OT: Value/money making (was Re: SOL feeding frenzy?)

From: Chuck McManis <cmcmanis_at_freegate.com>
Date: Tue Dec 15 20:09:13 1998

At 07:00 PM 12/15/98 -0600, Doug wrote:
>However, if money isn't the main goal, there are alternatives that work.
>Following your reasoning, all of the museums would be empty.

Actually this is why there is very little of the artifacts from the Spanish
Galleon "Atocha" in museums. The same is true for paintings, many are
traded by art dealera for profit, and now and then they get donated to
museums or the museum uses its own "acquisitions" fund for adding to their
collection.

The bottom line is that I agree that preserving computers has in my opinion
more "value" than the potential dollars involved. To give a "real life"
example, I have a PDP-8/m that I am attempting to get running (it needs a
core stack and potentially a bit of power supply work.) The goal of getting
it running is so that it can be put on _operating_ display at a "hands on"
museum. Now as readers of the list know I've been looking for a core stack
for it for a few months now. Recently (in the last couple of months) I've
been getting inquiries from _dealers_, some subtle some less so, of people
who want to buy it (not working!). [for those counting the highest offer
has been $1,000]. I even got Aaron all pissed off at me because I was
concerned _he_ was one such dealer. All of this hassle because 1) the
"collectible" computer market has moved into more mainstream places, and 2)
the prices have gotten to the point where "real" people notice. (e.g.
professional dealers).

So the role of "collector" takes on more the role of "caretaker." You and I
are classic computer caretakers, we care about the computers, we care about
their history, we care about how they are used, and we care that they will
survive us. People who buy and sell "collectible" computers in order to
increase their personal wealth are "collectors" in the more common usage of
the word. The collectors are "moving in" and the caretakers job gets harder.

This isn't news to anyone here I'm sure,
--Chuck McManis
Received on Tue Dec 15 1998 - 20:09:13 GMT