-----Original Message----- From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-boun...@classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Jules Richardson Sent: Monday, October 3, 2016 5:45 AM To: gene...@classiccmp.org; discuss...@classiccmp.org:On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk@classiccmp.org> Subject: Re: ka... ching!
On 10/01/2016 06:06 PM, Fred Cisin wrote: >> > Looks like it's time to get out of this racket. > On Sat, 1 Oct 2016, tony duell wrote: >> Want to take me with you? > > I'd ask if there's room, but I'm afraid that I'm not worthy. Besides, > I still have too much crap that I'd want to bring along. > > > Yes, it is easy to remember times when IBM 5150, '57 Chevy, Altair, > Isetta, functioning TTYs, could be had for the effort of carrying them home. Will old computers hold value, though? I expect that nostalgia plays a big part, and the majority of buyers with deep pockets today do so because they remember using the machines in their younger years. At some point, I expect that won't be the case - the people with the money couldn't tell an Apple from an IBM. Perhaps what it comes down to is how much the working state of the machine matters. If that plays a big part... well, I expect it will be a lot harder to restore a vintage computer to original state compared to say a painting or a piece of furniture. At that point, well it's just a lump of metal and plastic and silicon. I don't know, I wonder if in 5-10 years the bottom might not drop out of the market, except for a few niche items (Apple 1's, Altairs and the like). > If John Titor ever answers my standing offer, one of the first things > that I should do in the 1960s is get a warehouse. ... and the money for the taxes, upkeep, security etc. I expect that storing a significant amount of stuff - particularly in conditions favorable to the contents - costs a significant amount of money, even if you have the building. cheers > Jules I've wondered this precise thing. I'm 41 this year, and I am definitely part of the nostalgia wave, although my experiences began in the early 80s with Commodore, IBM, etc. I never had experience with SWTPC, Digital Group or any of the earlier pioneers. My interest in them stemmed from learning more and more about Commodore machines I never knew existed and then branching out into whole companies I never knew about. Plus I have a keen interest in history generally. Will a 20-something with no original experience of vintage machines at all be as interested? I'm on the fence -- there is still great interest in 8 bit gaming, for example - but this need is filled by emulation. And the other problem millennials and on down have is that space is at a premium. With my own stuff, on the rare occasion I've gone to sell something I purchased, say, 5 years ago (in a dogfight on ebay), I'm not getting what I paid now. I think we're the bubble deflating with other things like vintage cars. Lots of young people don't even have a regular day to day car let alone an interest in spending thousands on something vintage. I'm seeing lots of great cars for sale that used to command huge dollars coming back to earth. Maybe that is the fate of our hobby also.