Here is the purchaser. NOT what I would have expected!
http://www.lne.com/lemay/
OK, pop quiz before you look at this site. Which of the following did you
think just paid $12,000 for an Altair?
A) A 60-year-old ex-Byte Shop manager
B) A retired aerospace engineer and ham radio operator with nothing else to
spend his money on
C) A Ferrari-driving vested-option veteran of a huge software company
D) A museum curator
E) An antique dealer/speculator
F) A 30-year-old female author with a nose piercing
Kai
-----Original Message-----
From: D. Peschel [mailto:dpeschel@u.washington.edu]
Sent: Thursday, August 13, 1998 1:22 PM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: Re: Altair prices
> I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I find myself extremely
> depressed by this. Does anyone know (personally) the fellow who put in
> the high bid? Will the Altair be something of inherent value to him,
> or is it simply an investment?
I haven't looked at the URL but I'm sure I don't know anyone involved.
It IS depressing, isn't it? I've been thinking about this aspect of
computer
collecting for a while. Someone on alt.folklore.computers said that he had
verified the authenticity of an Apple I system (complete with original cover
letter receipt signed by Steve Jobs, etc.) just before it was shipped across
the country to a new buyer.
As I drooled over this, I realized that it's an extremely desirable thing to
have (and this one in particular sounded rare) but the economics are just
too
warped. There are only a handful of these machines, right? And they just
change hands and the prices go up. Also, it may be desirable to have, but
not
to USE. The RAM is expandable to almost 64K (though I've never heard of
this
being done) but there's only one slot and the only card built for it was a
cassette interface. The display is slow because it uses a shift register.
I'm just too practical, I guess. I believe in collecting things to use
them/
have fun with them, and the rarity of the Apple I is at odds with this goal.
I too have to wonder at the motives of the buyer of this Altair.
There IS the possibility that this is an elaborate "sour grapes" argument,
given that I have neither an Apple I nor an Altair. :)
-- Derek
Full S-100 chassis are actually pretty easy to find. I have an IMSAI,
and am planning on purchasing a Cromemco Z2-D, a Processor Tech SOL is
on the way, as is a NorthStar Horizon (an Advantage! too).
Tony
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sam Ismail [mailto:dastar@ncal.verio.com]
> Sent: Thursday, August 13, 1998 4:39 PM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: Re: Altair prices
>
>
> On Thu, 13 Aug 1998, D. Peschel wrote:
>
> > > I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I find myself extremely
> > > depressed by this. Does anyone know (personally) the
> fellow who put in
> > > the high bid? Will the Altair be something of inherent
> value to him,
> > > or is it simply an investment?
> >
> > It IS depressing, isn't it? I've been thinking about this
> aspect of computer
> > collecting for a while. Someone on alt.folklore.computers
> said that he had
> > verified the authenticity of an Apple I system (complete
> with original cover
> > letter receipt signed by Steve Jobs, etc.) just before it
> was shipped across
> > the country to a new buyer.
> >
> > I'm just too practical, I guess. I believe in collecting
> things to use them/
> > have fun with them, and the rarity of the Apple I is at
> odds with this goal.
> > I too have to wonder at the motives of the buyer of this Altair.
>
> If you're interested in actually playing with one, the
> schematics for the
> Apple 1 are readily available with a little searching. You can just
> re-create your own. In fact, I'd imagine you could make a pretty
> lucrative business making and selling Apple 1 reproductions
> (as well as
> other early classics).
>
> S-100 parts are readily available as well, and again there
> are schematics
> out there if you put a little work into searching them out.
> If you want
> to actually play with your own S-100 box, building the chassis, power
> supply and backplane is relatively easy. You would then need
> to search
> out just the CPU, I/O and RAM boards, which would be
> considerably easier
> than finding a complete S-100 system at this point (it would seem,
> although S-100 boxes can still be found if you're not simply
> lusting after
> an Altair or IMSAI).
>
> People make re-creations of old cars all the time, so the parallels of
> that hobby to this one should extend into that realm as well.
>
> Sam Alternate e-mail:
> dastar(a)siconic.com
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> -----------------
> Ever onward.
>
> September 26 & 27...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0
> See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!
> [Last web site update: 08/09/98]
>
> > And I thought I was getting fleeced paying $300 for my IMSAI.
>
> You got a good deal. Even new they were $429 for the kit,
> with 8080 CPU
> and static RAM card.
> Jack Peacock
>
Well, as mentioned before, I didn't get the RAM card (Still looking for
one) but I did get the PIO card and an Icom 8" dual disk system for an
extra $25.
Tony
> And I thought I was getting fleeced paying $300 for my IMSAI.
You got a good deal. Even new they were $429 for the kit, with 8080 CPU
and static RAM card.
Jack Peacock
> $12100 for the world's flakiest S-100 box:
I've just been dumbstruck dead.
Did you look at the card list? It has one of the old Ithaca Audio CPU
cards in it. The early IA Z80 cards were a poor second choice to a
Cromemco card, but probably a step up from the original TDL Z80 card
(that was the first Z80 CPU out). I had one of the IA cards, threw it
away when they switched to Ithaca Intersystems and started making real
class boxes and boards, got one of the XPU cards instead. Those were
nice, 20 bit memory addressing with an MMU, very stable, it's what I use
in my IMSAI now.
And not even original MITS memory to go with it! Now if it had a
working (!) 4K dynamic MITS RAM board I would be impressed. That was a
truly rare commodity, because of design flaws the memory usually didn't
(remember, that is).
Jack Peacock
WHAT Apple I's ?
:)
Kai
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Owad [mailto:tomowad@earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, August 13, 1998 1:10 PM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: RE: Altair prices
>That's a 600% increase from the last batch, and even beats the last Apple
>1 sale I know of.
What have the Apple I's been going for?
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
Just think how I feel. My main point of interest *IS* S-100 systems...
And I thought I was getting fleeced paying $300 for my IMSAI.
Tony
> >
> > $12100 for the world's flakiest S-100 box:
> > http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=24409570
> >
> > (and the reserve was still not met, but I bet the guy
> sells, what do you
> > think?)
> >
> > That's a 600% increase from the last batch, and even beats
> the last Apple
> > 1 sale I know of. I'll bet that the bidders get
> solicitations for about
> > 100 Altairs in the next few days.
>
> I can't put my finger on exactly why, but I find myself extremely
> depressed by this. Does anyone know (personally) the fellow
> who put in
> the high bid? Will the Altair be something of inherent value to him,
> or is it simply an investment?
>
> I can't fault anyone for selling an Altair (especially at
> these prices),
> but it still sits uneasy with me. I've never sought out an Altair
> specifically, because S100 has never been my focus of interest, but
> now I know for sure I'll never be able to get one if I developed a
> fancy for them. That's rather a downer.
>
> Oh well, I've still got my Imsai. It may not have been first, but
> it has cooler blinkey lights.
>
> (Note to interested sellers: About the only thing I'd be willing
> to pay $1000 for is an original table-top "straight" PDP-8 in working
> condition. Hey, look at me, I'm a sucker! Now if only I could find
> someone with the bait, I'd snap at it :)
>
> -Seth
> --
> "It looks just like a Telefunken U47! Seth J. Morabito
> You'll love it." - Frank Zappa sethm(a)loomcom.com
>
When I saw the final bid on that altair, i nearly peed myself.
Jim, if yer listening, I'm sending ya a check!!!!
(not for $4K tho)
Four IMSAI switch paddles and a SOL Keyboard kit :)
Tony
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kai Kaltenbach [mailto:kaikal@MICROSOFT.com]
> Sent: Thursday, August 13, 1998 3:44 PM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: RE: Altair prices
>
>
> Geez, I'll bet our own Jim Willing is pretty disappointed
> that his only sold
> for $4213.
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=24405966
>
> What the heck is with that? Two Altairs auctioned
> simultaneously, with a 3x
> price differential.
>
> Guess I'm sitting on a fortune with my 5 Altairs, but I'd
> never sell them
> (and I mean that, whereas Jim used to say he'd never sell his either).
>
> Kai
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Doug Yowza [mailto:yowza@yowza.com]
> Sent: Thursday, August 13, 1998 12:34 PM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: Altair prices
>
>
> $12100 for the world's flakiest S-100 box:
> http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=24409570
>
> (and the reserve was still not met, but I bet the guy sells,
> what do you
> think?)
>
> That's a 600% increase from the last batch, and even beats
> the last Apple
> 1 sale I know of. I'll bet that the bidders get
> solicitations for about
> 100 Altairs in the next few days.
>
> -- Doug
>
>> I *really* have to see a Perq sometime.
>
>It's even more fun to own one (or 4...). They're very nice machines.
>Remember they predate the IBM PC, predate the Lisa and Mac, and even
>predate Xerox _selling_ workstations, although Xerox were designing
>workstations long before the PERQ. I believe the same person designed the
>memory controller for one of the Xerox D-machines and for the PERQ.
I think we need to see some picture of your PERQs, Tony. While they're
running, of course. I never even heard of a PERQ before subscribing to
this list, let alone see one.
Tom
--
Sysop of Caesarville Online
Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>
