’s a great player, has a few dings but I think I’ll offer it as-is. Strikes me as a practice horn for a school kid so fixing it up is unlikely to be financially helpful.

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[gnimoyw]

Forgot to say - the other random thing included on the pallet were two Autoharps. Seem nearly brand new but very little market for these. In case anyone has ever wanted to give these a whirl… let me know. I know a guy with two of them.

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[gnimoyw]

Update (for the one or two people who might find this interesting): I’ve sold the percussion stuff, one of the Autoharps, and the Conn 14I baritone.

I dropped the Besson 2-20 for dent removal and service, and found a guy to repair the bassoon. The bassoon is a 1950/1960s vintage and very cool. It will make a really nice instrument for someone once fixed up in a few weeks.

The Bach tuba might be too far gone and become a planter. Seriously, if someone wants it for a parts horn for $100 and can come by to get it, let me know.

[bloke]

What is the condition(s) of the Bach pistons?

- nickel plating
- dents/bends
- threads in the tops (any signs of being boogered, or lead solder or glue added?)

[gnimoyw]

I took a couple of pics. Can send you more high res pics if you’d like.

I’m not sure which of the valve stems are original. The one on the third valve stem is very loose, not sure exactly what’s wrong with it.

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[bloke]

...The bell has holes in it?

[gnimoyw]

No, no holes in the bell, but lots of dents for sure.

[donn]

I’m not sure which of the valve stems are original. The one on the third valve stem is very loose, not sure exactly what’s wrong with it.

That's how mine was, too. The down side of front valves (or side valves or whatever you like) - those valve stems are sticking out there catching on doorways you pass through, and various other obstacles.

[Heavy_Metal]

@gnimoyw , I believe @bort2.0 was considering getting a small tuba for his young son. That Besson might just fill the bill.

[gnimoyw]

Update as it’s been a while: I finally got the bassoon and the Besson tuba back from the shop. I’m $900 more invested in this venture but I think it will be worth it. The bassoon is now in great shape and I have a potential buyer mulling it over. If he passes I’ll put it up online. Very cool older German bassoon, I suspect it will make a great one for an advancing student.

Need to give the Besson a good bath and then list it for sale. Will be a good “at home” tuba for a student.

[gnimoyw]

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