Helo NeXT Community: I sense an Upward tick in the price point procurement delta for the value of NeXT hardware after all this is Christies Auction House :) They seem legit lol can I get a holy crap; Christies I'm your seller huckleberry.
https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/firsts-history-computing-paul-g-allen-collection/nextcube-personal-computer-148/230086?I think I actually sold them this one for around $1500 quite a few years back and my stamp would be on the interior under the backplain , Thoughts?
To make a long story short: don't go calling the boat dealer just yet.
A lot of items went for massively inflated prices, and the retrocomputing world has no idea why this happened. There's real doubt as to whether these prices will be repeated:
- I haven't seen any signs of there being enough computer-mad rich people to sustain this kind of pricing
- I don't think people are liable to start holding out for prices like these as the new baseline --- are you? If anyone wants to buy one of my NeXTs for $15,000, they should get right in touch. That's 25% off!
- It's not clear that old computers can hold value like other highly-valuable collectibles can (e.g. paintings). Old cars are the only comparable items I can think of that do, and I'm not sure they're the same.
There were other anomalies too: the fact that a Lisa 1 massively outsold an Apple 1 (by hundreds of thousands) is unprecedented, although it matches my own taste.
So it's not clear if anything like this will happen again anytime soon. Anyway, there's another thread about this auction going here (
https://www.nextcomputers.org/forums/index.php?topic=5758).
Quote from: stepleton on September 29, 2024, 06:41:47 AMTo make a long story short: don't go calling the boat dealer just yet.
A lot of items went for massively inflated prices, and the retro computing world has no idea why this happened. There's real doubt as to whether these prices will be repeated:
So it's not clear if anything like this will happen again anytime soon. Anyway, there's another thread about this auction going here (https://www.nextcomputers.org/forums/index.php?topic=5758).
What these new prices do establish, is given the right setting , 4 p's of marketing product, price, place and promotion and provenance or pedigree of the items for sale , it will no doubt be repeated, we now have a working recipe.
I recognize the serial number on the back of the cube AAK0016440 , the 440 stood out. I suspect I will hear from the buyer at some point as if they spent that much on it up front they will probably want a frame off nut and bolt restoration. Note I'll drop my contact info to Christies I did not sell to the collection directly but recall a system sent to the evil empire death star at one point lol, perhaps explains the mismatched parts.
As I have been adding my stamp to most the NeXT hardware , hundreds of systems for many years for stations under the motherboard and cubes usually on the bottom interior section of the cube case and a back up under the back plain .
I have even been asked to sign and date a few :)
If we think in terms of paintings and emerging markets , the NFT punk looms large here .
It is a head scratch-er for me in terms of pricing in the millions. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and crypto currency nou veau rich buyers that made their fortunes with in the web computer space, often don't mind a premium price.
My friend Chuck at Vintage Computers on eBay has proven perceived value of computer related items for so many years. However it also is a lot more work, overhead to have listing for thousands of vintage computer items.... most of the stuff is and has always been junk lol IMHO.
A lot of purely electronic "paintings" have also gone for astronomical amounts. I think of all of my creative art work aka pre moniker NFT , I've had virtually hidden in plane site but stored securely in time by the way back machine being worth potentially a small fortune to the write (right) buyer.
Would it be considered the work of an old style artist before the time of artificial intelligence art , well it should be and may be this very thread will prove that in the future, by web image treasure hunters looking for vintage last millennium pre 2000 art work.
Case in point
https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/11/22325054/beeple-christies-nft-sale-cost-everydays-69-million , I've done the same thing.
I agree with you an automobile and a computer are a real world product.
Nostalgia and value in the future as one younger customer bought a bunch of NeXT workstations and a few cubes from me and is keeping them in a bunker some operational. He did very well in the recycling and precious metal business enough to retire at 30 :)
1 haul of equipment netted over 1 Million dollars. one mans trash is another's treasure. He made the move to get into Crypto lol should have listened to him about bitcoin at ~$27 oh crap.
He bought land and has created a successful orchard up in Montana, if he still has all his bitcoin he may own Montana by now , it is rather admirable.
He is playing the long game with the NeXT hardware, he also took my advice and bought Apple shares around the same time and has to be smiling all the way to the bank.
I still kick myself for selling my 10K investment in Apple shares in late 96 at $15 share , turns out my dad that recently passed and bought some with me at the same time kept a few. My sister and I are laughing.
thought I did great selling them for $120K then got hosed when I got back in to the stock market temporarily and successfully in 2008 then the options market/ portfolio crash , wall street shishters lol I got smoked by trading algo bots.
We can only hope the value of our vintage NeXT hardware goes the way of Apple stock and Bitcoin crypto to the moon.
I'm told that there are indeed trading sights in Asia and the Middle East where the standard price for vintage hardware is a multiple eye opening value from what we consider the norm. We shall see, I don't perceive NeXT's ever losing current market value.
As far as a boat dealer , well I would lease or rent as I know all to well friends that fell into the yacht , stand in a shower burning 100 dollar bills of owning a big boat story. I'll go over to the new thread.