Am I crazy to sell these Surefire museum pieces?

First, This is not a WTS advertisement.

I am a consultant that represented Surefire 5-10 years ago, and have some samples and protos they sent me for business purposes, and never asked to get back. I don't have any relationship now (I do consult for another top sponsor of this site) so I have no sentimental relationship.

I have a EARLY Aviator (white/white) that John Matthews gave me as a gift, across his desk. It had some dings when he gave it to me, and the tailcap contact springs failed (it was replaced under "warranty", fixing most dings).

The gem is a titanium Titan PROTOTYPE. PK gave it to me for certain professional evaluations. It was in my drawer, and I discovered this forum when I realized I had a museum piece. I put it on eBay yesterday, but am tempted to pull the auction if I should simply list it here. It is almost two flashlights (except the second lacks a bezel, and doesn't work). It shows machining marks unlike the limited series of 1000. The proto tailcaps are non-standard. I'm a photographer, and embarrassed by the quality of the photos on ebay, because I didn't realize what I had. I won't post a link because anyone who know how rare a TITANIUM from SUREFIRE is can find it himself.

Me, I'd rather have a dozen great lights from the hot new companies, and let the collectors buy this one for their museum (Or one great light, and some pocket change I can invest in a collectible wristwatch).

Is this newbie insane?

(Incidentally, I can prove to any buyer with public internet records exactly my prior relationship to Surefire, so there will be no doubt as to authenticity).

:welcome:

Personally, I think you'd be crazy to sell a PK proto handed to you personally by the man himself, but that's just me. If money is more useful to you, then you have every right to sell it, but my opionion is that you can always get more money, you will never get another light like that.

And if it must be sold, I'd love to see it hang around in the CPF family, but again, where you sell it is your choice.

nbp said:

:welcome: Personally, I think you'd be crazy to sell a PK proto handed to you personally by the man himself, but that's just me. If money is more useful to you, then you have every right to sell it, but my opionion is that you can always get more money, you will never get another light like that. And if it must be sold, I'd love to see it hang around in the CPF family, but again, where you sell it is your choice.

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+1 Articulate

Yeah...hang around here long enough and cath the "bug" and you will regret it...But...if you must sell it, I would keep it in CPF...I don't think a Joe-Schmoe from E-bay will appreciate what it is...it really is "priceless". You could easily fetch $1000+ on here from our more financially "gifted" collectors, but, If I was given a proto-type by the man himself, I could never part with it.

Oh, and Welcome!!!

:fail:

I've now viewed the auction, and all I can say is: A flat tailcap too?! So, you have perhaps the only machined finish, tailstanding Titan in existance?! Oh, man, that is the jackpot.

You will be shamed mercilessly here if that gets sold to some knucklehead with too much money who doesn't have a clue what he bought. Ok, not really, but seriously, that is a fabulous setup there. :nana:

nbp said:

you have perhaps the only machined finish, tailstanding Titan in existance?

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Not the only one... Phredd modified his to make the tailcap flat.

Well, the only one that came from SF like that.

OK, I canceled the auction. If I sell, it will be here, and I certainly need to take better pictures to share with those who appreciate it.

Here's a view of the tailcaps (sorry, not flat).


Here's a look at the machining marks (yes, this needs to be properly cleaned and detailed to remove the dust and fingerprints - it really isn't all scratched up, but the direct sunlight makes it look that way).

Well, it really is a flat tail if you remove the lanyard cap. The rear surface is a very strong magnet. Avoid pocketing with anything ferrous!

Me, I'd rather have a dozen great lights from the hot new companies, and let the collectors buy this one for their museum (Or one great light, and some pocket change I can invest in a collectible wristwatch).

Is this newbie insane?

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Yes, totally, but it's your dime.

Genoan said:

Well, it really is a flat tail if you remove the lanyard cap. The rear surface is a very strong magnet. Avoid pocketing with anything ferrous!

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That is even cooler! NO ONE, I am sure, has one of those. A magnetic backing plate with a detachable split ring hole. Awesome. The cool thing too is that SF ended up going with a tailcap with a hole like that (sans magnet) on the T1A, so this was a prototype for that light to come later too.

As I said before, if you need the money, one of us here would be happy to buy that lot. But you will never get one like that again.

If you're not in financial crisis, keep them... you will probably NEVER lose value with them, they are unique and, at least to you, should have even more value, considering a present from the man himself...

The funny thing is I saw the auction and was going to bid but I am a user and not a collector. Also, I just recieved my second LX2 last week and I knew I wasn't going to be able to afford the final bid. Don't fool yourself guys, many of us lurk on ebay. Last year I scored an Ultimate 60 for $40.00 plus a dozen cr123 batteries. That was the "buy it now" price. Timing is everything. I went on ebay last night and wondered where the auction went. I was going to follow it to see how high the bidding went. I am glad it is staying in CPF though.

Genoan said:

Well, it really is a flat tail if you remove the lanyard cap. The rear surface is a very strong magnet. Avoid pocketing with anything ferrous!

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wow,

amazing to see this all of a sudden. lovecpf

I am prototyping a very similar idea right now for a short run of customs.
It's been in the "works" for a while.

Great pics, and thanks for sharing these gems with us.

That is the only Titan prototype like that ever made. I remember when PK first showed it to me. I'd never seen anything like it.

Talk about unique - that could make a SureFire collector very happy!

Size15's said:

That is the only Titan prototype like that ever made. I remember when PK first showed it to me. I'd never seen anything like it.

Talk about unique - that could make a SureFire collector very happy!

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Is there anything you DON'T know about SF Al?!?! You have all the fun!

Some of what happened in Vegas has to stay in Vegas... :nana:

OK, I do plan to put it in the hands of a true collector. I've been the curator of this for years (in a desk drawer.) My desire is to put it the hands of he who values it most. Coincidentally, that happens to put the most funds in my pocket according to free market principles. I've had very good luck on eBay over the years, both buying and selling all matter of things. As much as I admire this forum's members, my goal isn't to market to the niche, and have a lower price and a great deal for a member, when a collector who values it more can bid on eBay, more than paying for the 12% haircut there (less when I reopen my eBay store, and less the PayPal fee I'd have to pay anyway).

I'm not a jerk, I'm just someone who knows he has something special, yet it means little to me personally. My sentiments lie with those I now consult for, who are knocking (have knocked?) Surefire off the top of the hill. Honestly, this is more like jewelry received from an ex-spouse. (Important note, I'm not talking about JM or PK, who were always great to work with in the good old days - it's the multi layers they hired that led me to fire them as a customer).

So, the question is: do I come up with the right guess at a price for this true museum piece (with its spare body, and multiple tailcaps options, the issue I was bright in on for my expertise). Or, have the key collectible investors here heard of eBay, and am I permitted to post a thread with lovely photos, sharing the historical piece for all to appreciate, and get a true auction market price?

I'm leaning toward eBay, so please talk me out of it if you must. (eBay be berry berry goood to me!)

If you're asking if you can post a feeler thread to find out what it is worth, then !NO! you can't do that here. It isn't allowed.

And doing so just so you could make sure to set your reserve high enough on ebay would be pretty poor form anyways. :thumbsdow:thumbsdow:thumbsdow


FYI, people here regularly spend between $500 and $2000 on Custom lights, so it isn't as if you couldn't get a fair price here.

And everyone in the free world has heard of ebay, including the troglodytes that apparently roam the CPF halls. I now question the reason for this thread when the opinions of the membership don't really seem to matter and you seem to have no interest in the lights at all anyways. If that's the case, what difference does it make if we think you're crazy or not for selling them?

As money seems to be the primary factor here, and you seem a business minded individual, I'm sure you will figure out what you need to do to make the most of it.

Enjoy.