ka... ching!

[Brad H]

-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Jules
Richardson
Sent: Monday, October 3, 2016 5:45 AM
To: General at classiccmp.org; Discussion at classiccmp.org:On-Topic and Off-Topic
Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Subject: Re: ka... ching!

On 10/01/2016 06:06 PM, Fred Cisin wrote:
>> > Looks like it's time to get out of this racket.
> On Sat, 1 Oct 2016, tony duell wrote:
>> Want to take me with you?
>
> I'd ask if there's room, but I'm afraid that I'm not worthy.  Besides, 
> I still have too much crap that I'd want to bring along.
>
>
> Yes, it is easy to remember times when IBM 5150, '57 Chevy, Altair, 
> Isetta, functioning TTYs, could be had for the effort of carrying them
home.

Will old computers hold value, though? I expect that nostalgia plays a big
part, and the majority of buyers with deep pockets today do so because they
remember using the machines in their younger years. At some point, I expect
that won't be the case - the people with the money couldn't tell an Apple
from an IBM.

Perhaps what it comes down to is how much the working state of the machine
matters. If that plays a big part... well, I expect it will be a lot harder
to restore a vintage computer to original state compared to say a painting
or a piece of furniture. At that point, well it's just a lump of metal and
plastic and silicon.

I don't know, I wonder if in 5-10 years the bottom might not drop out of the
market, except for a few niche items (Apple 1's, Altairs and the like).

> If John Titor ever answers my standing offer, one of the first things 
> that I should do in the 1960s is get a warehouse.

... and the money for the taxes, upkeep, security etc.   I expect that 
storing a significant amount of stuff - particularly in conditions favorable
to the contents - costs a significant amount of money, even if you have the
building.

cheers

> Jules

I've wondered this precise thing.  

I'm 41 this year, and I am definitely part of the nostalgia wave, although
my experiences began in the early 80s with Commodore, IBM, etc.  I never had
experience with SWTPC, Digital Group or any of the earlier pioneers.  My
interest in them stemmed from learning more and more about Commodore
machines I never knew existed and then branching out into whole companies I
never knew about.  Plus I have a keen interest in history generally.  Will a
20-something with no original experience of vintage machines at all be as
interested?  I'm on the fence -- there is still great interest in 8 bit
gaming, for example - but this need is filled by emulation.  And the other
problem millennials and on down have is that space is at a premium.   With
my own stuff, on the rare occasion I've gone to sell something I purchased,
say, 5 years ago (in a dogfight on ebay), I'm not getting what I paid now.

I think we're the bubble deflating with other things like vintage cars.
Lots of young people don't even have a regular day to day car let alone an
interest in spending thousands on something vintage.  I'm seeing lots of
great cars for sale that used to command huge dollars coming back to earth.
Maybe that is the fate of our hobby also.