It seems the cat has been out of the bag a little while on these. I've seen several want-ads (even here) with buyers offering $250+ for ST-70's in any condition, presumably to rebuild and sell for much more.
I like Howard's suggestion, and second Al's suggestion of opening up to other brands. I've come home with a couple of less choice (but still worth working on) pieces of tube equipment from yard/church sales for very short money. A starter project such as one of those will also give you a better appreciation of what's involved, and give you a chance to experiment with various aspects (tools, techniques, parts etc.) of the restoration process, and by the time you DO happen upon something like an ST-70 at the right time and place, you'll either be ready to take it on, or will have lost interest. I'm somewhere in between those two endpoints.
I like Howard's suggestion, and second Al's suggestion of opening up to other brands. I've come home with a couple of less choice (but still worth working on) pieces of tube equipment from yard/church sales for very short money. A starter project such as one of those will also give you a better appreciation of what's involved, and give you a chance to experiment with various aspects (tools, techniques, parts etc.) of the restoration process, and by the time you DO happen upon something like an ST-70 at the right time and place, you'll either be ready to take it on, or will have lost interest. I'm somewhere in between those two endpoints.