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Heres an identical 1951 Hercus 9in lathe that sold in Nowra a few years back. $750 smackers 
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f223/hercus-9-inch-140029/
The Hercus is known as the Model A and is a superb machine to use - I used them most days of the week for 24 years. Unfortunately the Model A was discontinued decades ago and replaced with the Hercus Model C, which has the significant difference of having the drive belts lower down behind the headstock; however; quite a few of the parts are interchangeable.
If purchasing any lathe but particularly the Hercus, bear in mind that some parts are unavailable for the Model A; check for slop in the cross-slide and compound slide; check for casting damage on the chuck side of the carriage and slides (bad damage probably indicates an ex-school machine); if the machine is a goer, take a parallel cut and measure for taper and wear in the bed; make sure that the gear sets, the tool accessories; face-plates; chucks and driving dogs come with the machine, or else bid very little. For $750 I would expect to get everything and a worn machine. Some machines may have had single phase motors - I expect the Army ones did - but check to see if it is 3 phase. If you want a machine for accurate machining, steer clear of a worn one, it is far cheaper to buy a new HAFCO. If you want one for display, it should "look" to be in excellent condition unlike the one in the photo, which is dirty and scruffy.
If anyone is interested, I have a parts book and a photocopy of the handbook chapter on cutting threads for a Hercus Model A. I could probably scan them and send them to Phoenix for the REMLR archives. Alternatively try a search on bookfinder.com or similar search engine,
Cheers Charlie
