1 Jul
1999
1 Jul
'99
6:10 a.m.
I grabbed the Consumer Price Index history off the web, pasted into Excel,
and applied the percentage changes cumulative from 1975.
One 1998 dollar = $2.95 in 1975 dollars (ouch, those Carter administration
years! Thank goodness for Greenspan)
Therefore, an assembled Altair 8800 with 4x2K static RAM, serial, parallel,
cassette, and bus expansion, $1880 in 1975 dollars, would be the equivalent
of $5546 today.
An Apple Lisa base configuration ($9995 in 1983 dollars) would be $16,169
today.
Kai
-----Original Message-----
From: John Foust [mailto:jfoust@threedee.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 1999 10:45 AM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: Re: State of the Hobby
At 11:02 AM 7/1/99 -0600, you wrote:
In a recent auction on eBay, a MITS Floppy Disk Drive was auctioned off at
$565. "WOW!" you may say, but that unit cost $1300 when new, and that was
in dollars that were a DOLLAR, and not just the price of a candy bar.
I suppose there must be a web site, somewhere, that would let you enter
a date and a US dollar amount, and would show you the equivalent value
in today's dollars, accounting for actual inflation, etc. in the
intervening years.
Which reminds me, when I was in high school, we sold candy bars to
fund the purchase of a few K of RAM for the IMSAI as well as a floppy drive.
I'm presently in the process of selling off excess
8" floppy drives for $5
each,
Similarly, you'd think there would be a web site somewhere to
remind people of the rapid devaluation of the value of computer
equipment - say, perhaps the flip side of Moore's Law, that shows
how simply purchasing and opening the box of a new computer causes
a significant drop in value, followed by subsequent halvings of
resale value every six months, until it quickly reaches the
"nuisance fee" level mentioned above, where the cost of shipping
and packing seems to exceed the street price.
- John
2 Jul
2 Jul
1:01 p.m.
Upon the date 11:10 AM 7/1/99 -0700, Kai Kaltenbach said something like:
I grabbed the Consumer Price Index history off the web,
pasted into Excel,
and applied the percentage changes cumulative from 1975.
One 1998 dollar = $2.95 in 1975 dollars (ouch, those Carter administration
years! Thank goodness for Greenspan)
Therefore, an assembled Altair 8800 with 4x2K static RAM, serial, parallel,
cassette, and bus expansion, $1880 in 1975 dollars, would be the equivalent
of $5546 today.
An Apple Lisa base configuration ($9995 in 1983 dollars) would be $16,169
today.
Kai
-----Original Message-----
From: John Foust [mailto:jfoust@threedee.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 1999 10:45 AM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: Re: State of the Hobby
At 11:02 AM 7/1/99 -0600, you wrote:
Actually there is something that should give some sort of results you are
looking for. Here's a useful site I found quite awhile ago that is on the
Johnson Space Center server:
http://krakatoa.jsc.nasa.gov/bu2/inflate.html and look at the "GDP
Deflator Inflation Calculator" link.
I suppose it's a valuable tool to forecast project expenses into the future
as project development can last for many years in NASA.
Regards, Chris
-- --
Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY USA cfandt(a)netsync.net
Member of Antique Wireless Association
Check our redesigned website!
URL: http://www.antiquewireless.org/
In a recent auction on eBay, a MITS Floppy Disk Drive was auctioned off at
$565. "WOW!" you may say, but that unit cost $1300 when new, and that was
in dollars that were a DOLLAR, and not just the price of a candy bar.
I suppose there must be a web site, somewhere, that would let you enter
a date and a US dollar amount, and would show you the equivalent value
in today's dollars, accounting for actual inflation, etc. in the
intervening years. 
5 Jul
5 Jul
3:19 a.m.
On 2 Jul 99 at 21:01, Christian Fandt wrote:
Upon the date 11:10 AM 7/1/99 -0700, Kai Kaltenbach
said something like:
Unfortunately, as you are likely aware of Chris, these price comparisons and
dollar values don't really capture the market realities of the time. Not like
when you were there. The going wage levels, at times inflated prices for some
commodities, and rent,food prices, expectations, and cultural demands also
played a role. Each era has it's "norm" demands and when I reflect back to
the
40's and 50's our expectations and demands from that time make the present
ones those that only the wealthy of that era could afford. Hollywood
generally makes as bad a representation when they do their period pieces.
ciao larry
lwalker(a)interlog.com
Let us know of your upcoming computer events for our Events Page.
t3c(a)xoommail.com
Collectors List and info http://members.xoom.com/T3C
I grabbed the Consumer Price Index history off the
web, pasted into Excel,
and applied the percentage changes cumulative from 1975.
One 1998 dollar = $2.95 in 1975 dollars (ouch, those Carter administration
years! Thank goodness for Greenspan)
Therefore, an assembled Altair 8800 with 4x2K static RAM, serial, parallel,
cassette, and bus expansion, $1880 in 1975 dollars, would be the equivalent
of $5546 today.
An Apple Lisa base configuration ($9995 in 1983 dollars) would be $16,169
today.
Kai
At 11:02 AM 7/1/99 -0600, you wrote:
Actually there is something that should give some sort of results you are
looking for. Here's a useful site I found quite awhile ago that is on the
Johnson Space Center server:
http://krakatoa.jsc.nasa.gov/bu2/inflate.html and look at the "GDP
Deflator Inflation Calculator" link.
I suppose it's a valuable tool to forecast project expenses into the future
as project development can last for many years in NASA.
Regards, Chris
-- --
In a recent auction on eBay, a MITS Floppy Disk Drive was auctioned off at
$565. "WOW!" you may say, but that unit cost $1300 when new, and that was
in dollars that were a DOLLAR, and not just the price of a candy bar.
I suppose there must be a web site, somewhere, that would let you enter
a date and a US dollar amount, and would show you the equivalent value
in today's dollars, accounting for actual inflation, etc. in the
intervening years.
12:17 p.m.
Upon the date 03:19 PM 7/5/99 +0000, Lawrence Walker said something like:
the
On 2 Jul 99 at 21:01, Christian Fandt wrote:
> Upon the date 11:10 AM 7/1/99 -0700, Kai Kaltenbach said something like:
> >I grabbed the Consumer Price Index history off the web, pasted into Excel,
-- snip --
> >At 11:02 AM 7/1/99 -0600, you (somebody else,
that is... -crf) wrote:
> >>
> >>In a recent auction on eBay, a MITS Floppy Disk Drive was auctioned off at
> >>$565. "WOW!" you may say, but that unit cost $1300 when new, and
that was
> >>in dollars that were a DOLLAR, and not just the price of a candy bar.
> >
> >I suppose there must be a web site, somewhere, that would let you enter
> >a date and a US dollar amount, and would show you the equivalent value
> >in today's dollars, accounting for actual inflation, etc. in the
> >intervening years.
>
Actually there
is something that should give some sort of results you are
looking for. Here's a useful site I found quite awhile ago that is on the
Johnson Space Center server:
http://krakatoa.jsc.nasa.gov/bu2/inflate.html and look at the "GDP
Deflator Inflation Calculator" link.
I suppose it's a valuable tool to forecast project expenses into the future
as project development can last for many years in NASA.
Regards, Chris
-- --
Unfortunately, as you are likely aware of Chris, these price comparisons and
dollar values don't really capture the market realities of the time. Not like
when you were there. The going wage levels, at times inflated prices for some
commodities, and rent,food prices, expectations, and cultural demands also
played a role. Each era has it's "norm" demands and when I reflect back to
40's and 50's our expectations and demands from
that time make the present
ones those that only the wealthy of that era could afford. Hollywood
generally makes as bad a representation when they do their period pieces.
All this is understood well by most of us. The NASA calculator merely gives
a ballpark idea of the value of something in a particular year compared to
dollar value of another year.
Regards, Chris
-- --
Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY USA cfandt(a)netsync.net
Member of Antique Wireless Association
Check our redesigned website!
URL: http://www.antiquewireless.org/
9307
days inactive
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days old
3 comments
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