Antique 53 Johnson Seahorse maybe a 5, what to ask for it?

northville bill

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Oct 24, 2014
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Our brother just departed this earth, and was a big fisherman. He has two motors that we are selling, one of which is a '53 Johnson Seahorse. Does anyone have any idea what we should ask for it? Only source of sale we know of is Craigslist - at this point. Thanks in advance for any advice.
 

Chinewalker

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If it is a 1953 5hp Johnson, that would make it a model TN-28. Nice enough motors, but not terribly valuable - they made a LOT of them, and a great many of them survive to present day. Those that want one generally have very little trouble finding one. Similar motors have been on my local CL for months on end without selling at anywhere from $100-$300. A really cherry one, with minimal wear & tear, both mechanically and cosmetically, might draw $100-$150, but it would have to be near perfect...
 

nwcove

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you may want to ask family members if they are interested in getting it running and maybe using it......sometimes sentimental value far exceeds actual value. jmo
 
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i gotta' agree..... old boat stuff just isn't the same as old car stuff. It's a lot smaller market and therefore prices stay low.
 

pckeen

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You have to find the right buyer for it, and the speed with which it will sell depends on your local market. If it is running well (and I mean starts easily, idles, and powers up without problems), I would be asking $300. If it isn't running well, then very few people will be interested in it, unless they happen to need that exact parts motor, so it's probably only worth $50. You may have some luck selling the bottom end and some components on ebay, and the good news is that smaller hp motor parts sell more quickly on ebay than larger hp motors.
 
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JimS123

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I have over 60 motors in my collection. Most of the common ones (like yours) I picked up at garage sales for 20 bucks. That's my standard offer. For a particularly nice one (or a rarer one) I'll go to 30 or 40. The ones I see for "hundreds" are there week after week.

It has limited collector value, so local club members wouldn't be too interested unless it was chaep (like me....LOL). If you are willing to clean it up, tune it and get it running real well, you could probably get a couple hundred from someone that has a need for a small kicker.

If it has no sentimental value, advertise it for 100 bucks and take the first 75. Use Craigslist, or even EBay. If the latter, put a $125 reserve on it and restrict it to local pickup.
 

old islander

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I have seen those go for $300 to $400. After some guy spent $600 restoring them to perfect show room condition. If it runs well ask $100 for it. If not, well...take what ever someone offers.
 

JimS123

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Funny thing, I was just browsing my local CL ads and came across this very motor for sale. The poster said it was the last one in his father's collection, and admitted that it didn't run. The pictures showed only fair condition, and not as good as the 2 I have that DO run and I bought for $20 each.

Asking price........$2,750.00.

No, that's not a misprint - it was typed out twice in the ad. Must have been Ole Evinrude's personal motor.....LOL.
 

pckeen

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And some thought I was high at $300. Better be solid gold at that price.
 
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