17 Jul
2014
17 Jul
'14
3:05 a.m.
I've been helping in some restorations recently (both my own, and someone I
know's Sun 1...) and one of the questions
that have come up is valuation (say for insurance, etc, or acquiring
another system...)
Is there some sort of collected list of values of some of vintage machines
that have sold, either ebay, privately,
auction, etc.?
I know that something is worth only what someone will pay for it, but for
insurance purposes at least you'd need
some sort of benchmark to give to the insurance company... I know you don't
get a good valuation if you let them do it...
When considering insurance, I think the questions to ask are if the system is a
total loss, would it be possible to replace it with an acceptable equivelant
and if so, how much would it cost to do this. However difficult this is to
calculate in a way acceptable to the insurance company now, bear in mind that
in the event of a claim, they are probably going to go over values with a fine
toothed comb and by then, costs and availablilty may well have changed.
If it isn't possible to replace it, then there is no point in insuring it.
Someone who regards classic computers as some sort of investment would probably
disagree but I don't think that's what we are about here. Museums would
probably disagree for different reasons.
Regards,
Peter Coghlan.
17 Jul
17 Jul
5:27 a.m.
I asked a specialist insurer a few years ago about insurance for vintage
computers and basically they said that they would only insure if they were
never turned on as they assessed the fire risk to be too great to provide
cover. If you can find one that will ensure, its often just a case of
getting an agreed value that is backed up by an experts opinion.
All the best,
Toby
On 17 July 2014 11:05, Peter Coghlan <cctech at beyondthepale.ie> wrote:
--
Tobias Russell
Managing Director
TAER Ltd
I've been helping in some restorations recently (both my own, and someone
I
know's Sun 1...) and one of the questions
that have come up is valuation (say for insurance, etc, or acquiring
another system...)
Is there some sort of collected list of values of some of vintage machines
that have sold, either ebay, privately,
auction, etc.?
I know that something is worth only what someone will pay for it, but for
insurance purposes at least you'd need
some sort of benchmark to give to the insurance company... I know you
don't
get a good valuation if you let them do it...
When considering insurance, I think the questions to ask are if the system
is a
total loss, would it be possible to replace it with an acceptable
equivelant
and if so, how much would it cost to do this. However difficult this is to
calculate in a way acceptable to the insurance company now, bear in mind
that
in the event of a claim, they are probably going to go over values with a
fine
toothed comb and by then, costs and availablilty may well have changed.
If it isn't possible to replace it, then there is no point in insuring it.
Someone who regards classic computers as some sort of investment would
probably
disagree but I don't think that's what we are about here. Museums would
probably disagree for different reasons.
Regards,
Peter Coghlan.
7:59 a.m.
On Thu, Jul 17, 2014 at 8:27 AM, Tobias Russell
<tobiasrussell1971 at googlemail.com> wrote:
I asked a specialist insurer a few years ago about
insurance for vintage
computers and basically they said that they would only insure if they were
never turned on as they assessed the fire risk to be too great to provide
cover. If you can find one that will ensure, its often just a case of
getting an agreed value that is backed up by an experts opinion.
I have a special rider for "computer and dataprocessing equipment" on
my homeowners policy (from when I ran a support biz from my home)...
I'd have to check if there are any modifications, but if that gets
raised as an issue by the agent, perhaps one could get a rider that
excludes electrical fire (or fire where the equipment is the source)
but still covers theft, water damage or loss by fire from another
source (since most house fires (in a non-smoking household) start in
the kitchen or are caused by space heaters or extension cord
overloading.
Value, of course, is still an issue to be solved. I think *in
general* unless it's rare and expensive (5-figure) stuff (Apple Lisa,
Apple 1...) it might not be worth the hassle of trying to negotiate
the policy and come up with appropriate coverage and premium rates.
Look at what's currently being done for luxury household goods (gems,
furs, original art, stamp and coin collections...) as a starting point
for estimating the costs and hassle. That segment has decades of
experience behind it, so trying to insure vintage/collectible
computers won't be _easier_ than that, and is likely to be quite a bit
more difficult to come to terms on.
-ethan
3810
days inactive
3810
days old
2 comments
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cctech＠beyondthepale.ie -
ethan.dicks＠gmail.com -
tobiasrussell1971＠googlemail.com