15 Aug
1998
15 Aug
'98
2:12 p.m.
At 03:00 PM 8/14/98 -0500, you wrote:
My point is that the Altair's significance has been
way overstated. The
Whether that is true or not is completely irrelevant to the pricing of
Altairs as collectibles.
For example, Beanie babies are neither new in concept, well made, or even
terribly uncommon. Yet they sometimes sell for ridiculous prices.
Meanwhile, quality toys, which are far more uncommon, and were, in their
time, ground-breaking, often sell for much less. Collector value is a
function of perceived importance and perceived rarity. It may or may not
have any basis whatsoever in actual fact.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
15 Aug
15 Aug
2:47 p.m.
On Sat, 15 Aug 1998, Uncle Roger wrote:
At 03:00 PM 8/14/98 -0500, you wrote:
Not at all. It's the *perceived* significance and rarity that makes these
things desirable and drives the price up. If a bunch of Altairs came on
the market, the price would drop like a rock. If it becomes known that
Bill Gates first wrote BASIC for the Schmaltztair rather than the Altair,
the price drops.
My point is that the Altair's significance has
been way overstated. The
Whether that is true or not is completely irrelevant to the pricing of
Altairs as collectibles. For example, Beanie babies are neither new in concept,
well made, or even
terribly uncommon. Yet they sometimes sell for ridiculous prices.
Meanwhile, quality toys, which are far more uncommon, and were, in their
time, ground-breaking, often sell for much less. Collector value is a
function of perceived importance and perceived rarity. It may or may not
have any basis whatsoever in actual fact.
Nobody said anything about quality. Beanie Babies bring big bucks because
those brilliant bastards at Ty came up with a scheme for artificial
scarcity in the form of "birthdates" and "retirement". Once the
Beanie
Moms figure out they've been the victim of big scam, prices will drop like
a rock.
Once the overzealous Altair collectors and dealers figure out that they've
been paying big bucks for a rather insignifcant flakey box, prices should
drop.
-- Doug
10:33 p.m.
On Sat, 15 Aug 1998, Doug Yowza wrote:
Once the overzealous Altair collectors and dealers
figure out that they've
been paying big bucks for a rather insignifcant flakey box, prices should
drop.
I don't think that will ever happen (at least I mean I don't think prices
will ever drop to reasonable levels based on the merits of the Altair).
The Altair is too much a part of computer lore, and the perception of its
importance whether deserved or not will always remain.
On the other hand, if Altairs start to flood the market, then you'll see a
drop.
Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever onward.
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[Last web site update: 08/09/98]
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