1977 Apple II for sale.

From: Ernest <ernestls_at_attbi.com>
Date: Mon Dec 16 23:21:00 2002

> There are always items on Ebay that go for absurdly high prices. That DEC
> book by Gordon Bell for example keeps going for $50 - $60 per copy. You
> would think its hard to come by or something. Well, its not. A PDP 11/70
> front panel for $152.50, thats absurd. Only one person bids on a PDP 8/E
> in pristine condition without any cards, so it goes for $500 while at
> the same time a 8/E with a nice set of essential cards goes for $2,248.
> Now thats absurd, and also explains how i'm able to get my 8's so cheaply.
> Which is good, because I couldnt afford to buy even one 8/E at a $2,248
> price tag ;)
>
> Of course, my luck runs out when it comes to finding RK05's.
>
> But an Apple ][ going for more than the price of an 8/E boggles the mind.

You do realize that what you are saying is your own opinion though, right?
Also, you failed to understand the point that I was trying to make which is
that each collector has their own idea of what is valuable, for reasons that
you or I may not understand. To say that it's absurd for someone to pay more
for something they want, than you would for something you want seems kind of
absurd to me.

Sure the 8/E may be more rare, or cool, or whatever than an Apple II with a
low serial number but it's value is based on what you (the collector) are
willing to pay. I wouldn't pay $4000.00 for a deluxe Altair but obviously
there are a few folks out there who would. Nor would I pay $2248 for a PDP
of any type or condition but it I don't become distressed if other people
choose to. It boggles my mind to think that you/we collectors, having seen
this all before, are even slightly surprised by this kind of thing anymore.
There are several billion people on this planet, so I would say the odds are
pretty good that at least two of them will, for whatever reasons, try very
hard to get something that is fairly rare on that kind of scale.

One more thing to consider is that most people would agree that Altair's are
fairly rare but you can find them on ebay on a regular basis. If you don't
see one there today then wait a day or two and you will. That doesn't seem
all that rare to me, and yet people are still willing to pay more than $3k
for them. How often do you see very early model Apple II's, in any
condition? I don't remember ever seeing one like the computer I just sold.
Sure, you can find Apple II's on ebay all the time but they are usually
later revisions, and have II+ keyboards, and beat up cases, etc.. Savvy
collectors know this, so they don't bid $3800 dollars for them but the
computer that I just sold is not like that. What's more, there was no
existing precedent for the value of something like it.

To further beat a dead horse, consider that there are folks who are willing
to spend millions for what they consider art. Things like paintings and
sculptures sell for millions only because that is what some people are
willing to pay. In my opinion, some computers are works of art, which can
inspire the same emotional response in me that a fine sculpture can in other
people. If I had an Altair, I wouldn't use it. I would display it like a
painting or any other piece of fine art. Sadly, I can't afford either one of
them so I don't think about it. The point is that the value of something
like a painting, or an old computer is determined by the people who want it.
In this case, the user base for the Apple II is larger than the one for the
8/E, so it would follow that there would be more people desiring to own an
Apple II like the one I just sold.

E.
Received on Mon Dec 16 2002 - 23:21:00 GMT