Unopened/original sealed items

[Super-Slasher]

Just wondering if anyone out there for the sake of conversation has any interesting items that are still in their original packaging? I've got PC-DOS 6.3 and AOL 2.0...

Just curious, how valuable would this version of AOL be considered? Not that I care to sell it but it's nice to know these sort of things. This is even before Win95 came out, hehe.

So, share with us your unopened treasure items...

 

[carlsson]

A remote acquaintance to me went to an adult school who had a cleanout, and she picked up some stuff, including an unopened box with PC-DOS 5 (IIRC). First she thought it was some cool software she could install, but when we informed her about its age, maybe it had a collectable value of some thousand $$$? Not quite, unless an awfully dedicated IBM collector was found.

Regarding AOL, maybe you know there is a site which collects AOL CDs and are planning to hire a truck and send them all back to AOL?

http://www.nomoreaolcds.com/

 

[CP/M User]

Re: Unopened/original sealed items

"Super-Slasher" wrote:

> Just wondering if anyone out there for the sake of
> conversation has any interesting items that are
> still in their original packaging? I've got PC-DOS
> 6.3 and AOL 2.0...

I've seen PC-DOS 5.00 in a unopened box, which was
donated to us (quite some time ago when I was
working voluntry for a community group)

I also had a box of Windows 286 with it's Manual
still wrapped in plastic (I'd since opened it though).

> Just curious, how valuable would this version of AOL
> be considered? Not that I care to sell it but it's nice
> to know these sort of things. This is even before
> Win95 came out, hehe.

I believe that selling those items at a store doesn't
increase the value at all & I seen private sellers
selling their old software in unopened form, in which
didn't have any sort of price increase. So, I don't
think it does much if anything for the value.

Cheers,
CP/M User.

 

[CP/M User]

"carlsson" wrote:

> A remote acquaintance to me went to an adult
> school who had a cleanout, and she picked up
> some stuff, including an unopened box with
> PC-DOS 5 (IIRC).

It must be a small world, to find another person
who had an unopened box of PC-DOS 5. We had
3 or 4 donated to us, but we weren't out to make
money from it.

> First she thought it was some cool software she
> could install, but when we informed her about its
> age, maybe it had a collectable value of some
> thousand $$$?

> Not quite, unless an awfully dedicated IBM
> collector was found.

Exactly, I don't believe it would have that kinda of
value. Since I've seen a few unopened boxes of
this software, it's easy to assume that there are
more as lots of people might of brought it as back
up software in case their computers crack up, but
the computers were upgraded before that date
(that's my theory anyway). I believe that finding
an unopened/sealed box of some software
application (e.g. Word 1 for DOS) would be harder
as people buy this stuff to use, unless they
brought it as back-up (like they brought their copy
of PC-DOS 5 as back-up), which makes me think
on where they got the software in the first place
(perhaps the good ol' boot-legging ring! ;-)

> Regarding AOL, maybe you know there is a site
> which collects AOL CDs and are planning to hire
> a truck and send them all back to AOL?

That AOL is a pile of rubbish, I would just throw it
out, they always upgrade them, so you need to
upgrade them (with your computers), so unless
someone wants to study the files to design their
own trashy system, that's all it's good for! ;-)

Cheers,
CP/M User.

 

[carlsson]

How was licensing accomplished with PC-DOS? Maybe companies and institutions would buy several copies but only use the media (and license key?) from one box and keep the other in case a license inventory was scheduled.

 

[CP/M User]

"carlsson" wrote:

> How was licensing accomplished with PC-DOS?
> Maybe companies and institutions would buy
> several copies but only use the media (and
> license key?) from one box and keep the other
> in case a license inventory was scheduled.

Yes, normally software is licensed in such a way
so that the entity in question would just have
one copy & also have a license to install it on
so many computers. This seemed to be the way
when I was at college, cause they just had plain
vanilla Win95 & generally was used per computer,
however they also had Novell Netware which was
the same deal (if my memory is correct) to
connect the computer systems to a network.

Because they had a license, it worked out cheaper
instead of buying 60 copies of Win95, which is why
it's popular way to buying & using software over a
number of systems.

Unfortunately, I don't know how it work in the
earlier days of CP/M, though when I first got into
computing using Macs, the system was on a
Network which mean't the system was awfully slow,
though this method also requires a license too I
should image. So perhaps CP/M was the same?

Cheers,
CP/M User.

 

[Classicsat]

That AOL would be on floppy disc probably, and re-useable, if keeping it for archival purposes doesn't interest you.

 

[dongfeng]

It was great when you used to get AOL/Compuserve disks through the post - you could reformat and reuse them unlike those crappy CD I get now

 

[CP/M User]

"dongfeng" wrote:

> It was great when you used to get AOL/Compuserve
> disks through the post - you could reformat and
> reuse them unlike those crappy CD I get now

There's one thing I learn't from that floppy &
unfortunately Australia have to be a part of it too! :-(

CP/M User.

 

[dongfeng]

I recently bought Windows 95 (version B) on floppy disk, which was still sealed in the original plastic bags. I (carefully) opened it though, since I needed to use it :shock:

 

[Terry Yager]

Heh! A few years back I went to a school auction and picked up a truckload of software, (actually, I had to make 4 trips in my Nissan station wagon to get it all home) most of which was still in shrink-wrap. There were a lot of DOS 5 packages, and a bunch of MS Word 5.5 (last version for DOS), some Lotus stuff and the like. I was paying like a dollar a boxfull for big boxes of this stuff. I turned around and sold most of the stuff to a local computer store for anywhere from $5.00 to 20.00 per package. (I made a KILLIN!) I'm glad the school only chose to open a few of the packages to share among the many computers they were using the software on, even though they had purchased enough software for each individual computer.

[Ad]:

BTW, I have a copy of Win 95 still in shrink if anyone is interested, $5.00 + postage & packaging. I believe it's the first (A) version, full install (OEM). (Even has MSIE (v.4.0) on a separate CD).

[/Ad]

--T

 

[Tim Wellman]

I have these gems from 1983, for PC/jr... one is a cartridge, the other doesn't say

 

[Computer Collector]

Ive got timex Sinclair software on cassette, still sealed in the Noreleco boxes. If you are interested in trading for it, PM me

 

[alltare]

Re: Unopened/original sealed items

I have unopened/still sealed Altair 4K BASIC on casette tape and unopened/still sealed Altair BASIC on paper tape, but I don't remember offhand which version it is. Also have an early sealed CP/M on 8" disk (v 1.4?), too.

It's all worth a few bucks since it's for Altair, but I agree with others that most old sealed software probably isn't worth much more than used stuff

Steve
===========================

Just wondering if anyone out there for the sake of conversation has any interesting items that are still in their original packaging? I've got PC-DOS 6.3 and AOL 2.0...

Just curious, how valuable would this version of AOL be considered? Not that I care to sell it but it's nice to know these sort of things. This is even before Win95 came out, hehe.

So, share with us your unopened treasure items...

 

[Terry Yager]

Re: Unopened/original sealed items

I have unopened/still sealed Altair 4K BASIC on casette tape and unopened/still sealed Altair BASIC on paper tape, but I don't remember offhand which version it is. Also have an early sealed CP/M on 8" disk (v 1.4?), too.

Steve

You win! <bowing & scraping> I'm not worthy...I'm not worthy...I'm not worthy...

--T

 

[carlsson]

I only have a shrink-wrapped copy of Barbarian (the Psygnosis arcade adventure, not the Palace fighting game) on tape for the C64. Many years ago there was a fair where they handed out free copies, so I got two. I doubt it would generate any money.

The fewer copies still around, the more likely a collector will go all out for it. If you found sealed copies of Altair Basic in every fifth flea market, it would not have much of a value despite being for the Altair - in particular if the actual computer still was rare so the tape could not be used by many people. :wink:

 

[Thomas Hillebrandt]

Thought I'd just join in...

Thought I'd just join in...

Well, I have a PC-DOS or MS-DOS 5.0 in shrinkwrapped IBM box, like so many others...
...I also have an OS/2 Warp, shrinkwrapped - I forget which version...

To top it off, I have the original Dragon Data Demo tape in an unopened, sealed bag.

Oh, I have an MS-DOS 6.22 also... Almost forgot!

 

[EvanK]

Original packaging...

Original packaging...

A few of the vintage handhelds in my collection (of about 30 total) are in their orginal packaging from the late 1970s.

 

[Thomas Hillebrandt]

Ooo-ooo, I almost forgot!

I've also got a complete set of original, sealed, unused and un-tampered-with pens for a Commodore 1520 Plotter. The whole set of 5 or 6 packages, connected by perforations (you know; rip one of and use it), all still together. It is rather weak at the perforations, though, and I'm a bit worried that eventually it'll come apart - but they'd still all be there, and the individual packages would still be unopened...

 

[carlsson]

The world is swamped with unopened PC DOS 5 packages.. I wonder if IBM once in desperation of poor sales threw them from an airplane, or if organisations were honest enough to get as many copies as they would install but only use one or two boxes worth of media.

The plotter pens are a nice thing, but I would believe they dry out and become useless (but still collectable) faster than a disk or tape media will lose its magnetition? It reminds me of someone keeping old bottles of cheap, non-seasonable wine until it is beyond vinegar. I know, I tried to have some sparking white wine bought in Hungary 4.5 years ago for last New Years Eve, but it smelled and tasted completely awful so I had to pour it in the sink.