Whimper. So many beautiful things, so little money . . . eBay Item #1216085664 is a Mint 645 with lenses, backs, etc. etc. all mint, mostly in unopened boxes, Curently @ $3351, still under reserve. I suggested a "consortium" to bid on the LX bundle, then went away and missed all the good discussion of the suggestion. Just now read through those messages. Aaron's expansion of the idea came closest to my somewhat unformed notion. I still think that the idea could work, and if I had a spare $10-15k I would have no problem fronting for the others in the group. The only downside, assuming we put a reasonable value on the items we each put a "hold" on, would be if someone backed out, then that item would have to be re-offered to this group and then (unlikely) to eBay. However, I don't have the money right now. My mail program can sort by Subject or by Date, but it won't do bot; I was reading by Subject, and the time sequence of the messages gets way screwy. But I think I read that John Francis tentatively offered to be the banker, then later withdrew for lack of interest from others. John, if I got that right, thanks for the offer. And thnaks to Collin and the others who worked through the price estimates on the individual items. My bottom line is that I am terribly envious of whoever winds up with this package, but there is nothing on the list that is so unique that I should go further in debt. I would like the 135mm* I have heard so much about, but then I seldom use the 135mm's I have now. Not really my length. I would like 3 like-new LXen but I have 2 perfectly functional LX and a third soon (?) back from Mr. Pentax. Etc. For the LX package, and for the 645 package, I think only a collector could justify the cost. For those who take the treasures from the shelf and actually use their equipment, it will soon no longer be like-new, no matter how careful they are. And they may as well wait for a broken-in version of the camera or lens. I guess you could say I am not in a enabler mode right now. Maybe I am trying to convince myself still that I really shouldn't reach for that bid button . . . BTW - I think whoever bids the 645 package is more likely to get a good deal. And that is what I would go for if I were doing either. Stan - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
