WOW!!!! $15k DEC PDP-8 CLASSIC MINICOMPUTER SYSTEM DIGITAL PDP8

[Vintage Computer Festival]

On Tue, 5 Jul 2005, Patrick Finnegan wrote:

> > > Anyone want to venture what a PDP-1 would fetch? S/360?
> >
> > $50K.
>
> $1M!
>
> Wait, are we supposed to give realistic numbers?
>
> $50k for a -1 seems high but not totally unreasonable for a machine that
> is in excellent (running) condition, if it were sold through a 'real'
> auction house, like Christie's, under the best possible circumstances.

It's a high number but as you say, not unreasonable.

> $50k for an S/360 does seem too high, though, because the S/360 has a
> lower 'collectability' (interest, and more of them were produced).

How many PDP-1's have you seen around?  How many IBM 360's?  There are way
more PDP-1's known to still exist than IBM 360's, and there's only a
handful of PDP-1's left.  The 360 also has a huge following of historical
nuts.

> Price on the S/360 would probably also follow what CPU model (among
> other factors).  A Model 30 would likely produce nowhere near as much
> interest as a Model 91, and peripherals would likely make a bigger
> difference with the S/360 than they would with the -1.  At best, I'd
> give a number in the $10k-$20k range for a relatively complete, working,
> and scratch-free S/360 setup (with the most desirable CPU and
> peripherals) under the 'best conditions'.

You may be right.

-- 

Sellam Ismail                                        Vintage Computer Festival
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