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Do serial numbers mean anything?

Terry Yager

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May 1, 2003
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OK, my turn to sound like a n00b. I have a CP/M software package with the serial number 000001 (Ironically, the program is named 'The Last One'). As I'm not really a software collector, I'm wondering just how important a low serial number is to you hard-core collectors? I mean, is this one special, being the first of the last, or should I price it the same way as I would any other CP/M software?

--T
 
Hmm....I am positive it would come off as "one(1)." For instace, the first Apple 1 had a serial number of(excuse me if I put in too many zeros) 0000001. 00000000 would be a prototype, I guess....

--Ryan
 
Oh, then you have struck computer oil. Please follow these instructions for optimum awesomeness:

1. Get 'jiggy wit it', as the kids say these days, with their new fangled gadgets & whatnot
2. GOTO 1
 
I would think the #0 would be kept in-house?

I nearly had heart failure awhile back, when I loaded-up my Oregon Trail disk on the TRS-80, and noticed for the first time that the serial number displayed was 03. Thought that was kewl until I realized that the self-booting disk distributed by RS had a copy of thier boot-code and serial number on it.

IIRC, on the Imsai website (somewhere), Todd Fischer notes that he still possesses the third commercial copy of CP/M made, the first two remaining with Digital Research, so he probably has the lowest number in the wild.

--T
 
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As an active collector I say yes a low serial number is worth a lot more. In fact, there was a low serial number altair that hit ebay a while back that went for way more than usual. Also previous owners like when Morrow passed away, his Altair and accessories were put up by his son and went for a very high amount.

Software serial numbers are odd though, and I remember you finding one like that and discoverying all copies had that serial number embedded in them (but I guess that was Oregon Trail not CP/M).

Although sharkonwheels didn't actually sell it during the lifetime of his auction (I found it a few days after the auction ended) I picked up his low serial number Tandy 1000SX. Not that a Tandy 1000SX is that rare, however serial number 8.. can't let that go to a scrapper.

Now that I'm remebering it better the Altair was something really low like #2 although the serial number started with two digits it looks like the company started the units with two numbers and then 0002 or whatever (I guess just to disclose how many it had sold) so I'm not sure how many other manufacturers did that. It would be an interested reference to have to compile a list of vendors and starting serial numbers.

- John
 
OK, my turn to sound like a n00b. I have a CP/M software package with the serial number 000001 (Ironically, the program is named 'The Last One'). As I'm not really a software collector, I'm wondering just how important a low serial number is to you hard-core collectors? I mean, is this one special, being the first of the last, or should I price it the same way as I would any other CP/M software?

--T

Hi
In many cases, the low serial number is important. In the case of CP/M release,
you have one of many thousands of number 000001. CP/M often used the
same release serial number for a specific implementation. All of the released
code for that specific machine would have the same serial number.
I have an early IMSAI 8080 that doesn't have a serial number :(
I'm sure it would be of greater value if it did but that is life. It is
cool anyway.
Dwight
 
It may be more prevelent than that, Dwight. A previous employer used 'serial number' as the label for the major revision number on the media (with 'minor : xxxx' printed below). Anything physical that went to the clients was completely controlled by Marketing, including the media labels. They used 'serial number:' because a competitor used it on their labels and Marketing always felt that "the other guy" was a better authority than their own inhouse experts (engineers, programmers, change management librarians, testers, etc.). At one point we got a call from a client mid-manager that asked if we kept separate ranges of serial numbers for each client for security purposes, since he received the next sequential number each quarter...
 
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