A little over a month ago I came across a listing on Craigslist for some old Panoramas. Being a sponge for information (and LOVING the classifieds) I snapped them up. The price was low and the owner really just wanted them to go to a fellow enthusiast instead of being tossed in the garbage. I took a nice Saturday drive a few hours (with traffic) north and picked them up.
In a way I scored a few unanticipated bonuses in the box. There was a 356 Tech Specs book an one for 911's '69-'71. Excited about my find I posted a picture here in the General Info forum hoping for some insight into whether these booklets were useful and/or valuable. Turns out they are a pretty cool and convenient thing to have.
Since I don't have a 356 and had no intention of keeping that book, it was recommended that I head over to the 356 Registry to find out if there was a value to it. So I joined the forum there and posted about the book. I was told that most changed hands for around $50, but a recent eBay auction had seen a nice one sell for over $100. This was great news since I had only paid $25 for the box of magazines and was planning on keeping the 911 Spec Book anyway.
Well, here comes the cool part. Jim Breazeale at EASY Parts chimed in to the thread I had started. He mentioned that these books used to be a dime a dozen, and he was surprised that prices had skyrocketed so much. As a matter of fact, he had several 911 books from that period laying around, and if I was willing to give my 356 book to a worthy forum member, he would send me a 69-71 and a 73-73 Tech Specs book!
I was so struck by his offer that it actually still makes me smile thinking about it. I shipped the 356 book out to a really nice gent who contacted me named Alex. Alex was extremely grateful, and said that he had dealt with Jim in the past and that's just the way he is. He made sure to thank him and acknowledge his good deed.
So yesterday I get home and there's a package waiting for me. UPS Ground from California (I'm in NY). Inside is the 69-71 book, a 72-73 book, a 74-77 book, a 78-83 book, and a 928 Tech Spec book, all nicely tucked inside a new EASY coffee cup! Holy cow. I actually got a little choked up for a second. Jim did not have to make the offer he did, he did not have to follow up so quickly, and he did not have to be so generous. Never having met the man, I'd just like everyone here to know what a nice thing he did.
So Jim if you're reading this I'm paying this good deed forward. If anyone needs a 69-71 Tech Specs book (since Jim's is a duplicate of the one I have) it's yours. Just be the first to email me and I'll get it right out to you no charge for postage or for the book. I'm keeping the coffee mug because it's now ascended to 'favorite' status and will be used daily for my morning dose of caffeine.
Cheers!
-Mike
(mdileo) @ (thepocketsolution) (.com)