That everything is going down is what is going on. The Embassy is a little surprising. That would have been a steal a couple of years ago. The Newport not such a good deal. They show up in shops around here in the 500-1000 range, and sit. So $620 seems low, but I would gather you can get a deal in person these days in that range. I know that most of the shops are cutting deals on stuff now.
This is following a general pattern that has been going on over the last couple of years, and is mirrored in other antique/collectible markets: the economy is down and people are hurting. And current economic policy and dollar devaluation are spooking most economists and investors. These things - rare as they are - will tank as people hunt bargains or bail out. The stuff they are bailing out first on are the secondary instruments - Epi's, Gibson basses other than old EB-3s or Tbirds, 70s Fenders, etc. When $$ get tight, the buyers grind it out on the sellers, and if you can get an Embassy for $2500, then save it and grind out a real T-bird or a more valuable 60s Fender for a bit more. And you can now. A couple of years from now these prices and the dollar vs other currencies will seem like next to nothing. Maybe people should take out a loan if they want stuff, because paying back 2009 dollars will be a laugh in a couple.
I went to a vinyl collectors show a few weeks ago, and one of the dealers said that there was no shortage of buyers for $300 and up discs, or $3. The $10 discs were stiffing. Same vibe.
