Hi Nigel,
Musonic (they have a co uk website) still list
these, limited supply, at £75. Anything less than that off eBay is,
therefore, acceptable in my opinion. Actually the eBay prices fluctuate
wildly, regardless of whether they are brand new in box/blisterpack or
if they are used. Presence of cartridge inside or test certificate
doesn't seem to make much difference either. No logic to it at all. £25
off a seller who is used to selling styli (they'll pack properly) is a
good aggressive target to aim at - try to wait until there is more than
one on auction to dilute the competition, use a stopwatch and be a last
second bandit.
For what its worth, I haven't seen any significant wear on these
(damage, yes, but legitimate wear, no.) I clean them, pop them under
the microscope, and make sure the illumination gets really inside the
diamond to show up the surface properly. Set up and view from several
angles. I vaguely remember reading somewhere (the old site?) that
B&O used to polish them more than normal styli to make them last
longer - not sure if that was an urban myth or not.
Cheers,
Steve