value of classic DEC machines?

Sellam Ismail wrote: It wasn't exactly a proclamation; just an opinion based on 20 years of collecting DEC, and seeing and knowing what the prices are. I agree it's truly relative. Check out Ebay for some steals and rip-offs. It is, and always has been a matter of whatever the market will bear. I never said I'd pay that. But someone would... If I was so rich as not to notice 100k$, I'd have people scouting machines for me, as Mr. Allen does. If I was planning to open a computer museum and had every (close to) other machine DEC ever made - wouldn't I make that extra effort for the PDP-1? We're talking obsessed here - most collectors aren't exactly ~normal~ ;) If you have such a machine to sell, the trick is to find someone crazier than you... I'd pay 4k$ for a pristine 11/45 with tape & disks running Unix v6, but you couldn't probably give away an 11/70 ? Why? Some machines are just more lovable than others ;) The '45 was the first non IBM machine I used, so it holds some sentimental value. Many people spending thousands on 30+ year old metal probably do it because it brings back fond memories- for them - and maybe for no one else. It's a very personal thing. For many, it's the idea of having a real machine with lights and switches and noisy fans that couldn't possibly ever run anything made by Microsoft ;) Would it surpise you to know of customers' standing orders for PDP10 KA/KI machines in the $US140 range? Is that too much for unobtanium? I wouldn't be keen n such a machine, unless I already had a KS, a KL etc. Offhand, what do people think a working KS10 would go for? 10K$? Putting a value on old machines is of course a pointless task. Most of us would never sell our beloved machines, and most of them have negative value to pretty well any normal individual. It's sad that some rich collectors buy up anything classic, and drive the prices up. But that's life. If I just paid 4k$ for a machine that will make me happy, should I be upset to hear that someone else picked one up for free? It doesn't make the free machine worth 4k$ (maybe to someone), but it also doesn't make the 4k$ machine worthless. We should not be upset to see people put prices on these machines; though it might make some reluctant to give them away for free... Heinz