Quote:
Originally Posted by
grendel 
I'd say that first pair is worth at least $200-250
The buyer of the 2nd pair got a great deal.
Shell shoes in that good of condition re almost always worth $200+
no - vintage used shell, even in great condition, normally won't sell at auction for more than $150 or so. I've bought and sold many pairs in great shape, always between $90 - $180 or so. I'm wearing a pair of Hanover shell PTB's in 9D in awesome shape, original everything, probably worn less than 20x total. I guarantee if I put them up in a 7 day auction they would sell for less than $200, probably within $30 of $140 either way. I paid $110.(actually, you can see them listed in my signature! - I listem them at $160 shipped here but they never sold). these are PTB's but I've found these are actually harder ro find than longwings.
actual NOS is a different story, but those are unicorns, especially in desirable models and sizes
I once sold AE Macneils in 9D, in awesome shape, and those went for $250. but recent AE will normally sell for more than vintage Florsheim/Hanover. and that was a very high price, I was surprised to get that much.
now, more to the original point, the seller probably isn't insane, just extremely patient. All it takes is one eager buyer in Japan and you can get a crazy amount.
but I think the real value is much closer to what you will get in a 10 day, clearly marked auction than a BIN listing that takes 6 months to sell.
here is a summary of recently sold Florsheim shell - avg. price (and more important median) price well below $200