While surfing the web I ran across a web site where This guy was selling various old computer parts. One of the items listed was a:
EMS memory card populated with a total of 2MB RAM.
Because I think it would be neat to own a piece of computing history, I E-mailed him and asked him if he still had it for sale. This was his reply:
I sure do, although it may take a bit to dig it out – we just moved and
it’ll be buried in a box somewhere. As for price, I don’t even know how
much it’s worth to tell you. Make me an offer.
What is a fair price? Oh, and he lives in Canada.
And to think I sent a 1200-baud modem out in my White Elephant for free.
The answer is probably not much. All kind of vintage computer junk can be found on Ebay, not much of it worth much, unless it’s a TRS 80 or an Apple Lisa. The only stuff that’s particularly valuable is rare parts that still work that some collector wants to put in a vintage machine.
Chances are that you can find a similar board at a yard sale, Salvation Army, or in the junk drawer of your freindly neihborhood computer geek for almost nothing. Like I said, Ebay also will have this stuff. I wouldn’t bid more than a coiuple of bucks though. Chances are, you will have to pay him more for the shipping and the hassle of sending it to you than it’s really worth. Also, check your local large college for a surplus auction, they sell this stuff by the pound.
Now enter a poster who knows exactly what it’s worth and will debunk my post, line by line.
I have checked eBay constantly and nobody’s posted it. I only know of one computer place around where I live that sells used 486 or older computer parts, and the selection is very small.
Well, it’s probably worth 5 bucks or so, but you might want to swing him a little more just for the trouble of digging it out and sending it to you. Either that or order it with something else.
I wonder how much is $5 in Canadian currency?