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09-7-2017 01:27:16  #1


Outbidding the keychoppers

I recently bid on a 1920s Portable Corona for the sole purpose of keeping it out of the hands of the vile scum we all have come to loathe. I believe some of you have done the same. Not that I would mind owning this beautiful little machine, but I've already spent too much as it is. (I'm picking up a 1929 Underwood No. 5 on Thursday.)

So I guess my question is: What seems to be the magic number where the keychoppers will realize there's no profit for them and leave the auction alone?

 

09-7-2017 11:15:17  #2


Re: Outbidding the keychoppers

Echosfromthecarriage wrote:

What seems to be the magic number where the keychoppers will realize there's no profit for them and leave the auction alone?

​That would depend on how much they can sell the chopped keys for. And what they're doing with them. If they're just cutting them off and selling them as is, my guess would be that once a machine reaches $50 they will begin to lose interest, and almost certainly will stop bidding as it nears $100. On the other hand, if someone is using them to make those gaudy bits of so-called jewelry, which would be resold for far more than just raw keys, they might not hesitate to spend $100 or more. Keychoppers Strike Again! Goodwill Keychopping Key-chopping: why the EFF when there's a cheaper alternative? Keychopper Alerts!
 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

09-7-2017 12:46:06  #3


Re: Outbidding the keychoppers

Ugh. I was afraid of that. These people have no souls.

     Thread Starter
 

09-7-2017 14:43:05  #4


Re: Outbidding the keychoppers

I think we all feel your pain... 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

14-7-2017 18:58:22  #5


Re: Outbidding the keychoppers

There was a guy here in Portland that kept on advertising on Craigslist, seeking typewriters to chop or to sell jewelry.

I sent them a reply and politely explained the damage they were doing to the finite machines still in existence.

They actually wrote back! They told me that they only took irreparable machines and that they weren't "keychoppers".

I responded that if the keys were as good looking as they displayed in their jewelry, they were likely repairable or the other parts they were tossing could be used to repair other machines.

There was no further response, but I never saw their ads again.  A possible victory?

 

14-7-2017 23:25:12  #6


Re: Outbidding the keychoppers

We can hope, ClackityClink. We can only hope.

     Thread Starter
 

28-7-2017 20:49:57  #7


Re: Outbidding the keychoppers

Anybody near Portland, Maine? Here's a Super Speed that looks like it's usable and not just for parts (like the keys, as per the ad). Only $10! I'd be all over this if it weren't 3+ hours away. https://maine.craigslist.org/art/d/antique-lc-smith-typewriter/6221766306.html

 

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