23 Oct
2001
23 Oct
'01
11:33 p.m.
Heinz Wolter wrote:
Glen Goodwin wrote :
We'll if there's a complete working PDP-10 (KL10), with
disks, it might have a collector value of 20-30K$US,
but you'd have to search carefully to find a rich buyer...
I know of three in private hands, and I think they were
each acquired at not cost.
I talked
to Ken this afternoon.
He needs 3-4K to cover the back rent on the storage
and is looking for someone to take all this stuff and
sell it on eBay for him. He thinks it's worth $100000
Well, hey, if a CoCo is worth $2500 . . . Now a PDP-1 would certainly be worth 100KUS$,
as might a KA10 or KI10. If all that was needed to
cover back-rent was 3-4KUS$, then a couple of PDP-8s
or early PDP-11s should do the trick.
The PDP-1, working, complete, might well be worth US$10K,
but it's unlikely he's got one. Probably a boatload of
Vaxen & -11 stuff. Or maybe even Alpha.
There are collectors out there like Mr. Allen paying
big dollars for not so rare machines...I've even heard
of unscrupulous "museum" collectors selling off machines
that were donated to so called ~not-for-profit~ organizations.
I don't think paying the rent is a bad idea, but selling off
donated valuable items for huge personal profit is wrong,
unless of course, you paid for or removed the machines,
made no misrepresentations, and it's a legitimate business.
The Bostom Computer Museum was trying to support itself by
selling modules from systems that weren't complete.
Still no matter what the source, it would bet better
for these
machines to find good homes (even in eccentric millionaire's
collections) than to end up in the scrap heap or raped for their
gold plating.
On this, we agree...
I wonder what item Al K. is looking for that could be
worth
any good part of 100KUS$, or 3KUS$ ;)
I don't think anything that expensive is in Al's budget...
Though wouldn't we all love to have a sugardaddy like that!
-dq