New Zealand Vintage Computer Forums

Listed today a very tidy Acorn Risc PC & 486 PC card.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=712211069&ed=true

Everyone is welcome to bid, even the guy who called me gay because I spotted that his computer was not working even if im on your blacklist you can bid as long as you pay for it within 7 days

Its been fully tested, I dont expect bidders to gamble on untested dead computers.

$25 shipping anywhere in NZ

I see you pulled the original listing and have relisted. Good luck. FWIW the total ram count(combines vram and system ram) and cpu type should be able to be seen top left of the screen on start up. Taking the top off and having a gander inside is pretty trivial and will take 5 mins tops. Determining the roms installed isn't hard either. I'm sure anyone seriously interested in this machine would prefer a more up front description.

Good luck with your RiscPC sale. I see you've had to re-list it. I was having a giggle at estar7's wish-list.

While I think your price is fair for one of these, you won't find too many retro-holics that will give them bench space. As you've probably gathered by the requests, only the Acorn fan club want them with the latest and best gear fitted, and ready to go at a knock down price. These enthusiasts would be best served to buy a Raspberry pi. So price comparison is made and puts you in a tricky spot.

I suppose you've come to the conclusion that for those repeat questions about processor etc., you should probably find someone local to you who can identify what is in the computer so you can silence the dreamers, or you will have ground-hog day every time you re-list.

Otherwise, before you go looking, when the computer turns on, immediately after the POST, text will appear in the top left of the screen. This gives the processor type - not speed? I can't remember. The version of OS in ROM - hardly important unless the buyer thinks they will use the computer for some sort of daily use!? And last, total RAM fitted (RAM + VRAM) - not much help unless the total is an odd number - meaning 1MB of VRAM. Catch all that quick, as your system will go to the desktop in a few seconds. That information should keep most people happy.

Since all the Acorn kit with internal batteries have an absolutely diabolic history of fatal battery failure, if this has not already been removed and 'fixed' (my replacement is on 'flying leads' in the space behind the Acorn logo on the right hand side - let's see it explode in there and cause problems!) you would be doing everyone a favor opening the case and confirming the state of the motherboard - a quick note in the listing is all. This is surely the only thing a collector could be concerned about? But as we all know this from experience across the platforms, is sometimes taken for granted that at this age this 'must' have been done already to keep the computer running in tip top shape.

Nice to have the PC gear included. Do you know if it was ever fitted in this machine? Or has it come to you separate from the computer?

recycled wrote:Good luck with your RiscPC sale. I see you've had to re-list it. I was having a giggle at estar7's wish-list.

While I think your price is fair for one of these, you won't find too many retro-holics that will give them bench space. As you've probably gathered by the requests, only the Acorn fan club want them with the latest and best gear fitted, and ready to go at a knock down price.

I'd imagine if it was fair price the first listing would've been snapped up in a pinch. For an example I paid less than $200 for 233Mhz machine with PC card with a lot of other goodies and $60 for a two slice Risc PC600. Not listing any detail other than "ts the highest Spec Acorn on the market"is just pure hype Those asking the questions do so for reason- to determine if it is worth the asking price. It's quite that simple. Ignore them and you are less likely to get a sale.

Link to the new listing http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/vint ... 452176.htm

Oh and almost forgot the PC cards generally go for between $15 and $30 boxed and bundled with Dos locally depending on the cpu type. about the same price as a fully functioning 486.

caluser2000 wrote:I'd imagine if it was fair price the first listing would've been snapped up in a pinch. For an example I paid...

etc etc etc.
Yeah, that does depend who's in the market at the time. A relist or two doesn't mean much for a specialist item.

You mean like those Apples or that A600? The relist is $100 over previous one. So i seems actually turning it on increases the value by over 30%.

As mentioned earlier good luck Gavin

I paid $160 for the Acorn, and over $160 (cant remember exactly) for the PC Card (there was some very aggressive bidding), the shrink wrapped manual was another separately paid for item, the shipping cost shown on my auction is less than actual shipping costs, The bank takes fees for Buy-Now (probably $6) and Trade-Me takes over $30 for fees.

So take away $60 for (all) fees & shipping costs, that leaves less than what I paid for it, Im not likely to make a handsome profit on it

Testing should be worth more, I have thrown away a lot of money recently on untested items that once arrive I have them powered up and determined to be dead within minutes of unwrapping them.

Take the navarone cartridge expander $40 wasted on yet another untested dead item - Im waiting for the C128D to arrive $90 spent and I dont even have the slightest clue as to if its a runner

Hence the questions put forward in the first aution. If they'd been answered them you may well have had it sold already

I think I remember that PC card auction and thinking silly silly boys You can get them in from the UK for less than that. Less than a month ealier I'd picked up 3 cards from the same seller- 486SLX to 586s for $45.

Luck of draw with autions. Payz ya money, yaz take ya chances.

caluser2000 wrote:You mean like those Apples or that A600?

Let's put it like this... If I was selling something with an even more limited market, like an expensive vintage car. Perhaps a mint original Group A VK SS Commodore. (can go for over $100k) It's value is not diminished because it didn't sell the first week.

That Acorn beastie is a smaller collector group than say an Apple IIe. If I was Gavin, I wouldn't be dropping the price or changing my opinion of it's value after one listing.

caluser2000 wrote:The relist is $100 over previous one. So i seems actually turning it on increases the value by over 30%.

Depends if $100 is a lot in the context. If it was a machine I was after, a $100 difference in price can save you a LOT of messing around if the machine is guaranteed working and in NZ.

Gibsaw wrote:Depends if $100 is a lot in the context. If it was a machine I was after, a $100 difference in price can save you a LOT of messing around if the machine is guaranteed working and in NZ.

He'd already stated it was in perfect working order in the first auction, as well as the OP. All I wanted, and I'm sure other prospective buyers as well, was proof of that claim. These were promised in the first auction, which was canned early, but never forth coming at all.

I paid $10 for TWO mint "clicky" keyboards last year (in computers/other section of TM)

Yip there's bargains out there alright. I picked up a perfectly functional Zenith 286 amongst a bundle stuff for few $ and the seller was only a block away.

Good to see the pics. Now the punters have a better idea of what they're getting. I see it's got an i-cubed nic module, which is great.

Still no pic of the desktop though-on now-excellent

Did you get this machine from Julian Kendall in Napier by any chance Gavin?

That name sounds familiar

A few of us here got A4000s from him and I received a fare bit of RiscPC stuff. He was clearing out a school lot Acorn items for a year so and usually threw in a spare item such as psus, manuals, keyboards and mice. Just to clear stuff out I guess. Also backed you up if you received a dud off of him. Nice chap.