The NAWCC shows can produce some unexpected treasures. Best thing I ever found was an 18K Calculator, working 901 module, fair cosmetic condition...$3400. That's about 10% above the "melt" value of the watch, even if you don't include the value of the module [$300-400]. Total stranger walks up to my table, asks me if I'm "the LED guy", and pulls this chunk of gold out of his pocket. I spent the entire night disassembling and re-finishing it. The next day, when I showed it to the seller, he didn't believe it was the same watch...until he looked at the serial number. And a side note...if he hadn't found a buyer at the show, he had decided to let it go for scrap to a local refiner ["Too much money to tie up in something nobody wants", he told me]; so much for the idea that no one would melt a Pulsar to "recycle" the gold. Then there was the solid 14K Executive for melt value [$1250 at the time]; same scenario ["you actually buy these?"]...that gem came wrapped in a plastic sandwich bag. Oh, and a P3L that I bought by accident for the working module without recognizing the special combination of case and bracelet; hundred bucks. I figure the plus side on the calculator alone has paid my dues for the next 25 years...

But, back to the Hamilton; I'd love to know the full story here...at least, somebody seems to be doing well in this economy...let's see if the buyer actually follows through.