6 Jul
2005
6 Jul
'05
3:17 a.m.
This is my point. Pat doesn't think an IBM 360
would sell for, say, as
much as $50K.
I do not think an S/360 processor would hit $10K, personally.
On Ebay a few years back, an IBM 650 only hit $5K. IBM stuff just doesn't
have the prestige.
I agree with him that it may not attract the same
sort of
frenzy that a PDP-1 would (it's a different dynamic with IBM old iron
collectors) but considering that they are probably more rare than PDP-1's
You must know of many PDP-1s that we do not, because I can think of
roughly ten S/360 processors still around. All but one are in museums.
And of course, S/370s are rarer that S/360s for some dumb reason. And
S/370 clones are rarer than Blue S/370s.
(which is ironic considering the IBM 360 sold in the
thousands(?) and the
PDP-1 had a run of 50)
I do not have the figures handy, but I think about 2400 S/360 processors
were made. Over 1000 were model 30s.
if one did show up, and it was as complete the
recent PDP-8 sale, then there would be a bidding frenzy like you wouldn't
believe.
I doubt a complete S/360 system would pop up (but who knows!). By their
nature, pieces were upgraded over time, resulting in systems with parts
spanning 20 years of production. DASDs (disks) were some of the first
things to go. I would venture to say that old IBM disks (1311/2311, 2316,
3330 and the like) are probably rarer than the processors.
Also, a complete S/360 installation, even a small one, would still be
quite large compared to a PDP-1. An S/360 mod 20 is the smallest, but it
isn't a real machine anyway.
I suspected the PDP-8 could fetch as high as $25K, and
I still think this
is a valid number. Bill Maddox actually got one hell of a deal. A PDP-1
equipped in an equivalent manner would surely fetch at least $25K, and so
would the equivalent IBM 360 system (maybe a decked out 360/20).
I do not think 20s were common, because they were bastards replaced by
S/3s very shortly after introduced (there are still S/3s out there - one
still in production). The 30s were the common model.
20s also do not have very nice panels - nearly nothing, actually. Odd
machine.
I'd be interested in knowing of any complete IBM
360's out in the wild
(i.e. not already in museums).
The only one I know of is the ex-Stumf model 22 processor, and I do not
know where that went.
William Donzelli
aw288 at osfn.org