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Does this have any value?

M

makeuacaster

Mar 9, 2025
7
13
#1
IMG_8782.jpg
I have this "Letters Patent" issued to Jess Oliver (Oliver Jespersen), the "Godfather of Bass" which was given to me years ago after I sold him my Ampeg B-15 on eBay. A token of his appreciation. I was just womdering if something like this (an original!) had any real monitary value. Now I realize everything is worth "the most someone will pay for it". So . . . what's the "most someone would pay for it"?
the
 
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#3
Umm...well, the value may depend on whether you have the signature professionally verified. I know the email chain could be considered documentation, but there's a lot of sophisticated scams, so you might have to get it anyways. I'd assume they could give you a ballpark appraisal for his signature, perhaps not the value of it on this patent though.
 
#4
KenD said:
???

Did I read this correctly? The guy who invented the Ampeg B-15 Portaflex was hanging out on ebay, looking to buy a used version of an amp he invented. And when he found one to buy he gave the seller the original of his assignment of rights to Ampeg as a token of appreciation?

Is that the story?
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Yes it is. This was a few years ago as you can expect. I remember talking to him on the phone about his career and how he was having trouble finding one in this condition. And talked about Rick Danko . . . one of my all time fav's.
 
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#5
makeuacaster said:
Now I realize everything is worth "the most someone will pay for it". So . . . what's the "most someone would pay for it"?
Click to expand...

If I can find my plaque of it buried in some desk drawer, I’ll trade you my patent for yours. I’ll even autograph it if you like.

Link Removed​

Patent number: 5146564
Abstract: A computer system includes a plurality of central processing units (CPUs), a main memory, a system control unit (SCU) for controlling the transfer of data between the CPUs and the main memory, and a service processing unit (SPU) to interface the computer system with the outside world, such as an operator console. The method used for interfacing the SPU and SCU includes delivering a BUFFER FULL handshaking signal from the SPU to the SCU in response to the SPU receive buffer having data contained therein and being unavailable to receive data. The SCU responds to the absence of the BUFFER FULL handshaking signal by delivering a TRANSMIT FRAME handshaking signal to the SCU. A preselected duration of time after delivering the transmit frame, the SCU delivers the actual data in a series of fourteen consecutive clock cycles.
Type: Grant
Filed: February 3, 1989
Date of Patent: September 8, 1992
Assignee: Digital Equipment Corporation
Inventors: Michael B. Evans, Rueysen Lin, Brian F. Rost, R. Stephen Polzin


I still can’t believe this was considered unique enough to get a patent. The company probably filed over hundreds of patent applications on this particular computer, the ill-fated Digital VAX-9000 mainframe. The idea is to throw applications up against the wall and see what sticks. Notice it took over three years to work it’s way through the maze of patent approvals. I remember we also got this patent approved in Ireland.
 
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#6
KevInDaBassment said:
Umm...well, the value may depend on whether you have the signature professionally verified. I know the email chain could be considered documentation, but there's a lot of sophisticated scams, so you might have to get it anyways. I'd assume they could give you a ballpark appraisal for his signature, perhaps not the value of it on this patent though.
Click to expand...
OK, I know NOTHING about getting it verified. Can you recomend somewhere to start? I did see a listing for a self portrait he painted along with a patent being sold by "a relative" on here. She was asking like $72,000.00!! She also stated that he always used a sharpie to sign a patent letter.
 
#8
brianrost said:
If I can find my plaque of it buried in some desk drawer, I’ll trade you my patent for yours. I’ll even autograph it if you like.

Link Removed​

Patent number: 5146564
Abstract: A computer system includes a plurality of central processing units (CPUs), a main memory, a system control unit (SCU) for controlling the transfer of data between the CPUs and the main memory, and a service processing unit (SPU) to interface the computer system with the outside world, such as an operator console. The method used for interfacing the SPU and SCU includes delivering a BUFFER FULL handshaking signal from the SPU to the SCU in response to the SPU receive buffer having data contained therein and being unavailable to receive data. The SCU responds to the absence of the BUFFER FULL handshaking signal by delivering a TRANSMIT FRAME handshaking signal to the SCU. A preselected duration of time after delivering the transmit frame, the SCU delivers the actual data in a series of fourteen consecutive clock cycles.
Type: Grant
Filed: February 3, 1989
Date of Patent: September 8, 1992
Assignee: Digital Equipment Corporation
Inventors: Michael B. Evans, Rueysen Lin, Brian F. Rost, R. Stephen Polzin


I still can’t believe this was considered unique enough to get a patent. The company probably filed over hundreds of patent applications on this particular computer, the ill-fated Digital VAX-9000 mainframe. The idea is to throw applications up against the wall and see what sticks. Notice it took over three years to work it’s way through the maze of patent approvals. I remember we also got this patent approved in Ireland.
Click to expand...
Cool! I bet it was the fourteen consecutive clock cycles that made it patentable. :)
 
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#10
makeuacaster said:
View attachment 7172230I have this "Letters Patent" issued to Jess Oliver (Oliver Jespersen), the "Godfather of Bass" which was given to me years ago after I sold him my Ampeg B-15 on eBay. A token of his appreciation. I was just womdering if something like this (an original!) had any real monitary value. Now I realize everything is worth "the most someone will pay for it". So . . . what's the "most someone would pay for it"?
the
Click to expand...
I would try to contact the guys who wrote this book…
…and get their feedback on it.

As for auction houses and the COA(certification of authenticity) process, check with Heritage:
Invalid Link Removed
…or perhaps Laura Woolley at Julien’s:
Invalid Link Removed
She’s an expert on pop culture artifacts.

Then, a bit of a long shot, but he’s a music gear obsessive, and has provided period correct amps and instruments for many movies and TV shows, there’s Jim Elyea at History For Hire prop house:
Invalid Link Removed
He might have some suggestions or know an Ampeg freak for referral. He himself wrote an extensive book on British Vox amplifiers.
 
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#11
obviously, it's very cool.

i never met mr.oliver, but many of my friends including my brother had work done by him and knew him to varying degrees. I do remember that the doorbell to his home was an indicator light from an old fender amp (or something like that?)

a very good friend believes to have the very last autograph he ever signed. i don't recall the timing of it, but as i recall it was a reasonable assumption.

if you listed it here for $200, it would be gone within a day or two. is it worth $70k? no, amplifiers he made with his signature (still good sounding, working order amps) are selling in the $900 range sometimes. this being particularly historical and unique it's definitely "worth a bit," but perhaps the price of a cool guitar - not the price of a new car?

that's obviously just one bass players thoughts. I know there are guitar / rock memorabilia collectors out there who own NFL teams, so you never know if the right person is willing to pay big bucks.
 
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#12
KenD said:
???

Did I read this correctly? The guy who invented the Ampeg B-15 Portaflex was hanging out on ebay, looking to buy a used version of an amp he invented. And when he found one to buy he gave the seller the original of his assignment of rights to Ampeg as a token of appreciation?

Is that the story?
Click to expand...
Yes, I worked at a music shop that had a couple Oliver speakers, including the Orbiter Leslie horn and an amp where the head rose out of the cabinet with a motor (don't remember the model name). We put them on Ebay and Jess Oliver reached out and bought them.
 
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#15
An absolutely beautiful 1960s B15N with a matching 15” extension cab that was signed in sharpie on the clear acrylic Ampeg face plate by Jess when he worked on it for the owner just sold in the TB classifieds a few weeks ago for $2k. I shoulda bought it. Anyway, a signed patent is probably not worth a lot.
 
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#18
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