All week long, the Big Island has been flooded with monsoon-like downpours. Tonight, the skies have been filled with dramatic displays of thunder and lightning. So my mind was already on the ferocity of nature as I was browsing eBay this evening, when I came across this auction:
EARTHQUAKE!
Wow, what a sales job.
However, at an opening price of $69.95 plus shipping, I think this guy may still be suffering from a bit of separation anxiety.
As for me, on that fateful afternoon in October 1989, I was sitting at my desk (working a temp gig for Kaiser in Oakland) on the top floor of a rather decrepit building, when I felt the quake ripple through the floor beneath my feet like a wave. As I made my way down the back stairwell to the street, I noticed giant cracks had suddenly appeared in the plaster of the walls.
BTW, if anyone has a pair of these classic Rat Shack speakers, in GREAT shape, for about half the price, and especially with the original mounting brackets, let's talk. I want to use these as close-field monitors in my home recording studio.
[OK, now, because I am so kind, and since eBay has this annoying habit of nuking its auctions after seemingly random, relatively brief periods of time, I've reproduced the auction text for you below. Enjoy! --Bill]

Hopefully, you won’t have to be hit in the head with the Minimus 7 Speakers to see how good they are, but I did.
I was standing behind the cash register at Radio Shack ready to help a customer when suddenly I was hit in the head by a pair of Minimus 7 speakers. These two speakers introduced me to the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17th 1989 at 5:04pm (approximately two hours before I was off work that day).
I knew very little about the Minimus 7s at the time, other than my head hurt like hell when they hit me.
Noticing
the scratches on the Minimus 7s my manager said we can’t sell them or
use them for floor models anymore. He told me to take them home since they chose me,
so I did. Since hearing them I’ve bought at least 10 pairs of the
Minimus 7s and sold, or handed them out as gifts, except for this pair.
I have held on to these wonderful speakers for over 18 years because they remind me of how lucky I am. These Minimus 7s are the most rock solid, steady, speakers I have ever owned.
They are more than just speakers.
They are paper plate savers at a windy barbeque, infant fascinators,
musical door jams, well hidden Halloween children frighteners, spider
smashers, living room picnic blanket holders, super glue gravity
appliers, and the best sounding hidden under the table dust bunny
collectors I’ve ever owned. They’ve survived 6 moves, one marriage, two
children, two cats, and many many parties.
The
Minimus 7s were created and sold by Radio Shack for 27 years. They
feature a cast alloy cabinet, 1" soft dome tweeter and 4" woofer with
butyl rubber surround (no foam to rot). You will be amazed with the big
sound coming from such a small box.
Nice
black, cast aluminum cabinets make up a quality package of approx. 4
1/2"w x 4 3/8"d x 7 1/8"h. These are in great condition, only showing
some cabinet wear. The grills are slightly scratched and the original
drivers look like new. You can buy these now for $69.95 pr. plus
shipping (10lbs net, 16lbs gross).
These are great for bedroom systems, office systems, travel systems and quick setup portable systems, even small PAs. The greatest thing about these speakers is that they pack this much punch in a box this size.
Listen through a piece of history to the speakers that shook the earth.
Buy the Radio Shack Minimus 7 speakers that announced the Loma Prieta
earthquake, used for 18 years and uncovered in this one time offer.
Do
you want speakers that are marked by history? Filled with loving
memories, established as a family icon, and one of the most utilized
pieces of equipment ever owned? You have one chance to own some history
of your own before they go away.
Why am I offering them for sale? I don’t want to, but I promised that I would try. I will offer them once, because that is the deal.
Why
are they so expensive? Because they entered my life in a special way,
added value to my life, as they will add value to yours. They won’t
stop being valuable, because they come with a history, and you are
worth every cent.
I’m so confident about the quality of these speakers that I will offer a 100% money back guarantee.
Shipping in the US
only.
Wishing you a beautiful day,
Bill Brent
[this page last updated: 2007.12.07, 10:40 p.m. Hawaii time]
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