A lot of old electronics (NiB), and very little knowledge about it.

[Helleri]

My mother and her Husband are Bricoleurs. They sell their stuff mostly at flea markets and are constantly getting new components to put into their artwork. Whatever they can't use or have too much of they resale (getting most of their stuff from flea markets, yard sales, and auctions). They recently acquired a lot of older electronics. They feel they can probably use a few parts for one or two projects but have boxes of this stuff. Multiples of everything in the dozens. Anything that is dated seems to be from the early 80's.

And like usual they seem to think I am a lot more informed than I actually am and want me to figure out what to do with it. They are looking to sell most of it if they can. But I don't know much about it. I can't tell if it even has any value, yet alone figure on what that value might be.

So, maybe you all could help me find my bearings on this. Identification, resources for looking stuff up, good websites to sell this sort of stuff on (contingent on it being worth enough to go through the process of getting it sold of course). I brought back with me a sample of some of the kind of stuff in all of that. There is a lot more but maybe to get rolling on this some pictures might be helpful. I've taken this one of a few of the items in package (sorry for any lack of quality in the image, but it's night here and it won't let me upload the high res version of images due to file size):




I can open packages. Post images of other things. And take more pictures as needed.

[MOD Note: resized to smaller size]

 

[eKretz]

Those aren't going to be worth a lot IMO. Best bet would be to offer lots of combined items for a few bucks each lot. The markings on the packaging don't indicate resistance or capacitance either, which sucks for resale value.

 

[davenn]

So, maybe you all could help me find my bearings on this. Identification, resources for looking stuff up, good websites to sell this sort of stuff on (contingent on it being worth enough to go through the process of getting it sold of course). I brought back with me a sample of some of the kind of stuff in all of that.

without seeing the capacitors or resistors in those bags it's a bit hard to know what type they are or their values

I've taken this one of a few of the items in package (sorry for any lack of quality in the image, but it's night here and it won't let me upload the high res version of images due to file size):

nothing wrong with the image quality
and you definitely DONT want to try and upload any file size that is bigger

in fact I have resized it down wards


Dave

 

[davenn]

Those aren't going to be worth a lot IMO. Best bet would be to offer lots of combined items for a few bucks each lot. The markings on the packaging don't indicate resistance or capacitance either, which sucks for resale value.

agreed, caps and resistors unless specialised are a dime a dozen

and I notice that top left cap is an electrolytic
that can be thrown out and along with every other one like it ... if it's the age you are suggesting,
it's likely to have dried out and no where near it's original value

 

[Helleri]

without seeing the capacitors or resistors in those bags it's a bit hard to know what type they are or their values

better?

 

[davenn]

can you read any info on the caps or resistor ?
they are too small for anyone to see

 

[Helleri]

Also stuff like this.

 

[Helleri]

can you read any info on the caps or resistor ?
they are too small for anyone to see

looks like:

Bottom left.
ITT
TAA+
1/35
-03-72

Top left.
ITT
TAA+
01/35
52+

Top right.
W70746 (on the binding band).

W
__
9
(on other side of the binding band)

And says 10 on the yellow tape parts with weird marks I can't identify.


Bottom right.
RNC55
8721H
1130
FSCJ

 

[hevans1944]

Unpackage everything and place the components in a large zip-lock plastic bag. Take a picture. Offer the lot for bidding on eBay or, if you have enough, offer to sell by the pound as miscellaneous parts.

The electronic parts you have shown so far would only be of interest to a hobbyist for "foolin' around" with. They have almost zero value. The "motor-like" device is probably rated for 400 Hz operation as a multi-phase servo motor, a resolver, or synchro. Virtually worthless except when embedded in the equipment it was designed to be used for. Same applies to the transformer which, from its size, appears to a circuit-board-mounted power transformer rated to operate on 400 Hz.

For folks doing decoupage art with three-dimensional objects (my wife does this with old circuit boards) glued to the canvas, your hoard of surplus military parts could be useful. Perhaps you could sell the whole lot to that market, in which case leave everything "as is" in the original mil-spec packaging: half the "fun" is discovering what's inside each package. The person using the parts doesn't care what their original purpose was, only that the part has "eye appeal" for their work of art.

 

[eKretz]

Yeah, the small parts like resistors and capacitors aren't going to be worth much of anything except in large numbers. Specialized components aren't going to be worth a whole lot either because of the reasons mentioned by HEvans. Tell your mom to check out a site like electronics goldmine - surplus parts almost always go for pennies on the dollar.

 

[Helleri]

Well thanks for the info. Maybe the next find will be better.

 

[Gordy]

All the pictured parts are for the Military and have the NSN (National Stock Numbers) stated on the package. If you enter the NSN number in Google, you will find out what the parts are and what there used in. I worked as a Civilian Electronic Technician for 20 years and I have ordered thousands of these kind of parts. By the way, they are all NATO parts which means that warehouses all over the world have them or they are in surplus.

 

[Sunnysky]

Without traceability, these parts are unsalable for Military spare parts orders in Ohio, where centralized puchasing is done only by registered users.

Otherwise, these appear to be parts with zero demand and a retail replacement value of < 1$ for caps and resistors, magnetics are too custom and without specs are useless.

Sorry , but these parts have little or no value.


I used to bid on RFQ's for military spare parts. and these are scrap value compared to the millions of $ in spare parts ordered daily. I doubt if a box full is worth $20 even to a hobbiest.

 

[Minder]

The small motor looking device could be a resolver, if so it is worth the most IF you can find someone that needs a spare.
M.

 

[Sunnysky]

finding a customer is the hard part

 

[Minder]

Resolvers on Ebay are posted for $100++.
M.

 

[hevans1944]

There is a store here in Dayton that buys stuff like this... by the ton. Then they pay high-school kids to open the mil-spec packaging and bin the parts for retail sale, typically for 10 cents each. The kids do a fair job of sorting and you can sometimes find "bargains" IF you can find what you are looking for... the sales aisles are very long and it takes several hours to walk down each of them.

Parts are semi-organized by component and function: resistors, capacitors, transformers, meters, connectors, etc. I have purchased several stepper motors that I found tucked away in a corner off the main aisles, in a room that also offered large industrial motors... 10 HP and larger. If it has a shaft that rotates it goes into the "motor room".

There is also a "wire room" where they sell all sorts of wire and cable by the foot. They used to sell "wire" on spools by the pound at a good price until one of the owners decided they could make more money by un-spooling and selling by the linear foot, price depending on number of conductors, size of wire or cable, or maybe the current phase of the moon when you negotiate a price.

Everything there is negotiable in price. Make an offer; come back a week later if they won't accept it and offer again. Wash, rinse, repeat. There is stuff in that building that is older than I am. Before they stopped selling by weight, I was able to purchase a "lifetime supply" of spooled Teflon tubing that fits nicely over 24 AWG solid tinned copper wire. Unfortunately they quit selling Teflon and other insulating tubing by the pound shortly after that, but it's still a nice way to spend a rainy Saturday.

 

[Gordy]

Without traceability, these parts are unsalable for Military spare parts orders in Ohio, where centralized puchasing is done only by registered users.

Otherwise, these appear to be parts with zero demand and a retail replacement value of < 1$ for caps and resistors, magnetics are too custom and without specs are useless.

Sorry , but these parts have little or no value.


I used to bid on RFQ's for military spare parts. and these are scrap value compared to the millions of $ in spare parts ordered daily. I doubt if a box full is worth $20 even to a hobbiest.

Without traceability, these parts are unsalable for Military spare parts orders in Ohio, where centralized puchasing is done only by registered users.

Otherwise, these appear to be parts with zero demand and a retail replacement value of < 1$ for caps and resistors, magnetics are too custom and without specs are useless.

Sorry , but these parts have little or no value.


I used to bid on RFQ's for military spare parts. and these are scrap value compared to the millions of $ in spare parts ordered daily. I doubt if a box full is worth $20 even to a hobbiest.

No value? I have hundreds of these parts and they are used by me all the time.

These parts are of high quality and have tolerances that exceed most everything the average user will have on hand. For example, there are resistor that are less than 1% tolerance, high quality matched transistors such as 2N2222 and etc. IC's especially made for harsh environments. As I stated before, there ARE warehouse's still stocking these parts all over the world. They are just hard to find at times is all.

 

[hevans1944]

No value? I have hundreds of these parts and they are used by me all the time.

Well, of course they have value to someone who needs them. The problem is finding a willing buyer and agreeing on a price. And, yes, there are warehouses stocking (especially) obsolete parts that will sell for ten to a hundred times more than the original selling price. And there are surplus outlets that will sell for pennies on the dollar of the original selling price. But these are sellers not buyers. That's why I suggested offering this "stuff" on eBay.

Maybe you should make @Helleri an offer... I will start the bidding at one dollar for the whole lot, seller pays shipping.

 

[Sunnysky]

I remember going with my boss at a contract MFG factory and taking pallet loads of reeled parts and tossing them into the BFI scrap container. We were throwing them like frisbees for fun. His fun was that as an accountant he knew we was getting more in tax credits for scrap than they were worth selling. I was unable to find any buyers. Tons of Nortel surplus...etc..