NavList:

   

Reply

I too will agree to put up to $100 on the basis that George outlines.
Only two and a half days left to bid so if we are going to do this we
have to put the deal together soon. Because of the short time available
the bidder will have to put himself on the hook for the cost and trust
the rest to kick in their share later. The bidding closes at 1839 Z
(1039 PST) on Sunday the 16th. I propose that all who are willing to
commit up to $100 to this project commit by 1700 Z  (0900 PST ) Saturday
and that anyone willing to take on the responsibility of placing the bid
volunteer by 2200 Z (1400 PST). If there is more than one volunteer we
should resolve that issue by 0800 Z Sunday ( 2200 PST Saturday).

I request that members of the list refrain from bidding until after
2200Z Saturday to see if we can put this deal together..

How does this idea sound to everybody.

gl
George Huxtable wrote:

gl
> There seems to be significant interest in this, perhaps unique, instrument,
> first spotted by Bruce Hamilton.
>
> 
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ASTRONOMIC-CALCULATOR-SEXTANT-theodolite_W0QQitemZ190265697439QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item190265697439&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1215%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318
>
> It would be a pity to miss that item, which has a couple of days to go
> yet before the auction ends, and it's still at just over $100.
>
> Purchased by our list, or a subset of it, we between us could squeeze a lot
> of value out of it, and then later donate it to an appropriate museum, such
> as Mystic Seaport or the Mariner's Museum at Newport News (details don't
> need deciding at this stage, just in-principle).
>
> IF (and it's a big if) we could quickly identify a list member who will
> volunteer to act as purchaser and custodian (if a bid succeeds), then I for
> one will offer to put in an equal share of the total cost up to a maximum of
> $100, if at least three others will do the same. It would be most convenient
> if the
> custodian happened to live within striking distance of the vendor, who is at
> Eden Prairie, MN, wherever the state of MN might be (Minnesota? Maine?), as
> it does seem a bit unfair to subject such a precious item to the tender
> mercies of the US postal service; but that might be unavoidable.
>
> What I would expect is that the custodian keeps it safely for, say, a few
> months, making any investigation himself as he sees fit, but most
> importantly, keeping  it available for members to inspect, respond to
> questions, and post photos to the list as requested. It would be best, I
> suggest, if we avoided transporting it about unnecessarily.
>
> Only if such a volunteer exists (and puts his hand up now) would this
> proposal work But if it did, it could give us a lot of fun.
>
> An alternative would be if a list member bought the instrument himself off
> his own bat, and then made the details avalable to the list. But wouldn't it
> be a pity if it vanished into other hands?
>
> George.
>
> contact George Huxtable, now at george@hux.me.uk
> or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222)
> or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK.
>
>
> >
>
>


--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
Navigation List archive: www.fer3.com/arc
To post, email NavList@fer3.com
To unsubscribe, email NavList-unsubscribe@fer3.com
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

   

Reply