The IMSAI (and it's contemporaries) pre-date the mass computer market - they were the hobbyist computers of choice (at least until the Apple came along). They're uncommon, but not exactly rare. Finding one that's still in working condition is a bit harder - they were home-assembled, so the quality depends very much on how good the original hobbyist was with a soldering iron.
There are always a few examples of these (and of PDP-8s) at the Vintage Computer Festival; prices in the hundreds of dollars are normal. Anything is possible on eBay, but paying thousands for anything but a system with all the rarest peripherals seems excessive. On Mon, Sep 11, 2006 at 01:33:01PM -0500, Gonz wrote: > A working IMSAI 8800 (8080?) seems to be another one that has > appreciated also, at least last time I checked. I've seem them go for > thousands of $ on ebay. Remember those? > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > On Mon, Sep 11, 2006 at 08:21:39PM +1200, David Mann wrote: > > > >>On Sep 11, 2006, at 6:27 AM, Collin R Brendemuehl wrote: > >> > >> > >>>A consideration: > >>>We must remember that these DSLRs are now just computers and > >>>the longer we hang onto older technology the faster it loses value. > >>>The faster upgrade may be the cheaper way to go. > >> > >>In that case, my gear must be gaining value as antiques. > > > > > > Speaking as an expert in the field (or at least an expert by marriage; > > my wife works at the Computer History Museum) it's a rare piece of > > computer equipment that's worth more than scrap value. If you've > > got a working CDC 7600 (or any part of Edsac) it may be gaining in > > value, but most of the mass-produced stuff is basically worthless. > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
