THIS is Laughable!

That's a really high serial for an Apple II. Maybe a couple hundred from end of the line. And we know Apple IIs were produced in 1981. Anyway, just throwing that out there.

To digress: it's Applesoft on the monitor, but the ROMs are not stamped Microsoft. Interesting! I wonder if Bill called Steve to complain.

Apple II GS Zip Card up to $775 with 3 hours left. This is crazy.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350997568900?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I wouldn't mind having one, but not at that price.

Apple II GS Zip Card up to $775 with 3 hours left. This is crazy.

$909 at 2 hours + to go... HOLY SCHIZNIT!

Apple II GS Zip Card up to $775 with 3 hours left. This is crazy.

$909 at 2 hours + to go... HOLY SCHIZNIT!

Freaking A that is ridicules!

It is now up to $1000 with 1 hour 47 minutes to go. Do I hear $1100?

It is now up to $1000 with 1 hour 47 minutes to go. Do I hear $1100?

I think $1000 is a record! Now you know lol.

I think $1000 is a record! Now you know lol.

I think $1000 is a record! Now you know lol.

this is absolutely insane.

This is also a record price for a (mostly) NIB Apple Iic Plus - http://www.ebay.com/itm/291075266133

Hi to all,

Another $1000 Apple //e gear.

Relatively cheap Transwarp GS - everything else is bonus.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221373218017

or, sell everything else and it's a mostly free TWGS.

Could be the new going rate. I was offered 750 for my TWGS this past new years.

Such a deal [sarcasm]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CFFA3000-Version-1-0-Rev-C-CF-card-USB-storage-/181335069838

Sean,

Seeing that Rich has about 56 of these left in his last run, I can't help to think that this is for both the CFFA and the couch it is sitting on. [more sarcasm]

Jay

These people have to be out of their minds!

Maybe. These prices raise my eyebrows because I look at them as a potential buyer (when I really have no business buying anything -- I have too much already!).

However, when I flip the situation and put myself in the role of a seller I think about these things:

1.) Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

2.) There is no risk in trying to sell something for a ridiculous price on eBay *until it actually sells*. Then you have fees, buyer expectations to meet vs. their feedback, etc. to deal with.

3.) If something doesn't sell, you can always re-list it again for free, and eventually even lower the price if it doesn't move. Shoot for the stars, i.e. find a noob with disposable income or a desperate/frustrated collector).

4.) As much as I love and enjoy this hobby... I'd like to think that some of my collected items (some hard won, some highly prized) are worth something, and would continue to increase in valuation. That probably won't be the case for very long for several reasons:

a.) The retro-computing market is probably on a bubble, that will burst in slow motion as people in their late 30s - through 50's age. You don't see too many teens and 20-somethings in our hobby - this isn't their era of 'play and discovery' so they have no nostalgia for it like we do. There will be a few exceptions. Too few. We've been seeing Apple II collections in estate sales pretty frequently now for the last decade. Supply and demand will skew in the other direction as long as the heirs of these estates don't just junk it all.

b.) The occasional new or cloned product will devalue some hardware. Prime example: The CFFA killed the market demand for the Mustang Superdrive controller. A Mustang could sell for $400-$500 just before the CFFA came out. Now they go for less than half that, usually, unless you find a frustrated collector to buy one. If a clone TWGS/ZipGS is ever produced, the old cards will dip in value (or in my opinion, 'stabilize') to something more reasonable. But people will likely want the new car vs. the 20 year old one.

c.) Emulation, either in software and/or hardware let's some enthusiasts down-size. People get older, want less clutter or their wife is on their case about their 'hoarding'... emulation will be the go to option for many except for the die-hard 'got to keep it real metal' enthusiast.

5.) Again, as much as I love this hobby... I have to be practical. Everything I have is for sale at the right price. It's a good time to sell stuff, while there is still demand and while the collecting prospects are optimistic.

So, there's my view from the other side. Whenever I see an accelerator sell for $500 or more - I temporarily feel wealthy because I have several. Sometimes those feelings are at odds with the well-being of the Apple II Community - personal greed to maximize value vs. altruistic desire to clone off a needed part.

Rant mode: off

This is a good example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/201044612761?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D201044612761%26_rdc%3D1

It began a few months ago at $299, it has been going down every month, and the guy can't get rid of it. To the current owner must be very valuable, but for the laymen it has nothing interesting or important. I would trash the papers and use th cover, but wouldn't pay more than $20.
Cheers
Javster

I would trash the papers and use th cover, but wouldn't pay more than $20.

Keep the binder - send the papers to Jason Scott @ archive.org

I just cannot believe how stupendously STUPID people can be:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-Apple-II-FOUR-Software-Bank-Complete-Set-BRAND-NEW-MINT-ONE-OF-A-KIND-/141202552363?pt=US_Vintage_Computing_Manuals_Merchandise&hash=item20e053f62b

Read the Title, then read the description and what he did to get the pictures.

As far as I am concerned, they are now all "USED" and "AS IS"

Steven

==========

So I pointed oout to this guy that he shouldn't have opened this. He basically called me a doofus and said he had been working with Apple computers since 1979 and that I was an idiot. Well its at a whopping $51. At that rate, I figure it will hit $1000
sometime in the early 22nd century.

Jay

These people have to be out of their minds!

Maybe. These prices raise my eyebrows because I look at them as a potential buyer (when I really have no business buying anything -- I have too much already!).

However, when I flip the situation and put myself in the role of a seller I think about these things:

1.) Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

2.) There is no risk in trying to sell something for a ridiculous price on eBay *until it actually sells*. Then you have fees, buyer expectations to meet vs. their feedback, etc. to deal with.

3.) If something doesn't sell, you can always re-list it again for free, and eventually even lower the price if it doesn't move. Shoot for the stars, i.e. find a noob with disposable income or a desperate/frustrated collector).

4.) As much as I love and enjoy this hobby... I'd like to think that some of my collected items (some hard won, some highly prized) are worth something, and would continue to increase in valuation. That probably won't be the case for very long for several reasons:

a.) The retro-computing market is probably on a bubble, that will burst in slow motion as people in their late 30s - through 50's age. You don't see too many teens and 20-somethings in our hobby - this isn't their era of 'play and discovery' so they have no nostalgia for it like we do. There will be a few exceptions. Too few. We've been seeing Apple II collections in estate sales pretty frequently now for the last decade. Supply and demand will skew in the other direction as long as the heirs of these estates don't just junk it all.

b.) The occasional new or cloned product will devalue some hardware. Prime example: The CFFA killed the market demand for the Mustang Superdrive controller. A Mustang could sell for $400-$500 just before the CFFA came out. Now they go for less than half that, usually, unless you find a frustrated collector to buy one. If a clone TWGS/ZipGS is ever produced, the old cards will dip in value (or in my opinion, 'stabilize') to something more reasonable. But people will likely want the new car vs. the 20 year old one.

c.) Emulation, either in software and/or hardware let's some enthusiasts down-size. People get older, want less clutter or their wife is on their case about their 'hoarding'... emulation will be the go to option for many except for the die-hard 'got to keep it real metal' enthusiast.

5.) Again, as much as I love this hobby... I have to be practical. Everything I have is for sale at the right price. It's a good time to sell stuff, while there is still demand and while the collecting prospects are optimistic.

So, there's my view from the other side. Whenever I see an accelerator sell for $500 or more - I temporarily feel wealthy because I have several. Sometimes those feelings are at odds with the well-being of the Apple II Community - personal greed to maximize value vs. altruistic desire to clone off a needed part.

Rant mode: off

Sean,

Well put!. I actually never thought about the bubble bursting, but you are absolutely correct. I will turn 52 this year and figure I have maybe another couple of decades to collect this stuff and then my kids will be selling it at my estate sale.

I guess I should ignore the folks on ebay giving it a college try to get what they are wanting for stuff. You are also right in that if it cost a bunch to list stuff, then people would be more than likely list things more reasonably because they need to pay to list it.

I guess I should be thankful that some people put stuff out there that is reasonable and that's what I should be focusing on and just skip over the others and let them try to get what they want. Also it never hurts to politely offer them what you think things are worth. THe worst thing that can happen is that they say no.

I bought an Apple IIc Plus system with an Imagewriter and some original software for $100.00 last weekend. It was in nice shape and works perfectly. I met a nice guy in the process and had fun talking to him about other stuff.

Very good points all of them.

Jay

Such a deal [sarcasm]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CFFA3000-Version-1-0-Rev-C-CF-card-USB-storage-/181335069838

Such a deal indeed. Anyone that knows anything about these boards is going to first check dreher.net to see what is available. And for much less you can include the disk swap button remote too!

I personally think that whoever placed the auction is waiting for the existing run to fill up. And taking the off-chance someone will bite.

I hope it does not sell.

My collection, perhaps, can be divided into two main parts.

1- Original material I purchased from stores and mail order in the 1970's and 1980's.
2- Material I purchased from trades, auctions, fleabay, and similar. 1990's and onward.

If I ever downsize my stuff - and I think about doing so from time to time, especially when I get offers from friends of visitors and all that. If ever, it would be the selling off of stuff that falls into #2 category. The #1 category has a great deal of sentimental value and "genuine history" behind it. As if that will matter to millenials and their litter.

Emulation is a great way to quickly enjoy something and test out disk images from Asimov. I recently had a bout of interest in CP/M and I found myself using emulation to conduct experiments rather than pull out a SoftCard.

And as I get older I find the original hardware I owned as a snot-faced kid to be the most important and meaningful. I also tend to look at stuff in #2 as sacrificial-for-spare-parts. I have no problem buying something from epay and stripping it to destruction if those parts will be used to keep my Original stuff rolling.

One of these days I'm going to introduce nieces and nephews to the Apple II. They're around 6-10 yr old. I have no idea how long it will hold their interest. Anyone care to take a guess??

I introduced my youngest 4 kids to the Apple II around 6 months ago.

(Twin girls 11, daughter 12 and son 14).

I had to interrupt them from their iPods, Xbox 360's etc and show them Galaxians running on an amber screen monitor.

They showed interest for a few days, but then it faded away very quickly.

Perhaps they are not trying to recapture their misspent youth like I am

Cheers, Martin...

found this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-eMate-300-with-NewerTech-Expansion-Card-Very-RARE-Includes-ALL-Originals-/201042122743?pt=US_Vintage_Computers_Mainframes&hash=item2ecf0b57f7

Even with the box, the newer tech memory upgrade, a 20mb flash card, a new battery, and redone hinges, it's not worth even half this much. Wish I could make an offer, most I would is $100. Emates, even with the box are not too rare, I can do the hinge fix myself, I have a 2gb CF card and adapter I can use with the ATA driver, the only "rare" thing is the memory module, and those don't cost that much by themselves when they are for sale.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261413362239?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Add that to the list of insanity. I don't get it.. do people not notice *whole* Apple II+s going for less? There's got to be a reason why they're fighting for these. The one before it went for $306!

They must be smoking some really good stuff from Colorado.

Steven :)

Haven't you heard? It's the 9th week into Colorado's Doritos famine.

7/11's shelf's are all empty and the going rate of a Nacho cheese Mega Bag is around the price of that Apple II keyboard!

Haven't you heard? It's the 9th week into Colorado's Doritos famine.

7/11's shelf's are all empty and the going rate of a Nacho cheese Mega Bag is around the price of that Apple II keyboard!

I have just one word for you (or them):

Smartfood

Falter,

All I can guess is that people have lost their minds.
They must be smoking some really good stuff from Colorado.

Steven :)

Yeah I really don't understand any of it. It's frustrating because it makes repairing these things almost impossible. Why buy the replacement part at $300 when you can just buy another system?

Now, if someone would only post some A2S1 keyswitches.. that I would happily shell out for. I have my A2S1 working now but cannot do any programming or most functions because it lacks a C, V and N key. (among others).

sorry steven,

but there is still no medicine availiable against
pure greed linked with stupidness.....

we all must be gratefull that that combination has no smell....
otherwise we´d have to carry gas masks, when leaving the house....

speedyG

You all are so right the EBay greed on apple II has hit new heights just saw a fiction writer disk and book the last bid was 1,143.00 . I could not believe it . It makes me wish I would have stayed in contact with my old school. They had 8 bell and howell apple II plus that had the back pack on them and color Sanyo 9 in monitors that were still being used when I left in 1991 . When I heard they got a grant to get new computers in 1994 I called and asked what they were doing with the old apples . It made me sick the superintendent told them to trash all 8 working bell and howell apple II plus units and 10 early Un enhanced IIe with white lettering and all 45 apple //e platinum's. All tossed in a garbage truck and dumped . The lady in charge said they still looked like new she cleaned them every day and each one had a cover for all the parts.
She almost fell over backwards when I told her about the last bell and howell with A backpack selling for $650.00 on E bay.

I am in possession of the mechanism. Just no case to go with it. Cheribly was initially selling those for $450.00 and then raised it to $750.00. Now the price seems to be $1000.00.

My question is: What Apple II programs REQUIRE a 1.44MB floppy...?

Nothing on the Apple II *requires* a SuperDrive/Mustang combo. It's purely a convenience factor for additional removable storage and exchanging data on HD disks with Macs and PCs. The value of these cards has largely been nullified now that CF cards are readily available. They're still somewhat handy, don't get me wrong, but they just aren't as magical-rainbow-pegasus-unicorn as they used to be, and haven't been for about 10 years.

Nothing on the Apple II *requires* a SuperDrive/Mustang combo. It's purely a convenience factor for additional removable storage and exchanging data on HD disks with Macs and PCs. The value of these cards has largely been nullified now that CF cards are readily available. They're still somewhat handy, don't get me wrong, but they just aren't as magical-rainbow-pegasus-unicorn as they used to be, and haven't been for about 10 years.

Them perhaps using an Apple II SCSI card and a ZIP SCSI drive is a superior solution since you get 100MB for each disk instead of 1.44MB.

Them perhaps using an Apple II SCSI card and a ZIP SCSI drive is a superior solution since you get 100MB for each disk instead of 1.44MB.

IMO, not really - why pop for an expensive SCSI card and a ticking time bomb of a drive? I suppose it would be if your Mac and/or PC also had a Zip drive and could read ProDOS formatted media but the sneakernet advantage of the Mustang Controller/SuperDrive combo is in it's ability to handle GCR and MFM.

The only reason anyone should need a SCSI card in their Apple II these days is because they have a thing for SCSI hard drives or want to connect a CD-ROM. Aside from the lack of CD-ROM support (a dubious need these days) a card like the CFFA3K trumps the Mustang, SCSI and pretty much anything else in ease of transferring data between Apple II and Macs or PCs.

Very strange. I thought this seller was pretty experienced. Unfortunately, due to the email volume this seller receives, ebay wouldn't let me send a message about the item.