Value of brand new, unopened Commodore PET 2001-8N found in basement

[powerlot]

I've seen a few PETs but never an unopened one with all its original papers, so it would be very interesting to see the contents documented and how it survived untouched.

Keep us posted about all the treasures you unearth

 

[Quagmire]

I'm in the same boat with a Commodore 64 NIB. I bought it at an estate sale from the family of the deceased owner of an appliance store. There was a storage room full of 'brand new this and thats. The original box never had any sealing tape on it but it did come from Sears, and from years and years of being pushed around on the shelving, there is one corner of the box which is a little blemished. Inside everything is pristine except for the rubber bands which carcasses remain but have long since dried up. I've been afraid to list it as I didn't want to disappoint myself as to the results. I want a million dollars for it but am willing to negotiate. My advice to rhyoraptor is to open it up and see what's in the box.

 

[alank2]

Maybe make a video of that unboxing even just for fun.

 

[prowler]

An unboxing video might be cool. I don't know if anyone has done one for a PET (too lazy to check).

Why are all the rare finds always in some remote place like Alaska or Texas? :D

 

[SiriusHardware]

As per above, I would always prefer to receive anything, not just old computers, in the exact packaging the manufacturer shipped it in because it was specifically designed to protect it while in transit - for the same reason, I rarely discard the packaging or foam inserts which items I buy come in.

...My Dad says that if my house ever catches fire it will burn for three months.

 

[VERAULT]

For me it's about the completeness of the nostalgia. All of the ephemera is part of the experience of the machine and forms a large part of my memories. When I show other people the computer it helps to also show how they would have gotten one new and in box. My 2 cents anyway.

We had apple iis in school. I have never seen a box so im not nostalgic for that. Im nostalgic for the computers. And I dont know if I have ever seen a PET before getting my first one in recent years so the box is just iirelevant. Sorry.. making a box out yo be important is just silly... And chasing "completeness" wont scratch the nostalgia itch.. It will only deplee your funds... Completely.

I mean i threw away apple ii boxes and even an Apple /// plus box.. why? Its just a moldy old box and it took up way too much space.. id much rather have more.computers than a huge cardboard box in my basement.

 

[Hugo Holden]

As per above, I would always prefer to receive anything, not just old computers, in the exact packaging the manufacturer shipped it in because it was specifically designed to protect it while in transit - for the same reason, I rarely discard the packaging or foam inserts which items I buy come in.

...My Dad says that if my house ever catches fire it will burn for three months.

This is because packaging (to prevent transit damage) is a Science.

You should see the thought that went into CRT packaging.

Before modern materials existed, a CRT was placed in a canvas sac with ears. connected to springs, with a damping sleeve, to suspend it from the internal 8 corners of a wooden crate, that looked like it belonged in the Nazi warehouse that stored the Crystal Skull.

Then polystyrene got invented.

 

[rhyoraptor]

I am not sure how best to add an update but I have a partial one! I have now found 4 computers in boxes with original plastic and styrofoam -- Two original PET 2001-8 and two PET 2001 8N. I have attached pictures of one of the PET and one of the PET 8N out of their boxes. I couldn't find a screw driver for the life of me so I haven't opened them up yet to take pictures of the components.

I was told by the lady that her husband wanted to start a business and that's why he had so many unused machines. I went into his old home work/office area and found another original PET 2001-8! She said it was likely the most recently used one. It has all manuals and tapes. I gave in and turned it on and it works! It still looks in amazing condition and the screen is so crisp! Serial numbers are in the photos-- 39898, 40852, and 40863 for the original PET 2001-8 and 705713 and 800425 for the two 2001-8N.
There are lots of cassette tapes and it appears all of the computers have original manuals. I will try to crack them open soon and look at the interior components but there doesn't appear to be signs of wear on the exteriors.

I work with a lot of other programmers in my field and have asked around and might luckily be able to sell some of these machines locally. I'm guessing the 2001-8 machines go for the same estimated price as the 8N? I just want to be fair to the lady and the buyers.

Thank you to all for the advice so far!

 

[VERAULT]

Looks like Christmss come early!

 

[Hugo Holden]

Like I said before, when somebody said they didn't want styrofoam and boxes, you can see how the packaging was specifically designed to protect the unit in transit. You would never get anything like this, not even close, when an ebay seller wrapped up a used computer for shipping.

 

[NeXT]

I don't think I've ever seen a PET in the factory carton and packaging.

 

[VERAULT]

Like I said before, when somebody said they didn't want styrofoam and boxes, you can see how the packaging was specifically designed to protect the unit in transit. You would never get anything like this, not even close, when an ebay seller wrapped up a used computer for shipping.

IS that someone me? Your allowed to address me directly. I still 100% mean my initial statement. I would never spend a single dollar for "original packaging" I am aware it is designed to ensure safe shipping. However I'm not a complete idiot and ship computers all over the world on a regular basis and know exactly how to ship them so they arrive safely; so again I dont need original packaging.

But My sentiment is more with what @NeXT just said.. I have never seen original PET packaging either. I can appreciate it.. But I wont buy it. (What I really want is one of those PET user manuals since I own Two PET 2001-8's and dont have the original manual.

 

[NeXT]

I have someone nagging me to find them a chiclet pet but my concept of money is all skewed since I bought mine for $350 nearly a decade ago.
This is totally something down their alley and we're just down the coast but being so complete and clean....I couldn't even begin to think of a value, much less how to preserve the shipping carton. (I've seen people completely blow their top when they bought a system still in the packaging, only for it to arrive with a giant UPS waybill slapped to the side)

 

[VERAULT]

I have someone nagging me to find them a chiclet pet but my concept of money is all skewed since I bought mine for $350 nearly a decade ago.
This is totally something down their alley and we're just down the coast but being so complete and clean....I couldn't even begin to think of a value, much less how to preserve the shipping carton. (I've seen people completely blow their top when they bought a system still in the packaging, only for it to arrive with a giant UPS waybill slapped to the side)

What does a fully working 1977/78 chiclet pet retail for? I paid $300 Plus parts for my first one( shopgoodwill.com maybe 5 or 6 years ago) which was dead when I bought it. And $50 for my second I bought in person from the original owner a couple years ago.

Does a 1977 6550 ram style board demand more than a 1978 2114 ram board?

 

[Hutch]

Does a 1977 6550 ram style board demand more than a 1978 2114 ram board?

It depends on the collector really. I know several that prefer earlier production/serial numbers.
But a casual collector who doesn't know the difference and just wants one to play around with would probably prefer one that you can still get parts for.

 

[NeXT]

In the box with all the original packaging, shipping plastic and paperwork?

Someone's gonna take what I say for a price and run with it (and to all future people reading this post, I'm sorry...) but I dare say it starts at $2000cad, with the two critical points being it's essentially NOS and it's working. I've never seen a PET this old that "It Just Works." MOS's chips age horribly.

As of this post it seems the going ebay price (note we are factoring in that ebay is a lot more visible than say, the vcfed marketplace and thus there's more people roaming around with deeper pockets willing to blow it on the first system they see will skew the results so OP, don't think you're about to win a lottery) is $800usd for a chiclet PET that is as-is, $900-$1500 for a chiclet that is clean and working at the time of sale.

Non-chiclet PET's seem to go for substantially less. Between $350 and $850usd, depending on condition and again, if it's working at the time of sale.
You can make a dead PET work with aftermarket parts, but either you are gonna spend a ton on aftermarket chip substitutes and adapters or a substantial sum sourcing exact replacements like the folks building up Apple I replicas. Comes down to if you prefer a working machine over originality. (or if you want to use a keyboard that you won't hate after a few days )

On that note, I'd like to thank Space Lab in Vancouver for selling me my machine for such a pleasant price. Some people are not looking for an easy paycheck.

The big variable however is this is all in Alaska. It's amazing how someone can empty their wallet for something, then be total cheapskates when it comes to paying for shipping. For reference several times a year for $JOB I'm shipping cartons about the size of a boxed PET and weighing around 53lbs to Whitehorse via courier and that's nearly $400cad one-way.

 

[SiriusHardware]

Another thing about finding them in their original packing - it's not just the case that they are much more likely to survive in onward transit, they are more likely to have survived in storage as well. I have seen quite a few PET resurrection cases where the machines clearly must have been kept in a damp shed for decades and have suffered greatly as a result. If they are still in the original boxes you know they have been kept dry and dust free for pretty much the whole of their lives. That is something I would pay more for. (But I'm in the UK here, so I can only dream on).

Anyway, that's a truly fantastic find, I'm sure all of those machines will fetch well above average prices for the lady, and it's good that she has a friendly, decent guy looking out for her.

 

[VERAULT]

Someone's gonna take what I say for a price and run with it (and to all future people reading this post, I'm sorry...) but I dare say it starts at $2000cad, with the two critical points being it's essentially NOS and it's working. I've never seen a PET this old that "It Just Works." MOS's chips age horribly.

Id say thats correct. both of mine had 6550 ram issues. I removed them all and used modern ram replacements and same for the 6550 video ram. one of them need a voltage rugulator, fuse, and a rom.

But I meant how much does a regular pet2001-8 go for not whether this will sell for alot and drive up the prices (and yep it will).

 

[NeXT]

Like I said. I got my system for far below market value because the store wanted to find it a home and not an easy flip. Personally I would not spend more than $800cad for a boxed PET. Pretty and all, I'd never get enough use out of it to justify the cost, plus as soon as it started dropping RAM I'd opt for aftermarket adapter kits which I'm sure in someone's mind kills the value.

 

[VERAULT]

plus as soon as it started dropping RAM I'd opt for aftermarket adapter kits which I'm sure in someone's mind kills the value.

Well there are no alternatives if you have a 6550 machine. Are you going to risk a high dollar amount on ancient failing ram just to keep it original? You can find original 6550 to 2114 adapters. I have a couple.. But doesnt that change it too? I think running a 2001-8 replacing the RAM at the very least is a necessary thing unless you want a paper weight.