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What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it worth?

agrajag

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2004
Messages
11
Location
Australia
Hi all.

After seeing that Ultima game (Vic 20) on ebay sell for over US$3,000 I was wondering how many people out there have something rare/worth a lot?

Obviously it doesn't have to be this pricey...

The picked up a C64 setup from someone locally for around us$80 and it came with a HOWZAT CRICKET cartridge game which I sold on ebay for us$70. The guy that bought it already had the cart, he was only after the 2 page instruction booklet that came with it.

I know this isn't an over the top story but it surprised me.

So :
1) What do/did you have that is rare/worth a lot?
2) Where did you get it from
3) How much did it cost you.
4) What item would you love to add to your collection.

Myself question 4)
I'd like to add
Texas Instrument 99/4a computer
Sega Spectravideo computer
Memotech 512 Computer
Apple Computer
Commodore 65 (Mmmm Unlikely)

Ok...Love to hear from all of ya's!
 
I think the biggest profit I ever made from a computer/part was when I sold my Exidy Sorcerer on eBay for $320.00. Not bad for a piece I picked up at the Salvation Army for around $5.00. Speaking of TI99/4As, I had amassed quote a collection of TI99 carts (88 of 'em IIRC). I sold the first 10 on eBay for $150.00, then the remaining carts for another $100.00. I paid anywhere between $0.10 and 0.99 apiece for those carts. I'm sure I've made other good sales, but those are the ones that come to mind.

As for my "wish list" I think I already posted it elsewhere on this board.

--T
 
Re: What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it wor

Re: What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it wor

"agrajag" wrote:

> So :
> 1) What do/did you have that is rare/worth a lot?
> 2) Where did you get it from
> 3) How much did it cost you.
> 4) What item would you love to add to your collection.

1,2,3) I don't know if 3" disks for an Amstrad qualifys. I
brought them overseas (UK) & it still worked out
cheaper buying a box of 10 & mailing them back here,
than buying 3" disks here locally! (Sorry lads - but $10
a disk is just a joke - rather than £15 for 10!).

What would have to be the rarest piece of hardware I
managed to get (while working), was some Memory
(4MB) for my Sanyo 16NB6 386 computer. It was so
rare, I couldn't find any places here in Australia to get
it. I found some at a US based company which had a
website (2Mb modules it came as). I brought 2 (which
is all this machine has), unfortunately I can't remember
how much it was the total price, it costed me some $300
Aussies to get it here. Post & Handling was the main
killer (I guess it had to be in the same condition before
it was sent!).

4) As for this one, the answer's a simple one for me,
whatever I can afford & don't mind collecting. Mind you,
when I was buying expensive computer memory, I was
working! ;-)

Cheers,
CP/M User.
 
The rarest thing I own is in fact, (paradoxically) of little or no value, simply because it is so rare. There just isn't any demand for it, therefore, no value. It is a one-of-a-kind homebrew S-100 system, (4-slot motherboard, linear power supply) neatly built into a standard Kennedy toolbox, (the world's first portable computer?) around 1977. The CPU board is an unknown brand, built from a kit (Altair clone, 8080). It is priceless to me, (I'd never think of selling it) but of hardly any value to anyone else (unless I find the right museum).

--T
 
"Terry Yager" wrote:

> The rarest thing I own is in fact, (paradoxically)
> of little or no value, simply because it is so rare.
> There just isn't any demand for it, therefore, no
> value. It is a one-of-a-kind homebrew S-100
> system, (4-slot motherboard, linear power
> supply) neatly built into a standard Kennedy
> toolbox, (the world's first portable computer?)
> around 1977. The CPU board is an unknown
> brand, built from a kit (Altair clone, 8080). It is
> priceless to me, (I'd never think of selling it)
> but of hardly any value to anyone else (unless I
> find the right museum).

Does it run CP/M? If it does, then it could be of
some use to someone very quickly.

Cheers,
CP/M User.
 
CP/M User said:
Does it run CP/M? If it does, then it could be of
some use to someone very quickly.

Cheers,
CP/M User.

Actually, it's never ran at all, in it's original configuration. It isn't a complete system yet. I did "cheat" once and replaced the boards with those of a known working system, and it booted up, so I know the P.S. & motherboard are in working order. Right now it consists of a case, P.S., mobo, a 8080 CPU board and a 4K memory board. Can't do much without proper I/O. It's only a 4-slot mobo, so I have to try to find some multi-function (floppy controller, serial port) boards that don't require a Z-80 to run. I've got a couple of extra 64K memory boards, but have never taken the time to get them working together with the CPU. I also have a couple of floppy controllers, but the software (& firmware) for them contains Z-80 specific code, so it's no-go with the 8080. I'm always on the look-out for the parts I need for it, tho...mebbe someday...

--T
 
"Terry Yager" wrote:

>> Does it run CP/M? If it does, then it could be of
>> some use to someone very quickly.

> Actually, it's never ran at all, in it's original
> configuration. It isn't a complete system yet.
> I did "cheat" once and replaced the boards
> with those of a known working system, and it
> booted up, so I know the P.S. & motherboard
> are in working order. Right now it consists of
> a case, P.S., mobo, a 8080 CPU board and a
> 4K memory board. Can't do much without
> proper I/O. It's only a 4-slot mobo, so I have
> to try to find some multi-function (floppy
> controller, serial port) boards that don't
> require a Z-80 to run. I've got a couple of
> extra 64K memory boards, but have never
> taken the time to get them working together
> with the CPU. I also have a couple of floppy
> controllers, but the software (& firmware) for
> them contains Z-80 specific code, so it's no-go
> with the 8080. I'm always on the look-out for
> the parts I need for it, tho...mebbe someday...

You should check Google Groups & in the
comp.os.cpm group there was a discussion a
while back about undocumented upcodes for the
8080. Maybe the Z80 specific code could be
replaced with 8080 equivalent. Course a Z80
would have more instructions available to it, but
it maybe of interest, there might even be more
undocumented code than what people know
about for the 8080 processor.

If that fails, then it would be up to you to write
some functions (in 8080) which carry out
operations simular to an Z80 instruction, if all
else fails! :)

Cheers,
CP/M User.
 
I dont collect many rare items, but I think only 20,000 Timex 2068 computers were made (relatively rare for a commercial computer)
 
Re: What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it wor

Re: What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it wor

agrajag said:
So :
1) What do/did you have that is rare/worth a lot?
2) Where did you get it from
3) How much did it cost you.
4) What item would you love to add to your collection.

Hum...Well, I do have some Danish computers that I suppose are rare-ish, seen from an international point of view. Piccolo, Piccoline and James aren't seen much outside this little country. Apart from that, they're not particularly valuable, since they're just bog-standard CP/M-machines (sorry CP/M-USER :wink: )...

Rare, rare...I guess the SuperBoard II / USI model 600, 1978 model B is scarce enough to be called rare (WOW L@@K)...

Valuable? Some are willing to pay generously for the Amstrad CPC664, which I got for free :lol: ...

I suppose the Casio FP-1000 machines are few and far between outside Asia as well... 8)

Most of the machines in my collection (counting 149 by last count) I have gotten free or cheap. The most expensive single computer I ever bought was my Amiga 1200, but that was because I bought it when it was new, back in 1992... Other than that, it's probably my Mac Classic, which I bought for DKR. 200,- (roughly $25), which is more than I would've paid for one today...

4)......Oh, don't make me choose...C65's ARE obtainable, which is more than can be said of the V364 (singular, not plural :roll: )...I'd love an Exidy, Microbee or Apple I; a MicroVAX II, IBM PCjr or Macintosh (the original); a Osborne I, C116 or Amiga 4000T (Commodore-model). Or even just a Jupiter Ace... :shock:
 
Re: What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it wor

Re: What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it wor

Thomas Hillebrandt said:
Most of the machines in my collection (counting 149 by last count) I have gotten free or cheap.

AHH, a man after my own heart. (I'm a cheapskate). My C.C.S. S-100 system cost me a whopping $35, but I always felt like I overpaid. (I bought it from the USPS, at a "sealed-bid" auction, but after the auction ended, they informed me that mine was the only bid they'd had on it. I could have got it for a dollar).

--T
 
What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it worth?

Hey Thomas.

I just checked up on the Commodore V364, I see what you mean..looks like theres only 2 in existance. Imagine owning one and knowing that no-one in the world has a more complete commodore collection than yourself.

You have a huge collection.....147?

I guess a Commodore 65 will turn up on ebay one day :roll: ....I noticed that there were a couple of motherboards on there but the seller is a well known Commodore fraudster apparently.

Regards,
Agrajag
 
Re: What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it wor

Re: What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it wor

agrajag said:
I just checked up on the Commodore V364, I see what you mean..looks like theres only 2 in existance.

3, actually. Two "sloppy" versions, with a spraypainted casing (one of which is owned by Commodore super-collector Bo Zimmerman @ zimmers.net/commie/), and one in a true production style case. The latter was up on eBay some time last year. Starting price $7000, IIRC :shock: :shock: :shock: ...

agrajag said:
I guess a Commodore 65 will turn up on ebay one day :roll: ....I noticed that there were a couple of motherboards on there but the seller is a well known Commodore fraudster apparently.

I missed one on QXL some time back, but I just didn't have the $1000 that was the starting-price... :roll: :cry:
 
Re: What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it wor

Re: What's the rarest thing you have/had? How much is it wor

"Thomas Hillebrandt" wrote:

> Hum...Well, I do have some Danish computers
> that I suppose are rare-ish, seen from an
> international point of view. Piccolo, Piccoline
> and James aren't seen much outside this little
> country. Apart from that, they're not
> particularly valuable, since they're just
> bog-standard CP/M-machines (sorry
> CP/M-USER ;-)...

Bog-standard? Sounds like some impossible
graphical demos need to be written in this
case!

> Valuable? Some are willing to pay
> generously for the Amstrad CPC664,
> which I got for free LOL ...

Well it is rarer than the CPC464 &
CPC6128.

Cheers,
CP/M User.
 
My rarest computer is a specially modified stock green screen TRS-80 Model 4 with the updated "T" curser keys and external drive case with two slimline DSDD five and a quarter inch floppy drives. Almost as rare is an external 300 bps modem for a Model 1. RLE
 
1) What do/did you have that is rare/worth a lot?

Guess the rarest item I have is a Engineering sample of the TI CC-40+.

Second rarest is the Zenith ZP-150 that I picked up on ebay for $30.00. It's not worth a whole lot for some reason. Probably because it says Zenith on it!

2) Where did you get it from

Believe it or not, I picked it up at a garage sale in Lubbock, TX from a fellow who used to work at the TI plant there.

3) How much did it cost you.

$5.00. I tried to give the fellow more for it, but he said he just wanted to get rid of it!

4) What item would you love to add to your collection.

One each of the Red and the Silver NEC PC-8201. Need I say more? I'd almost be willing to give body parts for one of each!

Curtis
 
curtis said:
1) What do/did you have that is rare/worth a lot?

Guess the rarest item I have is a Engineering sample of the TI CC-40+.


Curtis

What are the differences between that and the regular CC-40? Was the + ever produced?

--T
 
I guess the rarest things I have are my MITS ALtair 680b, a dual Percom floppy drive system, and a really old Hazeltine 1200 dumb terminal. Not really all that rare or useful. <g>
--Wayne
 
I am fortunate to have several rare computers in my collection. My rarest is the Atari 1400XL. My IBM 5110 "Portable Computer", CyberVision 2001, OSI Challenger 1P, Jupiter Ace 4000 and my various S-100 bus systems are also somewhat rare.

Nick
 
TI CC-40+

TI CC-40+

The + was intended to replace the 40. The primary difference was the addition of a casette port so you could save programs. Rather handy since the Wafertape wasn't produced.

There are also a couple of minor cosmetic differences, but the casette port was the major one.

It wasn't produced in quantities. I've seen one regular production model and this engineering sample. The 40 was canceled the same time the 99/4A was.

It was replaced a little later with the TI-74 BASICalc and TI-95 ProCalc. Both use what's called a dockbus, but the only difference between it and the hexbus of the CC-40 was the arrangement and the addition of VCC and frame ground lines.

If I ever get a little time, I'm going to take some pics and post them on my web page @ htp://members.cox.net/curtismc

Curtis


What are the differences between that and the regular CC-40? Was the + ever produced?

--T
 
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