Oh yeah, value. How is the chrome on the BM-3s? I bought mine for about $400 and the chrome is in terrible condition! This was from
Pro Audio Heaven! Vintage Ribbon Microphones, RCA, Shure, Neumann, Neve, B&O and more... - Home . So you got quite a deal. If you don't like them I'm sure you could sell them. On ebay I saw BM-3s with old ribbons (or untested) going for at least $300 a pop. If it's a new ribbon the value didn't go up, I guess maybe people are not "informed" about what this means.