> On Sep 10, 2024, at 4:31 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org>
> wrote:
>
> On Tue, 10 Sep 2024, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote:
>> Wow, someone paid $56k for a MITS ALTAIR. And $945k for an Apple 1. Not to
>> mention $718k for an Enigma machine. A bunch of things went for way above
>> the estimate, while for others it's much closer. One wonders why; I suppose
>> a possible explanation is "because the auction house doesn't particularly
>> understand the market for these things".
>
> Any special provenance? (Hitler's personal Enigma?, BillG's' Altair?,
> Steve's Apple?)
Nope. But the Enigma is a four-rotor Navy model, not the more common 3-rotor
one. I didn't know that the Navy had those; I had heard of 4-rotor machines
only as something the Gestapo used.
> Or just multiple bidders on each item, unaware of more reasonable sources?
> (I think that those prices are high, or the bidders were)
Seems that way. For that matter, so does $250k for the Xerox Alto, and a round
million for the Cray 1. Not to mention $32k for the Cyber console display (I
would have liked that one, but not at that price!). And perhaps craziest of
all, $189k for a 360/91 console display. Just the lights panel, nothing more.
paul
