Saving Old Seagulls

I see eBay UK has 230285317490 listed.

Listed as an SDP from 1945 (actually the serial on the crankcase indicates a bit before that) this is one of a number of earlier Seagulls that have appeared on the Bay over the last few months.

Since buying an OP a few weeks ago (£75), followed recently by another OP that went for just over £100, I have been interested in following the prices and offerings.

An SD that I offered on this forum a couple of weeks ago went for £120, another very similar went on the Bay for £83 (I think), and we of course had the astonishing ON very recently that fetched quite a bit, despite having a late fifties petrol tank, straps, filler and fuel line. That one was a lucky break for the vendor, it did look a bit ratty. I put a modest offer on that one, which is really all it was worth. The fact that it was a transitional Marston doubtless buoyed the price.

Now we have this one. It has a cracked block, although the vendor advises that this can be fixed. It has an interesting fuel filler cap, and it has a later type magneto in place of the 'domed' original.

I can't see the tiller arm, but I rather think it's one from a rather later model. The carb isn't the original either, nor is the bracket which is from a forty made at least ten years later.

So if you buy this one, remember you're going to need a block, bracket, tiller arm, megneto and carb to make it 'as manufactured'. So more like 50% of an SD then.

We have had FV's that sell for £15, and slightly poorer ones for almost £150. Buy it now prices for crabby forty plus or Century models that are just astronomically silly.

What on Earth is going on?

It's the credit crunch, Charles. The City boys are getting out of Ferraris and Porsches and piling into Seagulls. It's all the rage!

I have absolutely no doubt that prices of seagulls will continue to climb. The SOS website and support from John and yourselves have made owning and repairing seagulls so much easier. Everytime technology moves forwards with apple gizmos etc the desire to get back to basics and own what we babyboomers feel familiar with becomes more desirable. Seagulls are particularly collectible with their unique date stamp. With the recent expertise shown on how to repair a tank is a point of example of how worldwide knowhow can be transmitted. Ebay certainly has made collecting so much easier. If you are shocked now at prices wait a few more years to be truly shocked! Had I known that an excellent SD sold for 120 quid I would seriously entertain the idea of exporting it over to here. (let me know if another comes up!)

Simple equation of more collectors and a limited resource = price rise. I'm at the stage of buying working 60 and 70's gulls for parts alone to keep collectable ones operating.

Strange that advanced technology has itself caused a resurgence in the past.

hugo