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Any value to all this..?

O

Otto Rax

6502
So, I was helping my parents clean up, and I vaguely remember playing with macdraw on their mac plus when i was a kid, but I was going through a box and found a whole hoard of computer items my mom had never used. She was a publisher back in teh 80's, and apparently won a contest by Bill Gates.

She has this signed letter of congratulations, and several pieces of software still sealed.

MacDraw

Excel 2.20 1987

Powerpoint 1987

and a whole bunch of others, but she has all of the original computer manuals and bits, including the plastic disk that came in the disk drive, the little pack of apple stickers, and all the startup disks and warranties dated OCT 15, 1986

Does all this have value? im still trying to believe that people collect "vintage" computer stuff.

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/3669/img3361oe1.jpg

 
it has a value for collector like I am [:)] ]'> I would gladly take that and pay for shipping, If you want to get rid off?

 
Depending upon the condition and titles, software of that vintage will have some value. Probably best to try eBay. People around here want everything for free.

 
someone gave a retail box of tiger for free on this forum, so it is not a sin to ask? Well, on eBay, they take from you every penny , if you sell or buy something ...

 
Depending upon the condition and titles, software of that vintage will have some value. Probably best to try eBay. People around here want everything for free.
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The stuff in the picture is only the pack that came with a Mac Plus when new, I don't think it's worth that much, I got a set (with a Plus) off Freecycle once (though my Apple stickers are the slightly later variety with Apple Garamond rather than the old font shown there). If you've really got something signed by Bill Gates then that would be very collectable though, it would be interesting to see it if so.

 
The stuff in the picture is only the pack that came with a Mac Plus when new, I don't think it's worth that much, I got a set (with a Plus) off Freecycle once (though my Apple stickers are the slightly later variety with Apple Garamond rather than the old font shown there). If you've really got something signed by Bill Gates then that would be very collectable though, it would be interesting to see it if so.
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Well, other software was listed. What was shown was in good shap. To top it all off, the vast majority of these software kits would have been separated from their original computer (or at the very least, the packaging disposed of and only the diskettes and manuals remain). So yeah, I can see that being of some value to a collector who wants to create a complete Plus.

As for the comment about trying to get free stuff: the only thing that pisses me off more (in the realm of computer collecting) than someone trying to sell a dirt common item for a few hundred pretty pennies is someone asking another person for a free ride. If they offer it, then fine. If you put out a generic wanted ad, then fine. But circling an individual like a vulture is beyond impolite.

 
as I undesrstand your comments, you mean, that I am vulture and circling around to get that stuff free? [:O] ]'>

are you jelaouse? comon grow up, now thats impolate to me what you posted. anyway I didnt get anything and in most sells I do not get anything because people do not want to shipp abroad, even if I want to pay for it ... that stuff is rare in my place, ... states are full of that old computer stuff, and I had to pay a lot of money to get what I have ... in this case, If Otto Rax decide to give me or sell some his stuff, I am giving it to you, so you wont be pissed off, if somebody asks first before you got a chance

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed”

 
Ebay is a bit hit or miss, it could sell for nothing or spark a bidding war. Old mac gear is a niche market, this place has a few big pocket people who would probably pay a few bucks for something they realy wanted and it has people who want everything free as well. Ebay just happens to have more eyeballs looking at it, some of which are old mac collectors. If you want maximum return then ebay has more of a chance for a bidding war then this forum would.

 
I saw someone is trying to start a mac museum. i think ill hold onto it for now, and if the museum comes to fruition, donate it to something like that. ill keep you in mind though, im not trying to make a buck...yet....ill most likely give it away to the most creative idea in a contest on here at some point. ill try to get a pic of the letter

 
In that case, you may want to look into the Retrochallenge. A little prize may entice more people to do creative stuff with their old computers.

 
I don't think boxed and shrinkwrapped software has much value. I have bought MacDraw II (two copies) and BannerMania, both of which were shrinkwrapped, for very little in the past six months. The MacDraws if I recall came to $14 for both and BannerMania was $25 or so. Also, I got a shrinkwrapped PaperPort scanner for nothing from a friend.

Of course, if you've got something really unique then perhaps it will sell for more. If VisiCalc came in a box, it would probably sell for a lot shrinkwrapped (I'm not sure if it did). Also, some stuff is in demand boxed because people still use it (WordPerfect 5.1 comes to mind).

If it's a computer, of course, an unopened original box will fetch you something. Remember that company that was selling NIB LC580s a few years back?

 
Well, old computer stuff varies in price a lot. It depends upon how knowledgable the buyer is, how knowledgable the seller is, and how long either party is willing to wait. I know that I've picked up $400 or $500 "worth" of vintage hardware for $75. I have also found supposedly rare stuff for a song in thrifts. The thing is, you have to be willing to wait, and if you are not going to wait or you don't know where to look you're not going to get a good price. (The inverse goes for the seller.)

Software is also something that you have to be careful about when assessing it's value. To some people, software is absolutely worthless because they can download it from some random hotline server. Downloads aren't rare. They simply exist or they don't exist. If they exist, they have no value because they are infinitely reproducable. If they don't exist, they have no value because you cannot get it. That sort of thing taints the perception of the value of boxed copies in the eyes of some people.

Yet if you want a boxed copy, you have a problem. There is scarcity, and really old software is really scarce. Boxed software is even more scarce because people get rid of packaging and leaflets. Shrinkwrapped software is likely worse, simply because you are depending upon finding an unsold copy OR a business who bought multiple copies for multiple licenses (and that was less common in the past). So yeah, some of it has value.

 
I have never seen anything that consistantly sells for the same price (or even close) every time it is offered (unless we are talking $.99 starting bids), that tells me there is a small group of buyers for this stuff.

Some of the rarest shrinkwrapped 68k mac software would be scientific apps, and most people here would not even bid on them. Photoshop still sells, and they made a ton of those.

Same with hardware, there is some truly rare stuff people just have no idea what it is for (or care) so they do not bid on it. People go after the high end video cards, scsi cards, and accelerators mostly.

 
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