Keith Winser caravan books.

[veedubnut]

Hello JBJ,

I was also watching the very same magazine/book. I have noticed all of Kieth Winslers Caravan books selling for rediculous prices some as high as $75

The book is definately not worth that much money but, if you really want a copy unfortunately that is what you'll have to pay unless you can find one in a second hand bookshop etc.

I cannot see myself buying one for along time.

Cheers

Greg

[Franklin1]

Oops...I'm gonna have to plead guilty here, peoples. I am one of those "d*ckhe*ds that pays big money on e-bay for historical caravan books and magazines. And yes, I was the underbidder for that magazine with a bid of $50.
So let me explain my defence... After I bought my van I was very interested in understanding what influenced the builder of my van. What was happening in 1956?...what vans were available?...what was going through the builders mind at the time he decided to get involved in caravans?...etc, etc. And so I got hooked on ebay and kept searching for information about caravans in the 1950s, and hoped to come across any information about the early years of Franklin Caravans. After spending a BUCKETLOAD of money, I ended up with "zip" about Franklin, but have amassed a truckload of other information.
I've paid $106 for a 1955 edition of Keith Winser's book "Plans for Australian Caravans", and $65 for a 1948 edition of John D. Porter's book "How to build Caravans", as well as a fortune on various other magazines. My criticism of both the above books is that they are a compilation of articles that would have previously appeared in the respective monthly magazines produced by both the above authors. When the articles were transferred to the books, a number of Figs/diagrams have been left out, even though the text in the book refers to them. So the reader really doesn't get the full story from the book itself. And so I thought I would go the next step and track down one of the monthly magazines to see what was actually printed in them versus what was published in the book. Along came the magazine talked about by JBJ and I was keen to get it. Unfortunately, so was "retro..." who beat my maximum bid. I apologise to those of you who are looking for cheap caravan memorabilia, but I kinda don't give a rat's pitootey what I pay if it's a unique item that I'm looking for. I do, however, intend to donate all the stuff I've accumulated to benefit the members of this website, and I'll certainly be offering a copy of everything to Mark T for his museum. I still have a lot of scanning to do to get it all in order, so it will be some time down the track.
I figure that all the money I spend now will mean less money my kids have to worry about when I croak. I don't think it's fair that parents should burden their children with unnecessary financial worries...
My defence rests Your Honour...
Al.

[Deleted]

one of the motivating reasons I had for starting a vintage caravan website was that I thought it would be a great tool for obtaining old caravan literature. For many years I'd collected Holden memorabilia and wanted to do the same with caravan stuff.

How wrong was I ......I've received 'Jack Shit' in the way of memorabilia, and my collection now is the same as it was in 2002. I don't pay rediculous prices for memorabilia, and nothing has come my way , (except a old caravan mag I received at Brookton this year).

Now, with the value of this stuff its highly unlikely I will collect anymore.

Over here in WA its very difficult to find, you just don't find old caravan stuff over here coz 95% of the caravan manufacturers of the period were in the East. Most of the stuff I do have is from the ES.

Here's the wording from the memorabilia section of the website I started in 2002, and a link to pics of the memorabilia I do have:

"As one of the purposes of this website is to assist owners of early caravans (or potential owners) to identify makes of caravans and their various features and information, I require as much material as I can obtain on the subject.
So if there is anyone out there in web land that can assist, it would be greatly appreciated."

hahaha ......what a joke ;D

www.vintagecaravans.com/memorabilia.htm

[belinda]

Try the "books and collectibles" website, which is run by booksellers and so the prices don't get stupid. No "Plans for Caravans" on it at present, but several copies of Winser's "On the Trail"

It's an international site, so you can look for books in England and other places too.

[Deleted]

Ebay
.. love it or hate it.

It can make you rich ... it can make you frustrated. It can leave you dumbfounded.
I am from the old school and i still frequent swap meets, garage sales, Op shops, second hand stores (not to be confused with antique shops) and peruse the... for sales, items , etc in the local papers to source old bits and pieces.
I apply the same philosphy on ebay as i do when i wonder around swap meets. You get a feel for what is a "fair and reasonable" price to pay and you bid/offer up to that amount ....if you aint succesfull, then walk away.
I see no reason why you have to throw away your logical train of thought and "Go after " an ebay item and pay 2, 3, 4 times or more what you would have paid a vendor at one of the aforementioned "Real" sites.

Imagine if your missus bought the weekly groceries on ebay each week , got caught up in a bidding war and threw away all she knew about the current prices at supermarkets... soon be broke wouldnt ya?

I can understand everyones point of view put forward here so far. But in the end you have got to ask yourself "Do i really want it....do i really need it....... is it really worth it.....can i really afford it... do i need ten of them???

Reddoldschool shopper

[Franklin1]

In the short time I've been involved in ebay, I see it as a "swings and roundabout" system... not everything I buy is dirt cheap, but over time, I've got some things at "ridiculously low" prices, and paid "ridiculously high" prices for others. I'm not an expert at valuing every item, and I factor in the savings of not having to travel around shops/meets/etc looking and hoping to find something. I recently won the bid for a retro 1950s kitchen, that will be used in the re-fit of Franklin Freedom, for the princely sum of $2.25. Had to travel to Sydney to remove it from the house, but was able to combine that trip with another birthday trip nearby, so to me it was a cheap deal. I balance that against the "whopping" prices for Keith Winser stuff I've bought.
There's no doubt that ebay can become addictive...the thrill of the chase...the discovery of the "Holy Grail"... the winning of the battle...
Much more exciting to me than the supermarket checkout queue...
cheers,
Al.

[Deleted]

Hi Al

.Travelling to swap meets.... I always take a trailer load of stuff and pay for a site. Cant remeber the last time i went just as a "Looker". ALWAYS make enough money to cover entry fees and petrol and i dont have to give someone a commission or percentage of my takings. NEVER pay more than what i consider 'current market prices". I usually travel there the day before and camp so i get to enjoy a weekend away camping as a bonus.
Similar to what you say about going to a birthday party and collecting a kitchen on the same trip.

I find paying ridiculously high prices for something weather it is on ebay or at a swapmeet is just that.... ridiculous. All that does is forces the market value of items even higher, especially on ebay. The watchers see that someone has shelled out over $100 for a moth eaten magazine . So all of a sudden every man and his dog throw their garage pile of old mags on ebay at grossly inflated starting prices to add to the madness.
Time and time again i overhear conversations at swapmeets between a seller and a prospective buyer. Buyer makes and offer and the immediate reply form the seller is " One of these went on ebay last week for $$$$$$$$$. End result is the prospective buyer walks away and the seller packs his "treasure" back in the trailer and takes it home.... again!!!

So old Joe Average that is searching for a part or a bit of information on his hobby is denied the opportunity of scoring the info / part he needs at a realistic price.
True.......driven by neccesity he will probably end up relenting and paying a ridiculous price further down the track . Thereby sending a message to others to up the ante even further and so the inflationary spiral climbs.
Meanwhile i will keep heading off to the swapmeets. Much more exciting than hovering over a keyboard with a stopwatch in one hand and the mouse in the other. i find it much more satisfiying to actually get to touch , inspect, test drive and haggle with the vendor over what i am about to spend my hard earned on. Rather than putting my trust in someone a million mile away describing something to me that isnt exactly an honest appraisal and then having to trust them to mail it to me without it getting lost, stolen or broken in transit.

Anyway Al , each to thier own i suppose eh mate.
its good to hear that you will be donating copies of all the info you have collected to Mark for the vint van museum.

Reddo

[trodler]

Hi V V
I have been collecting Motor manual magizines for about 10 years now and have gone from paying a couple of dollars for a bundle to as you see now nearly $100 for one mag.

Even with ebay ,I used to buy a lot of stuff on ebay when it first started but now every man and his dog is on there making the prices skyrocket because what ever part they are after is there and the only thing stopping them from getting it is how much they are willing to pay for it.

Like Reddo I would like a dollar for every time I have heard at a swap meet "one of these sold for twice this price on ebay"
and my reply is always well why do you have it here and not on ebay.

So it all comes down to supply and demand.

Cheers.
Trodler.

[earlee]

thanks for posting the pics from the books JBJ. ;D

Don't forget to bring them down to Coledale so that we can all have a bit of a read. ;D ;D

I will have some "other" type magazines we can swap. Mature males only!

Earlee.

[cobber]

G’day JBJ,

You know what attracts me to those books and what I am looking for these days?.........caravaning accessories, what type of esky did they have in the 50s...what type of cooking utensils, heating systems, picnic tables, etc. For the 50s it’s not so hard..the 50s are cool, and some people can remember.
But now I have a 30s style caravan it’s not so easy, not much was made specifically for caravaners in the beginning, I think a lot of campers stuff was utilised...and even things that were used in the home, it’s an interesting pursuit, but difficult.

Cobber.

[Jim]

I had some caravan magazines on watch on Ebay and happened to be online when the auction finished at the weekend.

I think Col might have been the first and only bidder at $35 for the three magazines with a minute to go, and it looked like he might have won them.

They went from $35 to over $150 in less than a minute.
It reinforces the $95 for one particular magazine I would have liked to buy a week or so ago.

So.. is this suggesting.. as earlee is hinting at.. that old caravan magazines are now worth more than collector editions of Playboy?
One wonders if that’s a good thing or not.

If the trend continues we’ll see reprints (or pirates) appear on the market.

Mark..
It seems your desire to collect and preserve all things vintage about caravans has made you a success but somewhat of a victim of your success.
It now means a higher price has to be paid for Vintage Caravan memorabilia.

The upside of rising values does mean that things are preserved and the future is assured.
Take heart that you are now ‘up there’ with Hugh Heffner in magazine values.

Let’s hope all this transfers to the vans themselves so they will also be looked after.

Australia Post and the size of the country are each to blame in their own way.
A magazine or any small item can be posted to anywhere in the world for a few dollars.
Isn’t it a shame caravans cannot be sent via an Aus-post padded bag for a few bucks.

Wait and see.. if the trend continues, some inspection company will offer ‘condition reports’, such as you can get with cars now, so you can buy with some confidence at a distance and transporter companies will overcome their negativety, see the market offer good rates and make it easy to transport old caravans around Oz.
Any problem is just a solution waiting to happen.

Cobber..
There’s a seller on eBay who has lots of very old knickknacks and stuff from the 30’s and 40’s that he auctions.
I’ll send you his nickname, or an item he’s selling, and you can have a look.
(Says he hoping he can find it again)

Everyone had their own way of doing things, all methods work in their own way..
Reddo haunts the markets..
Franklin likes the thrill of the chase on eBay..
And so on

I do the same (or both)..
We all love a bargain, (Even though sometimes we don’t want it)
Isn’t it so easy to get hooked on eBay.. and the bastards know it.

It’s taken over from the trading post.. easy access and with heaps of pictures.


JBJ..
All you have to do is learn the art of sniping and be aware of the consequences of when it goes belly up.
Nothing to it, problem solved.

Jim

[trodler]

Hi Col
I wouldnt worry about missing out on the books as the 2 smaller books arnt that good any way, they have a lot of print and not many plans and photos etc.
Just the opposite to a playboy mag I spose

Cheers.
Trodler.

[Franklin1]

G'day All,
I was the underbidder for those books that were sold. Once again I was "pipped at the post" for a caravan item, by retrocruiser. It seems he/she is based in Adelaide, so could be related to the member of this website known as "retro". I've collected plenty of caravan and camping info relating to the years from 1948 up to the mid-sixties, from books and magazines I've bought off e-bay. No complaints about anything I've bought so far. I'm in the process of extracting all the relevant info by scanning out of the books/magazines. Eventually I'll be producing a collection of yearly books containing the information extracted. As I've said previously elsewhere, a copy of the final information will be donated to Mark T for the museum so that as much information as I can gather will be preserved for future generations. When all the information is gathered, we can also talk about how I share it with all the rest of the members here. For me, it doesn't matter so much what price I pay for caravan info, as long as I'm using it to help foster the spirit this website is based on.

ps. On a totally different matter, I cruised up on Sunday to Coledale (40 minutes from home) to catch up with you guys, only to discover you won't be there until the 22nd. Felt like a goose...must have not read the dates in the Coledale posts properly and assumed our long weekend was the one...(D'oh!!). All was not lost though, as I can tell you that Wollongong Council is spending some money beautifying the strip of land on the beach-side of where you'll be camping. There are already new bench seats and tables put in, with some further work in progress. The park was packed with campers for the weekend, so it should be a great weekend for you guys. Have a beer for me, since I'll be at the grindstone on night shift that weekend (...bugger!!).
cheers,
Al.

[Jim]

Col..
You’re dead right Col, you should be brutal with yourself.--decide the maximum you’ll pay and bid no more.
If you win it for less, it’s a bargain. If someone else wins, even by a cent, no regrets, it was worth more to them than you.
If someone outbids you it really is a case of it’s worth more to them than you.

JB
I find the feedback system on eBay works well when it comes to integrity.
You read between the lines on descriptions, ask silly questions (sometimes to test them), ask for more pictures etc, along with personal inspection, especially with anything that has moving parts or can rust or rot.
Vague descriptions and vague answers often mean problems with what’s not said or not shown in pictures.
Any doubts, leave it alone.

Look at Col’s feedback – even if you didn’t know the guy you’d have confidence in buying anything he offered for sale on eBay.
I’d bet big bucks he would not risk spoiling his feedback record just to sting someone for a few dollars.

I’ve seen items that are better in the flesh than appear online, and many that are worse.
Sometimes a lack of the seller's online skills works in your favour as well as watching for the charlatans who are vague and out to sting you.

With things like magazines it’s usually what you see is what you get, so all you need to decide is the maximum you are prepared to pay and bid not a cent more.

Jim

[will and Lyn]

;D
hey there Jim
I reckon every purchase bar one ive been ripped on ebay
mainly car stuff
I dont mind paying but it would be nice to find at least a few items as good as they are portrayed
I purchased a 1961 radio for the E K and was guaranteed it did work after posting a query
yep thats right it didnt work!!!!
so I removed the front and glued the knobs on the face and velcroed it to the dash at least I got some thing for my money

I purchased some spats or skirts for the EK which turned out to be FE not high enough and to long
so after I shortened them they actually should fit an EE or a FK ;D
if any one has one you can have the spats free

I do have the original star pattern head lining brand new to fit FB EK or EJ if any one requires such an item to get there car back to original
I will be putting it on ebay when I come back from the East Coast

Talking about The East coast
we are packing the F100 as we speak
we have spent around two full days organising things like tune ups and servicing auto elecs for cigarette lighter points to front and rear of the ute for the Waeco car fridge/freezer
if you do a bit of travel as Lyn and I do buy a waeco car fridge with thermal insulation cover they are the best unit available for not draining your battery Both 12 volt or mains

packed all the music stuff

set up the tom tom GPS for our east coast tour up to Queensland NSW and Victoria after the Coledale and reddos tour

got the laptop connected to wireless so we can send all the unlucky V Vanners who couldnt make it to the first East coast spring tour a running commentary on the groups movements for the week
set the laptop up with around 500 great 50 and 60s songs and a heap of movies for the long boring nullarbor part of the journey we use an inverter for recharging the batteries
My daughter gave me about ten story CD books audio stories for christmas another great Idea for long 5 day runs such as the nullarbor
this will be 26th crossing
some truckies do that in a year what am I whinging about
lucky Im on Gas I suppose
We nearly werent coming after a big scare
I had to take Lyn to hospital Last night after a bladder hemmorage she is feeling better today and the bleeding has stopped but she feels weak
we think it may have been a large Kidney stone or diabetic tabs she has been on
seeing a specialist tommorrow and having scans and XRays
if she is not good enough to travel this week she will come by plane next week
We are not going to miss the first east coast full week tour for quids
just to let any new site members to this group know that this will be our 12th official run since our first inaugural harvey run two years ago with the original 7 vin vans
I have been a member of the jeep 4 wheel drive club the chev club plus others
and not being a club beats them all hands down
why?
no expectations
no pressure
no purple circles
just a heap of like minded people living and repeating what our grand dads and mums and dads did fifty years ago (with a few more modern conveniences)
(my first Nullarbor trip in 59 was in a ford prefect)
glad were not driving that now

apart from the Vans and cars there are the long term friendships that are formed after the meetings

I think that is the reason Lyn and I enjoy this easy going group so much

catch you guys and Girls on the other side soon

Will and Lyn

[Deleted]

Hi Will and Lynn

That worrying news about Lyn. I do hope everything is gunna be OK. Nothing worse than being ill a long way from your regular doctor.
Sounds like you pair a really organised. Good to hear you have got the sound system with you. I hope we can get a leg in the door at say.... Dunedoo pub for a croakey kaeoke session . Not sure if we have the use of the surf club at Coledale yet but i am sure we will find somewhere to set you up .
Reminds me of a bit of verse from Deep Purple -"smoke on the water"....
"with a few red lights, a few old sticks
we found a place to sweat.
No matter what we get out of this
I know i'll never forget.
smoooookkkkkeee on the wwwwaaatttterr
and fire in the sky.

Only a few days before ECST kick off ( Ooooopppps theres a footy term ) .and then Coledale...
Heres me still goofing off in the shed of invention working on old motorbikes when there is a thousand things to check and pack in the van and ute.

Hope all is well with Lyn before Friday. Give us a bell when ya land in Ye Olde Sydney town.

Reddo
.

[cobber]

[glow=red,2,300]Lyn[/glow] & Will,

We hope you are feeling A OK before you start the trip.
As Keith Winser said in one of his books "Nothing heals like caravaning around Australia"....well, if he didn't...he should have.

Cobber.

[will and Lyn]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
super best news Lyn had all the tests everything is good
must have been a gimungus kidney stone that caused the upset

so all is well that ends well
I think she deserves a holiday after all that stress
what do ya reckon

Thanks guys for your replies we appreciate it
see you all there

Will and Lyn ;D ;D ;D ;D