It may seem that way, but not a good deal for the sellers .. There's two reasons
1: Few people spend $ on MV's, old-school truck projects, and other hobbies during times of uncertainty
2: Decline of interest in pre-1985 MV's .. I had a fair construction/quarry/hobby client list until 2015
I noticed the heavy equip/truck/farm tractor market start its decline in late-2009 and continue to sink deeper into the latrine thru the 20-teens. I'm talking about heavy equipment/tractors/parts 1950-70, and trucks/parts 1950-79
The last half of 2019 prior covid i started to see some interest again but covid ended that. I still worked 7-days a week and eventually traded a load of logs for a few amish heifers and a bull to start raising beef etc since the meat plants were going to shut down, "or so the media said" . Around March i unplugged the TV and radio. I had had enough of the constant flip-flopping and contradictions. Aside of an M813 going to a very good home (thank you
Wreckclues) , sales of parts, tractors, and heavy equipment have been zero the last 5 years amid a smaller-than-usual amount of tire kickers
I predict scrap price is going to rise during the next few years for a number of global and domestic reasons.. I hope the reason won't be the value of the dollar sinking lower than it's current lowest value in all of history. It takes time to destroy that value, and takes time to restore that value. When there is fear, a layman's money is spent on only the essentials
I came to a realization a couple years ago.. I remember when surplus WW2 trucks/heavy equipment were still a big thing amongst contractors, businesses, and people.. But by the mid-70's , interest in it had waned severely. I'm sure the seniors at Southeastern, Memphis, Sam Winer, Allegheny, etc can attest to that. The items were only 30+ years old at the time and my generation looked at them as being "ancient." The 1951 truck I drove to high school was only 25 years old but certainly wasn't "cool" amongst my classmates
Most of our collections today are primarily made up of trucks and equipment 50+ years old .. As good as the stuff still is, I have realized there's a parallel between the fall of the surplus 1940's MV market and the current fall of the 1950's-80's MV market. I too have become an "antique". As my father once said, "Took ya long enuf"
In the northeast, the next 6 years will show whether unrestored vintage collections move to new owners or move to the scrap heap. Now we're back full-circle. Which is going to be the good deal and for whom? Time will tell
