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PDP-11/45 on eBay

Nice looking system, would not mind having it myself although looking at it looks like it may be missing memory and some other cards from the back of the system. Would think there was maybe a second rack with some RX and RL drives that were once part of that system being there is no way it would be able to work the way the boards are set in there now. There are nine slots open that look like where memory, maybe a RX and a RL controller lived. There had to have been something there or there would have been grant cards. Still if I were able to get it for a thousand or two would be all over it.
 
That machine just sold in a government auction for $724. The guy sure ebayed it fast. I was hoping it would go to a collector to enjoy not some reseller. I couldn't afford to bid higher. Now I am even more disappointed. http://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=162&acctid=2938 I don't see that going for $10k ever so, hopefully he just sits on it forever.
$2500 might be a reasonable
sale price. Especially if it is missing memory. I'd like to have something like that too. But he's dreaming at almost $10k.
 
It is indeed an outrageous price and it's obvious he's wanting to make a profit on it, but I'll give him some credit that he says the price will be lowered until it's sold. ie. a 'dutch auction'.

Steve
 
It sold for $8,500 to a collector. How often does a [mostly] complete system like this one show up on eBay, and how much would it cost to build this same system by buying the components individually?
 
It sold for $8,500 to a collector. How often does a [mostly] complete system like this one show up on eBay, and how much would it cost to build this same system by buying the components individually?

It's still highway robbery. Paying 10 times the price in pure markup, That's absolutely disgusting.
This guy had absolutely no soul. If you cut him open you could probably find the goopy black tar that makes up his heart.
 
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It's still highway robbery. Paying 10 times the price in pure markup, That's absolutely disgusting.
This guy had absolutely no soul. If you cut him open you could probably find the goopy black tar that makes up his heart.

hahaha If we didn't know about the original auction, it may have seemed like a steal at $8,500.
 
hahaha If we didn't know about the original auction, it may have seemed like a steal at $8,500.

Are you on drugs? $8500 is not only still a bad price but also far out of the budget most computer enthusiasts. I doubt anyone here on these forums even has that kind of cash to toss around. Whoever bought it either needed the system REALLY badly, or is completely out to lunch.
 
Are you on drugs? $8500 is not only still a bad price but also far out of the budget most computer enthusiasts. I doubt anyone here on these forums even has that kind of cash to toss around. Whoever bought it either needed the system REALLY badly, or is completely out to lunch.
Or has very deep pockets. I agree $8500 is way too much for this.
 
Or has very deep pockets. I agree $8500 is way too much for this.

$8500 is absolutely nothing to a lot of people out there. They probably spent it on dinner last weekend. Luckily most of them have no interest in vintage computers. Someone with deep pockets and a desire to own them all probably could buy every single vintage computer offered on ebay for five years and not end up spending what he did on his latest car.
 
Are you on drugs? $8500 is not only still a bad price but also far out of the budget most computer enthusiasts. I doubt anyone here on these forums even has that kind of cash to toss around. Whoever bought it either needed the system REALLY badly, or is completely out to lunch.

... or is just about to retire after a long productive career in computer technology, made a bunch of money in the process, and is now interested in spending it instead of making it. Probably used an 11/45 in high school or college, and this was a pretty complete system to start a restoration from.

Not everyone who buys old computer technology on eBay is working month to month just to live. And certainly not everyone reading these forums is a penniless twenty-something to which $8500 is several months or more salary.

I expect to the buyer $8500 is a small part of their multi-million net worth, and getting the system haggle free was worth it. To some (like Mitt Romney & co :)) $8500 is pocket change.
 
$8500 is absolutely nothing to a lot of people out there. They probably spent it on dinner last weekend. Luckily most of them have no interest in vintage computers. Someone with deep pockets and a desire to own them all probably could buy every single vintage computer offered on ebay for five years and not end up spending what he did on his latest car.

Yes that is what I was getting at. Apple Lisa 1's have been known to sell for over $10K, early Apple II's (rev 0) for as much as $3500 - $5500, complete Altair 8800 systems for $3500+, Kenbak-1 for $25K, Xerox Alto for $23K, not to mention the Apple 1 computers that sell for $50K - $600K. Even a good replica Newton 1, a single board computer, will cost you $2K or more.

Also consider the declining value of the US dollar. There is a Canadian in BC who sells Apple Lisa 1's and he said $10K US would net him $15K CAD in 2007. Now he'd have to sell one for $15K US to net the same $15K CAD. He has one listed on eBay right now for around that price and nobody will buy it because they think he jacked up the price. He didn't, the American dollar just isn't worth what it used to be so it takes more dollars to buy the same thing.
 
So you're telling me that up until now and since I really got into computers ten years ago I have been really lucky getting $20 11/84's, $150 Lisa's, $10 Rainbow 100's, $30 Silicon Graphics computers, $20 Quadras, $2 ZX81's, $5 Commodore 64's, $15 Apple II+'s and mountains of free systems like 11/23+'s, HP-85's, VAX, Atari 800's, PS/2's and so fourth?

I'm sorry, I just do not see how all the sudden working with old computers became so expensive, exclusive and elite and I somehow dodged everything without ever even paying more than $300 on a single computer, complete or incomplete.
Either people are getting more greedy and more stupid, or I'm getting more aware and realizing just how much I don't belong in this hobbyist field because to do anything at all you need to start throwing cash into the wind with barely any knowledge on what I am doing.
 
I just do not see how all the sudden working with old computers became so expensive, exclusive and elite

You don't see it because your 'old' computers aren't rare.
People that have an Alto, PDP-x <11, or any of a hundred other old, uncommon systems are a very small community.
They also don't tend to hang out here (or on classiccmp).
 
So you're telling me that up until now and since I really got into computers ten years ago I have been really lucky getting $20 11/84's, $150 Lisa's, $10 Rainbow 100's, $30 Silicon Graphics computers, $20 Quadras, $2 ZX81's, $5 Commodore 64's, $15 Apple II+'s and mountains of free systems like 11/23+'s, HP-85's, VAX, Atari 800's, PS/2's and so fourth?

You were working at that hackerspace that was doing recycling and handling ebay auctions for them weren't you ? I may be thinking of someone else. That's a choice gig for getting free/cheap vintage gear most people don't have. Like working at a e-recycler. I don't think anyone has ever got a 11/84 for $20 on ebay.
 
So you're telling me that up until now and since I really got into computers ten years ago I have been really lucky getting $20 11/84's, $150 Lisa's, $10 Rainbow 100's, $30 Silicon Graphics computers, $20 Quadras, $2 ZX81's, $5 Commodore 64's, $15 Apple II+'s and mountains of free systems like 11/23+'s, HP-85's, VAX, Atari 800's, PS/2's and so fourth?

I'm sorry, I just do not see how all the sudden working with old computers became so expensive, exclusive and elite and I somehow dodged everything without ever even paying more than $300 on a single computer, complete or incomplete.
Either people are getting more greedy and more stupid, or I'm getting more aware and realizing just how much I don't belong in this hobbyist field because to do anything at all you need to start throwing cash into the wind with barely any knowledge on what I am doing.

You're buying the common stuff which can still be bought for cheap. A Lisa 2, C64, Apple II+, ZX81, etc. are all common. I bought an Apple II+ for $50 a couple of years ago. An Apple II rev 0 is extremely rare and yes they do sell for $5K on eBay. Here are some recent ones:

$5766.66
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-II-no...tage_Computers_Mainframes&hash=item460e212cf9

$4350
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-II-Ea...rEnNcp1XuwiGCWf5NNXCU%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Ten years ago a Lisa 1 sold for $10K setting the precedent. Here is one that sold for $15K in 2010:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1070473

If what I said is a surprise to you, then you have not been watching eBay very closely for rare milestone computers, first editions.
 
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