Jennings Sun Chief light up

[gooner1720]

Just bought this from a guy in USA. I have always wanted a nice Jennings ‘light up’. Hope it is as good in the flesh as it looks on the photos.

[badpenny]

Nice looking machine, dare one ask the total cost including carriage and import duties?

BP

[gooner1720]

It was on ebay for $3200 to include delivery anywhere in the USA. Ebay removed it as he put his contact details on the listing. I contacted him and got it for $2650 (£2000) including delivery to my aunt's house in New York State. She lives near the Canadian border so I fly to Ottawa as it’s her nearest airport. I visit twice a year and I plan to bring the Sun Chief back as oversized luggage. I have done this many times over the years with various items and never get charged tax or import duties just very occasionally a small overweight charge. Pictures are attached of a few things I have brought back. The stands came through as luggage and the neons I took on the plane as hand luggage in the early nineties. Can’t do that now with glass etc. I am going early September to bring the Sun Chief back - I’ll keep you posted. Adrian.

[treefrog]

I guess if you have another reason to fly, sounds like a great option, although I would be slightly worried about airport baggage staff, not sure they would pay much heed to fragile stickers. Having said that all that neon survived. I wonder if you can get insurance cover....

I wonder though given the value of the item you in theory would need to declare at customs.

Nice looking machine, lots of work done on it like the mechanism and looks like new chrome

[badpenny]

You are indeed a serious collector to go to such lengths, well done.

I think I'd be paying excess if I travelled even without a Jennings in my back pocket.

[sarg]

That's a real nice light up, I've been after one for a long time.

[moonriver]

You still can bring all kinds of fragile objects back in hand luggage with Virgin, and you can ask the cabin manager nicely before boarding if you can put it into the crew wardrobe. I've brought things back I could barely carry, that wouldn't even fit through the Xray machine and had to be hand checked. You just have to give the impression it's light in weight (even if it isn't) and also that everything is visible, especially if electric motors and cables are present. Virgin will usually give you an 'accepted for cabin' label at check in for fragile things you really want to take on board with you.
Every US flight I've been on arriving back to Manchester, no customs officers in sight, you'd have to pick a phone up to declare anything.

[gooner1720]

Got my Sun Chief home. Took it through as two pieces of luggage, cabinet in one box and mech. in another. Had to do it this way otherwise it would have been too heavy. Got charged an extra bag fee, £58.00, well pleased.

[coppinpr]

Well done that man.

[radiochrissie]

Nice collection