-----Original Message-----
From: Christian Fandt <cfandt_at_netsync.net>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Sunday, December 05, 1999 9:07 PM
Subject: Gold price was: Re: ebay feedback
>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)?
I thought he was out of his tree when he told me what he was paying for the
mainframes. I didn't believe it until I saw a fax on a piece of equipment in
the warehouse which showed he bid $8000 on an IBM 30 series mainframe (water
cooled) THAT WAS ONLY THE CPU!. He had other bids on the other parts. He
looks at each piece, puts a price on it and then totals it on the bottom. I
believe he said the Hitachi supers used Platinum [not sure, he did mention
one metal other than silver or gold).
BTW: The sick &*^*&*(^ offered to buy the two Fujitsus I have coming in for
a decent $$$ due to gold content. He also asked me if I was interested in
selling any of my 1960's minis for gold as well. As I will probably be
sending the Vax 6000 I get to him (hey! I can't pull minis out of him
without sending some...), I will ask him to quote me on:
Fujitsu Super computer (I'll list the items as I saw them on his fax).
The Vax 6000/610 with drives, etc...
An IBM360
and a PDP-8/S
I want to know what kind of $$$ he is actually going to offer. I do get a
lot of sites willing to accept $1-3K for *many systems* but I hate to
compete with this kind of company without knowing what I should be offering.
>
>>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.
>
This guy did 13 million pounds last year. I am sure he knows how much $$$ in
metal is in ever mini/mainframe/super computer on the planet.. He even knows
the contents for Apple IIcs [don't laugh.. he had a skid full of them] and
IBM PS/2 XXX series.
john
http://www.pdp8.com/
>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 - 19:22:21 GMT