THIS is Laughable!

I was not an Apple kid growing up- was 100% Commodore. VIC-20 to C64 to Amiga to PC.

However, I used some Apple II's in school and I recognize their place in history.

I have a couple ][+'s (no original ][, but the +'s are both '78), a couple IIe's, and a couple ][gs's.

I had a ][c and a ][c+ and didn't like them, sold them. They are just ugly... Sorry to the fans.

I need to just keep one of each soon...but you have to have spares, right?

I nearly dumped my tea at the thought of a $200 mobo.

In regards to the vintagecomputermuseum, both of us have the exact same item on eBay. His is twice as much as mine, I have so few watchers its pathetic. He has almost 4 times more. I'm thinking he knows what he is doing.

I'm thinking people are lining up to watch the trainwreck of an unsold item..

In regards to the vintagecomputermuseum, both of us have the exact same item on eBay. His is twice as much as mine, I have so few watchers its pathetic. He has almost 4 times more. I'm thinking he knows what he is doing.

Several of the items he/she has listed have been there for a LLLLLLLOOOONNNNNNGGGGG time.
They disappear after never selling then show up again a little lower (the II+ in Steven's post above has finally dropped below $1000)

VCM often has some good stuff at not outrageous prices (I've bought some) and other stuff that starts way higher than 99.9% of the people would pay (and often 100% is he doesn't get the .01% who just have to have it NOW!!) and slowly but surely (and don't call me shirley) it comes down in price till someone finally bites.

That TANO has been around since last year at least. If it wasn't so high I would have bought it for my VCFE Apple Clone display I just did last weekend, but I bought two machines for the price of that one (but yes....I still want it

I watch all his crazy high stuff just to see if someone bites (or I watch lots of stuff that I have extras of to get an idea of going rate)
Keetah is right, it's all of us watching to see if someone's crazy enough to buy at those prices!
Zan

Yep .... i´ve refered in this thread several times the story
about "the armenian carpet dealer´s sales rule"....
it´s exactly the habit of this seller..... LOL
speedyG

He's right ... at $795, it's unobtainable. Ha!
There was a card like this that was on eBay a few years ago for $250, and that didn't sell either.
I bought mine for under $50, but I consider myself lucky because it is worth more. (but not $795!)
I guess he's hoping someone with a "free" tax return will buy it.

Yes. All that. But watch it sell!!

I bet that seller still has that //e machine.. I hope so..

Good Morning All,

Todays Picks (so far):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172178974264?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

$100.00 for an empty box?

And:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172178921755?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Wayne usually has some good deals,
but I think $1,000.00 is way out there
for an Apple IIe.

Steven :)

"DVD of the movie "Welcome to Macintosh" autographed by me!"

I had no idea that the seller was a celebrity!

Wayne usually has some good deals

I consider his good deals to be chronically over-priced. jmo.

If he sells it at this price no wonder
his ebay seller id is happiestsellerever.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VGA-Graded-NM-85-Lady-Tut-Apple-2-II-New-Computer-Video-Game-System-Disk-Sealed-/291531850968?hash=item43e0a704d8:g:9VYAAOSwMmBVwW~k#ht_642wt_662

Despiciable greed!!!

I think prices will move higher and higher ... and if I look at these Apple II:

~17.000,00$

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOB-BISHOP-ESTATE-Bobs-Personal-APPLE-II-Computer-Serial-Number-13-from-1978-/351599869741?nma=true&si=%252BlU%252BFQP%252BJcoM0bSVuPRNDJM5h%252BE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

~23.000,00$

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-computer-one-of-the-first-100-low-serial-number-Works-with-extras-/181152615614?nma=true&si=%252BlU%252BFQP%252BJcoM0bSVuPRNDJM5h%252BE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

~24.000,00$

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-II-Low-Serial-Number-A2S1-0148-Works-Rev-0-Motherboard-Original-PSU-/261251962786?nma=true&si=%252BlU%252BFQP%252BJcoM0bSVuPRNDJM5h%252BE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

In future all will depend on the condition, low serial number, the Rev. and the matching numbers ... it's like cars ...

Found also this very interesting post:

"Serial Numbers:
Apple II: initially black on white sticker, later red on white sticker
with model numbers and RAM configuration - A2S00XX is a II
Apple IIplus: initially green on white, later darker green on white
with model numbers and RAM configuration - A2S10XX is a IIplus
Opinion: Apple did not mix A2S2 and A2S1 stickers, despite the opinion
of some ebay sellers, the transition between earlier and later
stickers took place some time in spring 1980 (maybe when the
production in Texas was taken up?), the earlier smaller green on white
IIplus sticker was somehow continued to be used on early US production
europlus models.

Main boards:
Rev. 0 board no part number, initially with light green slots, later
with dark green slots, used from 1977 until mid 1978, ca. until Apple
II serial number A2S1-6000, mail logic boards were numbered
Rev. 1 board 820-0001-01 I have never seen one -> help wanted!!
Rev. 2 board 820-0001-02 I habe never seen one -> help wanted!!
Rev. 3 board 820-0001-03 silkscreened under the CPU, CPU has to be
removed to see it, handwritten numbers on the boards are production
dates, used from 78?? until 7930 (=30th week of 1979), memory select
blocks can be removed, lowest Apple serial number I have seen is
A2S1-14282, highest A2S1-31907, maybe very early IIplus models used
this board as well.
Rev. 4 board 820-0001-04 silkscreened under the CPU, somethimes Rev.
04 is visible silkscreened on the board, used from ca. 7934 to 8030,
16/16/16 memory select blocks are soldered to the board, used on Apple
II and IIplus. Serial numbers I have seen: Standard II: A2S1-33186
until A2S1-39624 (black on white sticker) and A2S1-61091 until
A2S1-65944 (red on white sticker); IIplus: A2S2-04566 until A2S2-32458
(green on white sticker) and A2S2-70974 until A2S2-82343 (darker green
on white sticker)
Rev.7 board 820-0001-07 silkscreened visibly on the board, ca. 8030 to
8111, no memory select blocks, used on late Apple IIs and IIplus,
lowerst serial numbers I have seen are A2S1-66655 (red on white
sticker) and A2S2-89265 (dark green on white)
RFI board 820-0044-01/C/D silkscreened visibly on the board, 8111 to
end of production, no memory select blocks, used maybe on very late
Apple II and obviously IIplus."

http://www.techtalkz.com/apple/187741-apple-ii-iiplus-production-dates.html

I bet that someone will buy it sooner or later. Perhaps a museum or serious collector. I know how some of these things are.

But just look at those physical manuals! They are pretty well written no doubt, as is most of the documentation of that era.

I love the Apple II manuals published by Apple. Feels like there's an instructor right beside you. Information contained in them is suitable for a beginner and at the same time is a good reference for developers in most cases. They have register listings, monitor listings, example code, and well phrased lectures.

When I got my Apple II+ it came with something like 800 pages of information spread across 4 or 5 manuals. It was the Family System, and it had a comprehensive "getting-started" guide that took you step-by-step for wiring everything up.

These manuals not only had rote procedures, they also described how the product worked in layman's terms. And to a kid that was fantastic. It set the framework, the groundwork, for further self-paced learning.

Today you struggle with online documentation, getting consistent and reliable access to it. With no guarantees it'll be there in the future. Let alone a 30 year future! Not to mention it's overly simplistic and tells you how to push a button by way of cryptic hieroglyphs.

In fact not too long ago, Adobe killed the on-screen help files of Acrobat X through their Adobe Help Center.

You have got to be kidding me:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/162049991894

Keatah,

That's one of the things I collect: Reference Books.

You can see the differences between what was being written and how
by reading the way things were done 30 or 40 years ago and the way they
are being written now.

Even the nature of how different areas are covered.

Being a Technical Writer for over 20 years, I got to know
how things were done then and how they're done now.

Steven :)

While I'm no collector like yourself, I was thrilled when I was able to pick up the //e Technical Reference Manual for very little change. I treasure it nearly as much as the computer itself.

Sure, a Google search these days can pull up all sorts of data on modern computers, from price points to CPU architecture. But to have something that was so comprehensive and so well laid out nearly forty years ago seems impossibly grand.

I like taking photos of old equipment and associated literature - I especially like this shot from the TRM.

I believe the importance of Reference and Tutorial manuals for the early micros cannot be understated. In fact, having the original documentation should be a requirement to any user or collector.

They helped define the personality of the platform. They set the scope and contained all sorts of goodies. They allowed you, the user, to set your own learning pace. And the early Apple manuals were inspiring. And whenever I had a question I could almost always find the answer in my small stack of manuals.

Some 3rd party peripheral cards came with good documentation too, think Videx and some Microsoft stuff like their CP/M stuff. And most AE manuals. Novation and Hayes, too, provided listings, theory of ops, and simple tutorials..

Software was a hit or miss. But the more expensive packages usually did well. Telecom, early "office suites", word processing.. And they focused on procedures rather than laying bare the inner workings of their respective piece of software. Rightfully so as most users didn't care about internal operation. Just getting a task done.

On another note, the artwork was inspiring and relaxing. Again look at the Apple manuals from the II+ timeframe. The art on the Applesoft Tutorial book shows a blur, a montage, of about 10 different things going on. Something relaxing to look at and get lost in - a dreamworld. Was great to just sit there and stare and wonder and imagine; especially after a tedious day of grade school where you didn't learning anything useful anyways!

Repetitive rant & previous post below:
What is the one thing you liked about classic computers in comparison to the shit being sold today?

I shall begin by saying documentation. Documentation back then was understandable by all levels of people. You had technical references, theory-of-ops, proper table of contents and indexes, nice introductions and forwards, all sorts of illustrations and photos, minimal disclaimers, tutorials, listings, appendices, troubleshooting steps, schematics, adjustment and repair procedures... you name it! All of it was written with style and prose in a typeface that was easily readable. And much of it came with nice cover art and was printed in book format on what was usually nice quality paper spirally bound or came in a 3-ring binder. When you hefted it you'd feel the sense of pride the company put into the publication.

When you read the material, and it was substantial, you got the idea a real live person was talking to you and teaching you and was available to answer questions. Oftentimes if you weren't "getting the idea" it simply meant you missed something. Easily fixed by a re-read of the section in question. And if all that wasn't enough you got a bibliography or for-further-reading section.

The material was inspiring and didn't insult you, coddle you, or baby you. It encouraged you to use your imagination and come up with your own solutions, all the while presenting an example to follow, like a short program. It explained things, procedures, operations, whatever, in such a way that you developed a real understanding of how the product worked. And this was fantastic. For once you understand why something is operating the way it is, the how-to-do-it comes naturally. This bestowed upon the user seemingly unearthly & magical powers. These magic powers allowed you to use the product for many off-label applications and in ways the manufacturer never even thought of. Otherwise known as being creative!

And you received this style of instructions not only with the main computer console, but with plug-in expansion peripherals and even some software.

Skip ahead to today. You've got single-sheet instructions that regurgitate on-screen menus or simply tell you how to get to them. Modern instructions explain little, if anything, beyond how to turn the device on or off or plug it in. It's written in 10 languages and your native language is buried someplace in the middle, or on one of 8 different folds. Some instructions have no words at all and rely on pictorials. Or sometimes you get nothing but a warranty card and a website to go to.

The material does nothing to welcome you to your product, nor does it teach you how it operates. Repairs and adjustments and anything to do with a theory-of-ops seems expressly forbidden. Today's "documentation" is an insult to the word and your intelligence. You often have to think stupid or be naturally slow in order to engage the instructions.

When I typed this mini rant up I was thinking of my old Apple II+ manuals, I got an Applesoft Basic tutorial, Applesoft Reference, a DOS manual, a technician-like hardware reference manual, and a Family System pictorial book that walked you through unpacking all the up to loading disks or typing your 1st program. I got warranty cards, customer satisfaction questionnaires, an educators list of software in a plastic bound mini-book. You name it, it was there! The documentation package was seemingly all inclusive and nicely put together.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Macintosh-IIVX-APPLE-RAINBOW-LOGOS-TI-1768II-Solar-Calculator-WORKS-rare/252157748986?_trksid=p5411.c100168.m2941&_trkparms=aid%3D333008%26algo%3DRIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140131123801%26meid%3D0c293380172943a9b2d561df07c825dc%26pid%3D100168%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D15%26sd%3D252360219904

Somebody had just stuck Apple decals on their calc. I know, I did the same thing. But, again, "because Apple".. A $3 calculator becomes a $30 calculator.

Keatah, looks like it has been pulled down now due to an 'error in the listing'. Haha!

Ohh the hubris!!!!!!! :bigsmile:

It just irks me that more than half of the items up for auction are by people that have no idea what they're selling.

Emphatically NO! They never came like that. Never ever ever. The only time Apple really used shrink-wrap was on the thin manuals and manuals with disks. Maybe some small accessory parts. But definitely never on those 3-ringers! And NOT on the consoles themselves.

I agree the consoles were never shrink-wrapped, but the 3-ring manuals were. I have a shrink-wrapped DOS 3.3 manual, as well as a shrink-wrapped Apple IIc manual, also shrink-wrapped Applesoft tutorial, Applesoft BASIC programmers reference manual, and shrink-wrapped ProDOS manual. Also I have a shrink-wrapped Applesoft sampler manual. All 3-rings.

Some pics:
http://macgui.com/gallery/showphoto.php?pic_id=1315
http://macgui.com/gallery/showphoto.php?pic_id=1316
http://macgui.com/gallery/showphoto.php?pic_id=1314#img

Theres a //e with an arcade board and liron that hasn't reached 50$ yet! Ending in 3 hours. Looks like sleeper, with the cards being worth the auction and the computer a throw-away item.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/152073842370?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Pardon my ignorance, but what is an arcade board??

Pardon my ignorance, but what is an arcade board??

It has the TI 9918 Video Sprite Chip and the GI ( now know as Microchip ) AY-3-8910 (the same family used in the Mockingboard, Echo +, AE Phaser ).

MarkO

What a steal! A liron card and arcade board for essentially 70 bucks, plus spare parts in
the form of a //e. And a nice $5.00 Grappler+ thrown in for good measure.

I'm seeing more and more of these "specialty" boards go for less and less. And not too long
ago a sprite board slipped through the cracks.

Some peripheral boards are beginning to drop. I don't say that because of this auction, but
in general overall. Whereas the early computer consoles themselves are rising.

The one thing I'm surprised doesn't move for more than $30 or 40 is the first Micromodem II
with the Microcoupler box. If it sells at all!

Ahh well, maybe it's just special to me!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Apple-Computer-Enhancement-Sticker-Set-of-3-Originally-Included-w-IIe-/121812196617?hash=item1c5c929d09:g:UCgAAOSw9N1VxBM5

Gotta love the $58 shipping charge.

It just irks me that more than half of the items up for auction are by people that have no idea what they're selling.

I TOTALLY AGREE!!!!

You would think they could at least spend 5 Minutes to search for Like Items and set a reasonable price....

MarkO

$850 with shipping performa.... Sure, it's worth it