Kenbak-1 on eBay

[Erik]

I'm a bit late in posting this (it's been a crazy month) but eBay auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5223564617 was for a Kenbak-1 that seems to be in excellent condition.

The surprise (to me, at least) was that it closed at $10,850!

That's a lot of green for a little blue box. . .

Erik

 

[Terry Yager]

Wow! Looks like you got a real bargain when you bought yours. Didn't you say you'd paid only a couple K for it?

--T

 

[MystikShadows]

Wow, give me that bid and I'll make you a box of any color you like ;-). lol

 

[Erik]

Wow! Looks like you got a real bargain when you bought yours. Didn't you say you'd paid only a couple K for it?

I'm almost ashamed to admit it now, but mine was $2,000 on eBay as well.

I thought the price was right, but hell. . .

E

 

[carlsson]

My theory:

The Kenbak maybe is not as familiar among overall computer collectors, so the first time one appears, not so many find it. It ends at an interesting amount, and the rumour spreads how collectable it is. The next time one appears, everyone are aware of what it is, and the price sky rockets accordingly. About the time 5-6 Kenbaks have been sold, price level may have settled to a reasonable amount.

Replace Kenbak with any other rare and unheard item, and the theory seems to hold in most cases.

 

[Erik]

That's actually a pretty good theory. I snapped mine up pretty quickly so word didn't really get out until it was bought and paid for.

The only real problem is that there probably aren't many more Kenbak's out there to be sold. Unless the Nova Scotia museum puts some up I can't imagine that there are more than one or two left in the wild.

I could be wrong, though. . .

E

 

[Terry Yager]

The eBay listing contained a link to the NS museum, and it's repository of Kenbak lore, so anyone who checked would know right away what a rare and wonderous beast it really is. (I can't imagine anyone paying that much for something and not doing thier homework before bidding).

--T