2nd hand AP160 sells for US$15,500

gregbradley · #1 17-04-2011, 08:18 AM

There was a 2nd hand AP160 for auction on Astromart this week.

The auction just ended and high bidder was US$15,500!

That's got to be a record price for an AP160 scope.

A new TEC160 fluorite triplet is US$12,500 and there is a TOA150B for sale on Astromart for US$8,000.

The high bidder expects the AP160 to be better than both of these and no doubt expects to be able to get his money back should he sell it later.

The US economy may be on its way back if this is any indication!

Greg.

renormalised (Carl) · #2 17-04-2011, 12:05 PM

Greg, the US economy is on the rocks and taking on water really fast. They're nearly at the point where the debt is as large as their GDP, only a few months off. The moment it reaches that, they'll start to default on their loans and their economy will go into freefall....one they won't be able to buy their way out of. This time.

That price for the AP was probably a bid out of desperation just to get the scope.

Waxing_Gibbous (Peter) · #3 17-04-2011, 12:11 PM

Doubly so as, IIRC, it was originally for sale in the 'Refractor' section for only $12,000!!
I believe the owner is after a Mewlon300 + Mount, which again IIRC doesn't leave much change from $25K!!!

Cloudyagain (Neale) · #4 17-04-2011, 01:58 PM

It's not on it's way to Aus is it Greg?

gregbradley · #5 17-04-2011, 02:12 PM

I was interested in an AP160 at one stage and indeed I was the high bidder on an auction for one (US$14,000)

Unfortunately the person selling it was dodgy and Herb York cancelled the auction when I emailed him with my concerns and banned the guy from the site. He may've been OK but with those sorts of sums involved I wasn't willing to take the risk. I was ripped off once early on from a guy on Astromart. I bought an ST10XME and he gave me all sorts of excuses.It never arrived. I made him pay me back. He paid me back about half over a few years and then stopped. He was a previous bankrupt as well. So its better to be cautious rather than burnt.

The guy selling me the AP160 was in bankruptcy court, the scope was really his father-in law's who did not advertise the scope. The seller did not have possession of the scope - it was at his father inlaw's place. I talked to both on the phone. His father in law had the scope as the bankrupt did not want to have to declare the income to the bankruptcy court. So you can see it was an unstable situation. I thought - well lets see if I can turn the tables on trust - I'm the one with 70 5 star ratings, so I asked him if he would ship it to me and I would pay once it arrived. Oh no - you kidding was his response so it ended there. It was a big ask for someone to ship and then be paid but then he wanted me to pay and hope he ships. I never saw that one advertised again.

I decided my AP140 and reducer fits a certain niche in my imaging, I have the TEC180 which would probably be a better scope than the AP160 (who knows, either way it would be close). Also I know of someone who has an AP160 who isn't that happy with it. AP155 is the one to get. Roland only made the AP160 as he could not get the glass to do the AP155 anymore. So the air spaced AP160 triplet was different glasses and a solution to that problem. Knowing Roland it was an upgrade as well. But you be the judge looking at images.

The absolute best I have seen are the AP155's. Mike's AP152 is also a gem. My AP140 is a gem (its a resized AP155, same tube) and the reducer is the best in the business.

Greg.

gregbradley · #6 17-04-2011, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by renormalised

Greg, the US economy is on the rocks and taking on water really fast. They're nearly at the point where the debt is as large as their GDP, only a few months off. The moment it reaches that, they'll start to default on their loans and their economy will go into freefall....one they won't be able to buy their way out of. This time.

That price for the AP was probably a bid out of desperation just to get the scope.

True, their debt is huge. But it is less than many Euro countries and Japan's is 225% of their GDP. Plus the fact the US Dollar is still the global reserve currency means they get their debt for something like 1.5%. If they lose that status and trades are done in a basket of currencies instead of the US Dollar - THEN they would be in big trouble having to pay the usual 6% interest instead and printing semitrailer loads of money when they get in trouble will no longer work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waxing_Gibbous

Doubly so as, IIRC, it was originally for sale in the 'Refractor' section for only $12,000!!
I believe the owner is after a Mewlon300 + Mount, which again IIRC doesn't leave much change from $25K!!!

Interesting. It would have been a good move for someone to pick it up then. Would've saved $3500!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloudyagain

It's not on it's way to Aus is it Greg?

strongmanmike (Michael) · #7 17-04-2011, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregbradley

The absolute best I have seen are the AP155's. Mike's AP152 is also a gem. Greg.

Awww shucks

Wonder what mine would bring at auction

(not that we would ever find out) t'is one of a kind

(well two), and we all know it can take on Hubble in resolution he he

Man you were lucky with that AP160 deal

, I think your reverse proposal was quite a legitimate expectation given the circumstances and you did the wise thing in the end mate.

Mike

gregbradley · #8 17-04-2011, 02:26 PM

Yes I thought the reverse proposal would flush his real intentions out. If he were genuine instead of expecting me to overlook all these outnesses he would go for it. He blew up instead which was the deal killer. It showed the deal was more dodgy than I thought.

Greg.

Peter Ward · #9 17-04-2011, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregbradley

The absolute best I have seen are the AP155's......

Greg.

Agreed, but it can also come down to personal preference, as while I like my AP155 immensely, its smaller AP130 F6 cousin really works for me.

I have the ( near impossible to obtain ) AP test data for the 130mm lens: strehl of 0.99. (!!)

Even at 1200x the (rather dim) airy disks it produces look absolutely perfect. No assymetry, lateral colour, artifacts, etc. just perfection.

That said, *any* later model AP is an heirloom piece IMHO

gregbradley · #10 17-04-2011, 08:22 PM

Sounds like a super scope.

I like my AP140 a lot. As you say the lens is perfection and shows in the views.

I was under the impression, from a thread somewhere, that Roland works to .99 strehl as a standard for his scopes.

Yuri also makes his lenses to .99 strehl but that is for green. I am not sure how that works out for all the colours. But it would be up there.

Greg.

Peter Ward · #11 17-04-2011, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregbradley

I was under the impression, from a thread somewhere, that Roland works to .99 strehl as a standard for his scopes.

Greg.

The cut-off figures I've heard are AP 0.97 and Zeiss 0.94

Roland is a little coy on this

There are some excellent essays and images here:

http://geogdata.csun.edu/~voltaire/roland/index.html

marc4darkskies (Marcus) · #12 17-04-2011, 11:08 PM

Bah! No way I'd pay $US15.5k for a 6" AP! Great marketing strategy though ... make them rare and folks will really believe they are the best and part with absurd amounts of money!

BTW, I only waited 3 months for my 0.99 strehl Tak.

Interesting article (in German) here: http://www.astro-foren.de/showthread...2768#post52768 . Alas, even with google translate it's tough to understand, but it has some pretty pictures!

Cheers, Marcus

Peter Ward · #13 18-04-2011, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marc4darkskies

Bah! No way I'd pay $US15.5k for a 6" AP! ..............Marcus

Shun the non-believer ! Shuunnaaaa !

gregbradley · #14 18-04-2011, 03:55 PM

Yes that's right, the public stoning is scheduled for next Tuesday!

Gotta love the old Tak versus AP competition. Much like Ford versus Holden.

Greg.

marc4darkskies (Marcus) · #15 18-04-2011, 04:03 PM

Did someone say stoning! ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIaORknS1Dk