[john hall]

Go look at it in person is my advice. Have the owner cut some metal.
Those things are an antique so not many current machinist know much about them. I don't know about South Bend, but am pretty sure Atlas/Craftsman dominated the market on those 60 years ago. I think my little lathe is an Atlas, but aren't sure. I rarely use it, just too small for most of what I do at home--could be my patience level. See if it has poured babbit bearings on the spindle or ball/tapered bearings. I had one once with the babbit bearings. a loose spindle is a BAD thing on a lathe. I have no idea why the tailstock is mounted backwards---most will only go on one way. That machine probably should come with a box of change gears to use for threading, probably to get varying feed rates as well. There are still aftermarket dealers in parts for teh old table top lathes. Accesories ain't gonna be cheap. By the way that is a rocker toolpost, not a quick change. If the lathe is all there and works as it should, it should be worth the asking price assuming you realize it is not modern and don't expect it to be. Being small its easy to move--as opposed to a 4000 lb macine--most of us don't have a forklift at home. Oh yeah, see what style collett it uses--5C is pretty much the most common and cheapest.