Gold price was: Re: ebay feedback

From: Christian Fandt <cfandt_at_netsync.net>
Date: Sun Dec 5 20:06:30 1999

Upon the date 01:07 PM 12/5/99 -0500, John B said something like:
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Innfogra_at_aol.com <Innfogra_at_aol.com>

   -- snip --
>>I don't think any IBM 1130 is worth more than a couple of hundred in scrap
>by
>>the way. I suspect less than that.
>>
>
>Then I guess the scrappers will be outbidding you..... The larger 1960 mini
>computers had a lot more gold in them than the '70s models as the gold was
>plated thicker in the '60s. The 1130 (from what I can remember) has more
>than $100US in aluminum in it (just cpu + printer). I don't know what the
>gold content is.. (I'll find out.. I know a company that does).. BTW I just

Gold was a lot cheaper per ounce back in those days compared to now even
when considering inflation. US$35 an ounce I think I recall in the late
60's/early 70's before it really shot up in price. Was up to US$700 or so
for a short time a couple of decades ago. Around US$300 per ounce now I
think. So it would be probable to find connectors, circuit card
connections, etc. with a heavier layer of gold on a 60's-vintage machine
like the 1130. Also, there was a whole *heap* more connections in such a
machine vs. the highly integrated mainframes/minis of rather recent times.
This gives a better perspective of what those scrappers will pay for a
machine. But $4K for an 1130 as John reported hearing still seems high.
Other really precious metals inside of it? Platinum? Goo-gobs of silver (at
about US$3 an ounce)?

>lost an IBM 360 to a gold scrapper [bid more than me]. Some of the metal
>scrappers I know never bothered to look at gold content.. what's scaring the
>hell out of me are these guys that know to the penny what they can extract
>out of it and generally bid a lot higher than most.

Sounds like they have a network or something in which they describe (or
boast about) what they've salvaged.

Regards, Chris
-- --
Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY USA cfandt_at_netsync.net
        Member of Antique Wireless Association
        URL: http://www.antiquewireless.org/
Received on Sun Dec 05 1999 - 20:06:30 GMT

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