Need help identifying these old vintage York Plates.

[AttyGuy]

Hard to say. My recollection of hearing the number was either pre-war or pre-40's sales, and it didn't distinguish between old and new.

[SpinLock]

I read on IH - and I don't know the original source of this information - that there were 1000 York Oly sets produced by 1938. But some of the latter sets could be with the newer style deep dish - the large hub deep dish that I have with my 1938 set.

With the increasing interest around vintage York plates and with the increased knowledge that the internet brings us, I'm sure we will start to see more of these early 30s plates pop up over the years, but they are still very rare.

[RockCrshr]

Hard to say. My recollection of hearing the number was either pre-war or pre-40's sales, and it didn't distinguish between old and new.

It's very hard to say because I was under the impression that York never kept any records of when new products were introduced and how many were sold back then. Alot of the information on IH is irrelevant because the until last year the people who do post on there about the history of York did not have the correct time line of York Olympic plates in chronological order. It was just interesting to hear you talk about York internal records, I did not know they existed and I would love to hear more about them.

[dumb.bell]

We have a bidder!!

[gene19728]

That is an ambitious price you put on those plates !

Someone put the first bid in. Still 6+ days left. Now that there is a bonafide bid I will not be removing them from EBay. The auction will run its course and whatever it yields I will be thankful for, even if no other bids are placed. Once again I'd like to thank everyone here who has given me open and honest feedback. You guys are great! And I will be using the hell out of these and taking some pictures for myself before I part with them.

[ffrink]

Someone put the first bid in. Still 6+ days left. Now that there is a bonafide bid I will not be removing them from EBay. The auction will run its course and whatever it yields I will be thankful for, even if no other bids are placed. Once again I'd like to thank everyone here who has given me open and honest feedback. You guys are great! And I will be using the hell out of these and taking some pictures for myself before I part with them.

You are gonna miss them!!!!!

But you still got the Yankee Clipper!

[dumb.bell]

In a way, I hope I never find anything like those plates. They are cool looking and I would want to keep them, but its hard to justify keeping them when you can sell them for so much. That would be a rough decision!

[Northernmoris]

In a way, I hope I never find anything like those plates. They are cool looking and I would want to keep them, but its hard to justify keeping them when you can sell them for so much. That would be a rough decision!

I have my moments every now and then. They are real cool, but money talks.

[jackbravo]

And I will be using the hell out of these and taking some pictures for myself before I part with them.

Just don't crack them!!

[dumb.bell]

I have my moments every now and then. They are real cool, but money talks.

This may sound odd, but if given the choice to pay $2000 or more for a pair of those rare plates, I wouldn't think twice about passing them up. In fact, there is no way in he!! I'd pay that much for them (unless I became filthy rich, then I might). However, if I stumbled across a pair for cheap, it would be a much harder decision to sell them. Yet, in both circumstances I'm making a decision between plates or $2000. I'm not sure why my thought process is different based on selling vs buying.

[gene19728]

This may sound odd, but if given the choice to pay $2000 or more for a pair of those rare plates, I wouldn't think twice about passing them up. In fact, there is no way in he!! I'd pay that much for them (unless I became filthy rich, then I might). However, if I stumbled across a pair for cheap, it would be a much harder decision to sell them. Yet, in both circumstances I'm making a decision between plates or $2000. I'm not sure why my thought process is different based on selling vs buying.

That's honest enough. And I know EXACTLY how you feel. If I wasn't in a position where the $ would help get me and the family further out of a hole I would definitely keep them and use them. But just for bench and presses. That being said if I was a guy who had some relative wealth I could definitely see myself starting an obsession if I did keep them. I'm an all or nothing kind of guy.

[dumb.bell]

I'm just hoping there are some more bidders. I want to see a bidding frenzy at the end.

[RockCrshr]

You have to look at them as antiques not just old 45lb plates. They have major historical value in the collecting market. The guys who will buy these will put them on their wall or sit them on their floor, they will never use them. 2K is not much to spend for these when you consider the traditional York deep dishes from the 40s thru the 60s go for $500 a pair, and they are everywhere. As more come out the value will obviously go down but you have atleast a couple more pair before that starts to happen. Once I came to my sences, it was an easy decision for me to sell mine because of their worth.

[matrix563]

This may sound odd, but if given the choice to pay $2000 or more for a pair of those rare plates, I wouldn't think twice about passing them up. In fact, there is no way in he!! I'd pay that much for them (unless I became filthy rich, then I might). However, if I stumbled across a pair for cheap, it would be a much harder decision to sell them. Yet, in both circumstances I'm making a decision between plates or $2000. I'm not sure why my thought process is different based on selling vs buying.

i'd rather get 1k pounds of used ivanko plates vs those.

[ndmike99]

This may sound odd, but if given the choice to pay $2000 or more for a pair of those rare plates, I wouldn't think twice about passing them up. In fact, there is no way in he!! I'd pay that much for them (unless I became filthy rich, then I might). However, if I stumbled across a pair for cheap, it would be a much harder decision to sell them. Yet, in both circumstances I'm making a decision between plates or $2000. I'm not sure why my thought process is different based on selling vs buying.

This is not odd at all. I am the exact same way. If I get something cheap I usually value it for the money I have into it, not necessarily what I could sell it for. I have some deep dish 45s and I am not selling them (although I am trading a few soon), but I would never buy a set at full price.

i'd rather get 1k pounds of used ivanko plates vs those.

Matrix, if you ever find a pair let me know. I think I could handle that trade.

[matrix563]

Matrix, if you ever find a pair let me know. I think I could handle that trade.

hahahahha! I haven't been looking but you never know . I might be too far from PA though I've only seen a few York things on my craigslist ever.

[ffrink]

This may sound odd, but if given the choice to pay $2000 or more for a pair of those rare plates, I wouldn't think twice about passing them up. In fact, there is no way in he!! I'd pay that much for them (unless I became filthy rich, then I might). However, if I stumbled across a pair for cheap, it would be a much harder decision to sell them. Yet, in both circumstances I'm making a decision between plates or $2000. I'm not sure why my thought process is different based on selling vs buying.

Well, you won't get big lifting a couple grand unless it is all in pennies.......

But seriously, I understand how many feel on this deciding to sell or keep a valuable antique. First up, I want to say I respect Gene's decision to sell the plates and Ebay would seem to be the easiest way to get exposure to the largest audience. Cash is always nice. That being said, I would say this. I am far, far from being wealthy. And these plates will most likely go for more than $2000. Even so, if I found a pair for cheap, like seems to happen occasionally, I think I would be keeping them for a good, long while. In the short term, a couple thousand dollars today is probably not going to make a big difference in my life. Its like you hit a ticket for $5k. That kind of thing happens all the time. You don't buy a new house or car. If it would make an appreciable difference in my lifestyle, I would take a part time job and earn some extra cash that way. Plates like these are extremely, extremely rare and will only appreciate in value. Granted, there aren't that many vintage iron collectors out there, relative to cars or guitars or other hobbies. But there will be enough around to find a seller when you have the EBay option.

But thats just me. Everyone is different.

Bid early and bid often!!!!

[gene19728]

I had some messages from folks asking me to post more pics for the listing so I added a video. I cant post it here.
Hopefully it will help but I'm no videographer, hahaha. Finally off today after an 8 day stretch at work, my last day off was the day I found these plates.

[ffrink]

I had some messages from folks asking me to post more pics for the listing so I added a video. I cant post it here.
Hopefully it will help but I'm no videographer, hahaha. Finally off today after an 8 day stretch at work, my last day off was the day I found these plates.

Guess you will be looking for more plates then???? Don't want to break the 'off-day' hot streak!

Thanks for taking time to post the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtn6oVDDBK4

[Vermonter]

In a way, I hope I never find anything like those plates. They are cool looking and I would want to keep them, but its hard to justify keeping them when you can sell them for so much. That would be a rough decision!

I ran into that conundrum with my 12 globe dumbbells. In the end I cashed out. I bought them originally to use them, got to enjoy them for close to a year before selling them off and in that time discovered that globes are kind of a pain in the ass! They are cool as hell, as any vintage pieces are, but I'm not interested in putting together a museum gym (yet). I considered it a gift from the gods of flipping, and used the profits to outfit my gym with a lot more equipment that I might not have otherwise obtained. I was more interested in having proper tools for the activity than I was in having a "collection", and space is a commodity.

I had some messages from folks asking me to post more pics for the listing so I added a video. I cant post it here.
Hopefully it will help but I'm no videographer, hahaha. Finally off today after an 8 day stretch at work, my last day off was the day I found these plates.

Those plates are in amazing condition, great find!
Real history there.

[deadwoodgregg]

I am not sure if anyone has asked this yet. What kind of environment did you find these plates that allowed them to be in such immaculate condition? I don't see any dings or worn edges.

[SpinLock]

Like Rockcrusher said, these plates need to be looked at more in terms of an antique/historic artifact than as simply a weight lifting implement. They help to paint a picture of early weight lifting history and the development of a company that had a notable cultural impact in America. They are in essence an item of "Americana." But the fact that you can still lift them to get strong is pretty cool too!

[ffrink]

Like Rockcrusher said, these plates need to be looked at more in terms of an antique/historic artifact than as simply a weight lifting implement. They help to paint a picture of early weight lifting history and the development of a company that had a notable cultural impact in America. They are in essence an item of "Americana." But the fact that you can still lift them to get strong is pretty cool too!

Cultural impact??? Are these Weider plates???

(ducking.....)

[AttyGuy]

Cultural impact??? Are these Weider plates???

(ducking.....)

Bob Hoffman and the Weiders both had an impact on culture, and without Hoffman the Weiders might not have become the successes that they were, or have made bodybuilding respectable.

[SpinLock]

Bob Hoffman and the Weiders both had an impact on culture, and without Hoffman the Weiders might not have become the successes that they were, or have made bodybuilding respectable.

Bodybuilding is respectable?

(ducking.....)

[AttyGuy]

Bodybuilding is respectable?

(ducking.....)

It and weightlifting are not looked down on as something only done by "sissies". Hoffman and the Weiders had a lot to do with that. . . .

[SpinLock]

It and weightlifting are not looked down on as something only done by "sissies". Hoffman and the Weiders had a lot to do with that. . . .

I know. Though from what I hear, Hoffman was more into weightlifting and not crazy about bodybuilding. That was more of a Weider thing.

[AttyGuy]

I know. Though from what I hear, Hoffman was more into weightlifting and not crazy about bodybuilding. That was more of a Weider thing.

And the Weiders used to publish magazines that would not have been considered respectable for the times. . . . Hoffman also didn't care for powerlifting.

[gene19728]

I am not sure if anyone has asked this yet. What kind of environment did you find these plates that allowed them to be in such immaculate condition? I don't see any dings or worn edges.

They were a part of someone else's Garage gym. Just mixed in with a bunch of others. I bought just about everything they had not knowing myself at the time of their value but I took an interest in them right away. That's what brought me to the good folks here.

[ffrink]

I know. Though from what I hear, Hoffman was more into weightlifting and not crazy about bodybuilding. That was more of a Weider thing.

I think Hoffman was more into softball and mistresses!!