It's all a matter synchronicity... When I worked at the music store with Dean_m, I had a couple of good scores on stuff like a '66 Rhodes piano bass, a '59 Ludwig blue sparkle kit, Yamaha hollowbody bass, tube combos, etc etc.... All for pennies on the dollar...  
 
I had a lot of free scores when working in municipal waste which were unbelievable. Turkish Zildjan K's, a kick ass Yamaha CP-30, a nice 30w Jess Oliver head, EAW mains, upright pianos and Hammond organs (I kept a '59 C3, and a '59 M3 which I'm getting ready to chop). Tubes, tubes tubes, and speakers speakers speakers..... The other guys always got lucky w/ the silverface Fenders and audiophile stuff, but I did put together a nice Scotts/B&W rig for spinnin' vinyl in the basement.  
 
The most rewarding thing is all the Strat and LPj copies that are floating around now. All the Squire strat-packs and $89 Target guitars are great for finding, setting up, and giving away. There's nothing like seeing a kid play their first E5 power chord!...  
 
(((((((Just Gotta Poke Around)))))))

....a '59 M3 which I'm getting ready to chop.
 
NO!!!  Don't do it!  The world is full of chopped Hammonds; there'll never be more originals!
 
Peter

In 1976 I bough a 1966 Fender Precision for 700 DM in Germany (about $ 450). Still have it.

Sorry Pete!..... I should clarify that in its present condition, you'd probably agree, this M3 isn't suitable to tuck away in the corner of the den.... It wants to travel!...

in the mid 70s - for $100 - a mid-40s top of the line gibson tenor banjo, 1937 martin round hole arch-top guitar. I felt really great about the deal. Left them with a luthier to clean up while I took a drive across country. Came back east to find the luthier had split with my instruments and a lot of other people's stuff. A great musical bargain, but short lived joy.

My other one:  Back in the 80s i was doing a lot of recording with Robby Krieger, Doors guitarist. He had a 335-12 string that he wasn't using much and sold it to me for $500. It was the guitar you hear at the beginning of Love Her Madly, and he gave me a document proving it. I used it occasionally since then, but sold it a year ago for enough to fund 2 Alembic guitars to add to my basses - a series II baritone guitar and a pretty snazzified little darling. So $500 --> mumbledy-mumble-thousands in Alembics Not a bad bargain.

Peter,
 
The M models are a dime a dozen. You can't hardly give them away.
 
Mike, chop that sucker, and post pics of the process!
 
Bradley

I see M3's quite often at my local Goodwill outlet store in the $15 to $25 price range. If you chop it, at least it will get used.
 
The cool ones are B3, C3, A100, etc. Big drawbars with percussion. Leslie speakers are probably worth more than the organs, but folks all seem to think grandma's old livingroom heirloom organ is worth a mint.
 
You can add percussion to the B2, C2 series with a Trek unit, but it ain't real cheap. Churches often have a Hammond tucked away in a closet and most finally get around to selling it.

Hammond B3 + Leslie is like a Rolex or Patek, you're always going to be able to get your money back. Space permitting, always a good investment.
 
Fun fact: Hammond was tone deaf, which was probably the reason he held the Leslie speaker in contempt: http://www.hammond-organ.com/history/hammond_lore.htm

Here's a couple for you:
 
Around 1978, Fender blackface Bassman with original 2 15 cabinet - $200 (later sold it for the same amount).
 
Around 1981, local pawn shop/music store was closing and I picked up a grimy Danelectro 12 string teardrop-shaped electric for $15.  Cleaned it up, cut a wooden bridge out of a pencil, restrung it and traded it for a first year Ampeg SVT even.  
 
Some years later I was sharing these stories with a young musician friend.  Later, as he was starting to get good, I suggested he sell a couple of his first guitars to fund a better quality guitar to continue improving.  He looked me in the  eye and said, No sir.  A wise man told me once he  wished he had every instrument and amp he had ever sold.  
 
Smart kid.  I haven't sold anything since then.

And a recent one:
 
Found a 1960s Framus 6 string banjo on Craigslist for $50.  Just saw the same one in Gruhn's Guitars in Nashville for $400.

Traded a Gibson Thunderbird for an Alembic Epic!!!

This'll sound like bragging but here ya go: 1960 Gibson melody maker transition(still with lap steel pickups)free,1990 Gibson flying v(formerly owned by Lenny Kravitz)free,Acoustic 370 head free,Sunn model T head,$400...sold to a bandmate who's promised I get first crack if he ever sells it; incredible what that thing sells for now...there are more but I think that's enough for now...Tony

If that Lenny Kravitz Flying V can come with a notarized letter of authenticity, it can be worth a small fortune.

I had a customer show up with a 1974 Series I bass with omega cut in original case with power supply and cable.  He had just bought it out of an attic in Texas for $100.00.  When you see something like that, the range of emotions span from amazement, to jealousy, to sadness.  I think I am in the deep depression stage now.  LOL. I guess congratulations are what is really in order.