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GOOD LUCK PART TWO
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HOW THE
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DO YOU FIND THESE THINGS?!
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ANSWERS BELOW!!
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The K+E Decilon 10 you see at left was obtained at our local antique mall. This is a pretty big one as they go, about 55,000 square feet or so. It was formerly a supermarket and was a really big one as they went when it was built. Anyways, there are usually several slide rules there at any one time, some reasonable and some not. For example, in one case there is a Lawrence which has sat unmoved for nearly two years. Not unusual, considering it is a Lawrence and that it is priced at $98.00!! No, I'm not making that up. Funny, but nothing else in that booth has moved either.
Anyways, the Deci-Lon you see at left was in a different booth. It's a little dirty, but should clean up very nicely. How much? $18.00!! The moral here is again just what I've been saying for years to slide rule collectors: GET OUT TO ANY AND ALL ANTIQUE STORES! But wait, it gets better....
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If you have read part one of this, you already saw the Versalog I found in Illinois with no date code. How about another!? This one came from the GIANT antique mall in Springfield, Ohio ( 116,000 square feet!) where there were no less than 22 slide rules, 16 in one case alone! Only one came home with me, this Versalog, a green Cos 1b. I have vowed never to pass on a slide rule that is this clean again, especially after that last Versalog. So, I saw it in the case and knew it was real clean. I checked it right there for a code, and could see none! It looked about in the right range or close to it for the no date code rules, and for $38.00 it came home with us!
Upon close inspection back home sure enough, NO CODE! Just as the other one, not even a nick, scratch, or dimple resembling one anywhere on the rule. Nothing. According to the info I got from Ted Hume regarding the other no-code rule, this new one is the LOWEST known one with no code!! What are the odds of finding one of these few no-code jobs, let alone two?
The one I just found is the bottom one pictured, at left, serial no. 827346. This rule must be later than June 1967, because at least one rule with that date code exists with a lower serial number. The first rule previously seen without a code was 840590, according to Mr. Hume. The next one known was mine, serial 900575, top left. This newly found rule is then the lowest known serial no. with no code, making now a total of 7 known Versalog1b's like this. As well, according to the info he gave me, there are only 3 known Versalog 2's with a date code of SK, which is the first month they were made, Nov. 1968. One of those is mine! Impossible good luck to find these three rules which are so closely tied, so far away from each other, but there it is!
Not to beat a dead horse, but it just goes to show that it pays off to pursue all avenues. Yes, e-bay is a heck of a lot more convenient, and with so many rules on there at a time, one is sure to find good stuff. Heck, one of these aforementioned rules ( the Versalog 2) came from there. But it sure is a lot more fun to make a day of it and go out to find them the OLD FASHIONED way. I can't tell you how many good rules I have found over the years in antique stores and malls. We figure any antique mall over 50,000 square feet is worthwhile, and that theory has paid off. The big ones of this size attract better dealers with higher quality stuff, and are large enough to be worth a trip. Why not see if there are any where you live, and give them a try? Maybe even a short 2 day deal, like we like to do. It might pay off! At worst, you'll have a fun trip to a museum where everything has a price tag! At best, you'll come home with a lucky find of your very own.
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