On Tue, Sep 10, 2024, 4:41 PM Sellam Abraham via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> The buyers might be paying a premium because the items came from "the > collection of Paul Allen", and because of the way Christie's described the > lots, they may have come off with the impression that he personally > restored and used all these himself. > > This whole thing is so stupid. > > Oh well, at least there's now precedent for $50K Altair 8800s. My > retirement is secured. > Next week there will be 50 of them o. Ebay for this price. Warner Sellam > > On Tue, Sep 10, 2024, 4:24 PM Paul Koning via cctalk < > cctalk@classiccmp.org> > wrote: > > > > > > > > On Sep 10, 2024, at 4:31 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk < > > cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > > > > > > On Tue, 10 Sep 2024, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote: > > >> Wow, someone paid $56k for a MITS ALTAIR. And $945k for an Apple 1. > > Not to mention $718k for an Enigma machine. A bunch of things went for > way > > above the estimate, while for others it's much closer. One wonders why; > I > > suppose a possible explanation is "because the auction house doesn't > > particularly understand the market for these things". > > > > > > Any special provenance? (Hitler's personal Enigma?, BillG's' Altair?, > > Steve's Apple?) > > > > Nope. But the Enigma is a four-rotor Navy model, not the more common > > 3-rotor one. I didn't know that the Navy had those; I had heard of > 4-rotor > > machines only as something the Gestapo used. > > > > > Or just multiple bidders on each item, unaware of more reasonable > > sources? > > > (I think that those prices are high, or the bidders were) > > > > Seems that way. For that matter, so does $250k for the Xerox Alto, and a > > round million for the Cray 1. Not to mention $32k for the Cyber console > > display (I would have liked that one, but not at that price!). And > perhaps > > craziest of all, $189k for a 360/91 console display. Just the lights > > panel, nothing more. > > > > paul > > > > >
