Mark-8 opinion question

[Brad H]

I asked this on vcfed and I don't know how much overlap there is here so I
apologize if this is hitting all the same people over again.  As some are
aware I recently won an auction for 9 original Mark-8 boards (it has 4 1k
RAM boards).  To say I was elated would be an understatement - I certainly
have some unusual stuff in my collection but this is something truly rare.

 

And these are rare both in their own right and for what they are - unused.
Pretty much spotless.

 

I feel kind of in a bind about it now though.  As an amateur historian, my
first impulse is to stick em in a frame and hang em.  Not even lay a finger
on them.  But I've a stubborn practical side.  Like that guy that has an
original AC Shelby Cobra and actually drives the thing.  He was asked why
he'd actually drive such a rare and valuable vehicle and he said 'What's the
point of a car you don't drive?'.    But then he can say that - that Shelby
doesn't have zero miles on it.

 

Realistically, I'm never likely to own a complete, vintage Mark-8.  There
are simply too few of them and I couldn't afford one even if one popped up
(I could afford the computer, just not the divorce afterwards :)).  So here
I am with one path to having one that would be, by virtue of the boards, way
more legit than a clone, but still have that 'built in 2016' asterisk beside
its name for serious collectors.

 

Anyway, I'm just soliciting opinions from those I haven't already heard
from.  This is just for the purpose of discussion, because I'm sure this
isn't the first and won't be the last time somebody buying vintage gear runs
into a situation like this.  Whatever I end up doing, it will not happen for
years anyway.  I'm not at a skill level yet to pull it off, and I'd still
like to build that clone first and see what I achieve before touching
priceless originals.