Posted by Art H on February 22, 2002 at 23:09:55:
Here's an extreme example of a general trend: Two old Conn Eb tubas on ebay, neither one is clean and shiny. One sold for $270, and the other for ten times as much (!) -apparently because it has four front-action valves instead of three top-action valves.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1515083987
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1512606507
When a parent is thinking about buying a first tuba for a kid and shuddering at the prices it helps to talk about resale value. These transactions might be useful illustrations.