Although the lathe looks in nice shape i agree that is pretty high price. If it had a whack of tooling, qctp and holders, steady rests, chucks, dogs, faceplates, live centers, etc, it would be approaching that value.
Yes, Atlas continue to produce and sell 6 inch lathes into the 1970s or early 80s. In 1974, they redesigned the venerable Atlas 618--the above Craftsman is just a rebadged 618. Most people refer to the redesigned machine as the "Mark II". It was to reduce costs on the machine and one of the main changes was to make the headstock out of Zamak, the same stuff the gears were always made of. The machines also had a more "modern" look. Most people prefer the classic 618 but there seem to be few people that are happy with their Mark II.
Apparently it wasn't too bad of a deal for someone.
