Altair - A different perspective

From: Doug Yowza <yowza_at_yowza.com>
Date: Sat Aug 15 18:47:59 1998

On Sat, 15 Aug 1998, Uncle Roger wrote:

> At 03:00 PM 8/14/98 -0500, you wrote:
> >My point is that the Altair's significance has been way overstated. The
>
> Whether that is true or not is completely irrelevant to the pricing of
> Altairs as collectibles.

Not at all. It's the *perceived* significance and rarity that makes these
things desirable and drives the price up. If a bunch of Altairs came on
the market, the price would drop like a rock. If it becomes known that
Bill Gates first wrote BASIC for the Schmaltztair rather than the Altair,
the price drops.

> For example, Beanie babies are neither new in concept, well made, or even
> terribly uncommon. Yet they sometimes sell for ridiculous prices.
> Meanwhile, quality toys, which are far more uncommon, and were, in their
> time, ground-breaking, often sell for much less. Collector value is a
> function of perceived importance and perceived rarity. It may or may not
> have any basis whatsoever in actual fact.

Nobody said anything about quality. Beanie Babies bring big bucks because
those brilliant bastards at Ty came up with a scheme for artificial
scarcity in the form of "birthdates" and "retirement". Once the Beanie
Moms figure out they've been the victim of big scam, prices will drop like
a rock.

Once the overzealous Altair collectors and dealers figure out that they've
been paying big bucks for a rather insignifcant flakey box, prices should
drop.

-- Doug
Received on Sat Aug 15 1998 - 18:47:59 BST