Hunts and Fails S02 E03

By James Mulvey; posted July 29, 2017

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This is just dumb and dumber.

Shows are, without doubt, the best venue. There you will find the most and many times the best choices to start or add to your collection, often at the best prices. What you see is what you get. No misleading pictures, no undisclosed damage, no substitutions, no lost in the uninsured mail, no misunderstandings, no misinterpretations, no misrepresentation, no excuses for either party to hide behind. Cash in one hand - insulator in the other. What can possibly go wrong ?

Welcome to, another chapter in, my world. If there is a way something can screw up, I will be part of it.

Over the years I have been contacted by collectors or dealers, whom I have never met. Every so often a deal is struck . On big or heavy insulators deals often depend on alternate delivery options instead of the Postal service. In this Fail the deal was for two suspensions that I would pick up and pay for at a future show where he was going to have a sales table. The months pass slowly but finally show day has arrived. I let the opening of the show take its course and after the activity lessens, go find the dealer. 'Hi,' I say, ' you have two discs for me' ? The transition happens slowly; the happy face being replaced by the deer in the headlights look. There is a long silence. Dealer says to me, ' Just after I started setting up a fella stopped and pointed to 'your' two suspensions on the floor behind me. He says to me, " Hey, you brought them here just for me, great! " I assumed from the way he spoke he was you and I let them go.'

Dumb...

That took place some years ago and was almost a forgotten memory. What brought it to mind was the 2016 Mid-Ohio show last November. I had mentioned to Andy that I was looking for specific suspensions. He did not know if what he had was what I was looking for, but he would bring them to the show. Well Andy had one of the busiest tables there, he always does. This picture of his table was taken Sat. afternoon after many of his boxes had sold. The table is still loaded with goodies and numerous boxes still to sell. I was relieved to see that they had not been set out in the open, but must still be in one of the dozens of boxes under his table, waiting for me. Every time I went by he was busy with someone or was somewhere else. No problem for me, I would catch him sometime over the three days. He had to sit down sooner or later. At lunchtime on Saturday I called home and from my sweeties tone thought it best to head home early. Distracted by thoughts that were hundreds of miles from the show, I did a final lap around the floor, passed Andy's table without a second thought and headed out. Five hours from the show, as I was waiting to cross the border into Canada, I had time to think. I realized then that I had not found out what his suspensions were, whether they were the ones I wanted or not.

...and dumber.

Two shows years apart produced the same fail. A Fail for me - a Win for somebody else.

Despite what these posts indicate, not everything I touch goes south. Some days though it sure does seem that way.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to laugh. [id=509476642;next episode]

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