My first was a 12x 1.25 inch varmint, eighty dollars direct from Unertl. Went, as fast as I could get it there, on top of a Remington  722 in 222. A first rate varmint rig at the time. Still in college, but making good money at the time working in construction, concrete work, so an extra 25 cents an hour at $5.25 and delivering pianos on the side, so cutting a fat hog. Or so I thought!!! Still have the receipt.

Inflation & pay anything because you are worried you can’t get it is sweeping the country. Gas, pistols, lead, primers, used cars & boats, houses, soon taxes, why not scopes ?   

Boats

Anther new term that I just read about this morning.  FOMO....Fear Of Missing Out.
Bob

FOMO is part of it, and patience is another part. Those who live within a budget learn patience. Those with unlimited funds just bid until they get what they want, and don't worry about patience and waiting for a bargain.

Exactly what I have said all along. Many, or even most of the better Leupold scopes are more than you will have to spend to get a really nice Super Targetspot, and they aren't making the STS anymore! And you can buy all the pricier Leupold scopes you might want. Last I looked, the higher power benchrest Leupold's were right at a grand(street price), and the better Leupold's go up quickly from there. And they are nowhere near as neat or interesting, and out of place on a nice singleshot rifle. Even my Ruger No1 in Donaldson Wasp looks better with a STS on board.

There are probably more vintage scopes out there than one might actually realize. The way to keep the prices down is to simply not to continue to inflate the prices on those that are being offered on Ebay by not bidding on the over priced. In the heyday of smallbore position shooting and jacketed benchrest there were thousandths of folks using these types of scopes. And allot more of them than we are currently using today that are still sitting around somewhere today.

I like optics and have owned many rifle scopes Unertl’s Leupold Targets B&L Balvar Parsons STS. Lyman STS Weaver T scopes & Weaver Ks. Then there are spotters think it’s been 4 Unertl 3 Leupold 2 B&L one Bushnell & a Bureau of Ships Quartermaster scope. 

Way to manage it is sell what you don’t use or no longer intrested in. Today rifle scope inventory  2 Unertl  1 MVA 1 Weaver T & a Weaver K. Probably sell off the K if I can find  a nice low power Hunting Lyman or Unertl. Every one in regular use. 

Down to 3 pair of binoculars two Swarovski, large and small & one 6x30 WW 2 Government Issue B&L

Spotters admit have too many, several recently acquired one just sold another selling soon if a new acquisition turns out to be an improvement.

Handled that way, never making much  profit, only on long held optics, not loosing anything either it’s a fun collection. Key to staying above water is buy condition and never buy one needing repairs. How much it cost, if within reason, not much of a factor, you will probably get it back on sale.

Boats