Hey, have I found a deal for you. This morning on eBay I saw a dealer selling this little gem…
Source: KB Collectibles and Things
At first blush you might think: Great, I could use some brown box Ricos for my bari. Sorry to disappoint you, but this seller has only got the box for sale. Huh? :wtf:
Source: KB Collectibles and Things
Now I can maybe understand people who have vintage mouthpieces, buying an empty vintage mouthpiece box. But this… I don’t get at all. :scratch:
Here is how the seller describes this trip down memory lane for many of us:
Up for auction is a vintage “Rico Baritone Saxophone Reeds” empty box. Some damage on the bottom. Please email me with any questions.
Source: KB Collectibles and Things
Yes, I’ve got some questions:
- Do I get the ass end of the cat pictured in the photographs if I win the auction?
- How much extra do I have to pay to get the front end of the cat?
😆 😆 😆 😆
Sorry, couldn’t help myself. The ad brought out the silly in me.
Seriously though, is there anyone who can think of a reason why a player would want to buy a used, damaged, Rico brown box, sans reeds?
You see, I have a good reason for asking this question, since I have quite a few of these Rico brown boxes in my reed drawer. And the best part of all: they contain used reeds!
Now using KB Collectibles and Things method of item pricing and packaging calculation, I could partially fund my retirement with these old treasures of mine. Bids for the empty box itself are to start at $7.99. When it comes to shipping and handling, KB Collectibles and Things states:
Approx. shipping weight is 13ozs USPS 1st Class Mail only. Please send me your zip code & I will figure best/cheapest postal rate. $1 handling fee for packing material. [Emphasis added.]
$1 for packing material. Mmm…
We all know that used, vintage reeds are highly desirable. 😉 eBay auctions have proven this time and time again. If I sell off all my old, used, vintage cane reeds one at a time, at say… $5.00 each + $1.00 for packing material; plus I sell off all my old Rico brown boxes—which I should add are not damaged in any way, so they should be worth at least $10.00 each + $1.00 for packing material—I could make enough money to buy groceries for 1 month…. OK, not really… But a girl can dream, can’t she? 😉 
Update: It’s still for sale, with the higher price of $17.99. I’m surprised the seller hasn’t upped the price a couple of times since August. By now it should be listed for at least $49.99 or perhaps $69.99.
Yup… It really is the cat’s ass. 😉
It’s been re-listed.
Why? :scratch:
Not only was it re-listed, but she put an BIN price $10 higher than her opening bid price last time around. 😯 Maybe KB Collectibles and Things completely missed the point of my article, or she got so much traffic from my site, she now thinks someone will be :loco: enough to buy this from her.
Either way, I don’t get it…
Now if this auction actually flies, I have something even more valuable than this: The same vintage, baritone sax, Rico Plasticover box. Now that should be worth at least $10,000.00. Don’t you think Paul? For that price I’ll even throw in some used, vintage, cane reeds. Hey, they’ll even have my DNA on them! :clown:
I too have an old reedbox from my bass sax, A 1925 Conn. The used reeds are huge. I know they are old, but I don’t know how old. The horn was not played at all for many years. :groan:
Hi there Robert. Welcome to my site. Nice to have another bass saxophonist around.
What brand of reeds is it that you have there? IIRC, I think I have heard that the original bass saxophone reeds were wider than more “modern” ones.
Tell me a bit about your bass, how long you’ve had it, and where you play it.
I always have liked the Conn vintage basses. What kind of mouthpiece/reed combo are you using on it? I assume by your comment that you’re using a bari reed perhaps?
Nice having you stop by Robert. I hope you do so again.
Regards,
Helen