Sinclair Wrist Calculator UNBUILT on Ebay

[Jody]

Hello all. I hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting (spamming as my first post) this here, but I do believe it's relevant to this site anyways.

I'm a long time vintage computer/all electronics collector (first comp was a Vic-20 when I was 5).

but I just found this amazing piece at my local goodwill for $1.49 and I figured some Sinclair fanatics would love to see it.

please feel free to delete this if I am breaking any rules of this forum.

I just think a find like this a one in a billion, once in a lifetime thing and I thought I'd share.

But of course feel free to bid or tell your friends.

-Jody

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RK:MESE:IT

[sirmorris]

I can see why you're excited Good find! Good luck with the sale.

One thing confuses me though - if you think it belongs in a museum, why ebay it?

[Jody]

Thanks sir morris!

Well the obvious answer is that I have NO IDEA how to go about even trying to find HOW you get something into a museum.

And since museums are usually "donate only" but the real answer is simple.... RENT AND BILLS!

Trust me, I WOULD LOVE to have this in a museum with my name on a brass plaque next to it. I LOVE the fact that this is a piece of history way more than I care about the money, but this is what "I DO" full-time now. Working at home... buying from thrift stores then selling online.

No more punch clocks for me. I'm just getting started on that aspect. Sometimes it's just too hard for me to sell things because I WANT THEM.. haha

Hopefully whomever buys this, they will put it in a museum and get THEIR name on the brass plaque next to it.

[Jody]

Also, I'm more of a vintage audio and "basic electronics" collector for lack of a better term.

Record Players, strange cassette/8-track players..

or ocilliscopes, multimeters, etc.

I truly feel I don't actually deserve to own this as someone else will "love" it much more than I.

[PokeMon]

I truly feel I don't actually deserve to own this as someone else will "love" it much more than I.

Jesus Priest !
Maybe you love more the money than this rarely watch calculator you have.
Shame yourself !

[Jody]

I don't quite understand.

I'm guessing it's a language barrier, but I stated that it's not really the stuff I collect.

I have a few vintage computers, this is just something I feel someone else should own.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE THIS THING! EASILY the rarest thing I own even if it might not be the most "expensive" thing I own.


Plus, I'm more of a Commodore guy anyways.

[RetroTechie]

Nice find indeed!

@Jody: please try to understand the difference between "price" and "value".

Price is objective, and depends on buyer, timing, circumstances, sales channel etc. Whatever you get for it, is the price (and in general, reflects the overall effort needed to produce or replace it).

Value is very subjective, and depends on view. For example when donating to a museum, value is what joy each visitor derives from an item, multiplied by # of visitors that see the item. When it's something that would be lost to society otherwise, the value could be very high indeed if a museum (or dedicated collector) means preservation.

If value to you > sales price (example: my can opener), better keep it. If value to society (again: very subjective) >> sales price, consider donating to a museum. If you're not unwilling towards that, maybe you can work something out. For example a special price for a museum, that would make both you & them happy. Or only sell to a collector that you know, or one that promises to show the item in public from time to time.

I myself own a few rare items. Why do I keep them? Simple: if I sell them, who knows what will happen to them. Buyer might keep it for a year & then bin it. If I keep it, it won't be in a public display. But at least if needed, I can pull it out & show it "there! it exists!". In the mean time, I can hold it in my own hands. And can do so 5, 10 or 20 years from now. That's more valueable to me than the few $$ I'd get when selling those items. So I keep those.

[Jody]

Just to be clear, I'm sorry that I said it must be a language barrier.

I've read your other posts and it's obvious you know your stuff and speak well the mother tongue.

It just seemed for a second that you might have been pulling some "newbie hazing" on me, and I guarantee you, I can take it.

No hard feelings.

Also, I'm more of a solar/high voltage experimenter than caring about scanlines or whatever else YOU experiment with and such. Granted, I love it, it's just not me.

I'm also sitting on a Heathkit MG-900. It's litterally 10 feet away from me and has been for weeks.

maybe that's more your style? Selling that too, just haven't researched it enough. Not much info on it anyways, and shipping something like that is definitely not something I want to tackle when I have an entire house FULL of smaller stuff to get rid of first.

The "rolling eyes" is what got to me. Some might consider it rude.
Just so you know.

-Jody

[Jody]

@RetroTechie.

I'm well aware of what you said but thank you, some people REALLY don't understand that and I actually spend a lot of time explaining exactly what you just said to other people I know... check out my active/sold/unsold listings at the moment.

I'm a true geek (36 years old, started out like probably all of you did, when I was 5..) WHAT'S IN HERE???? taking apart everything I could so I could put lights and motors into my lego creations... got me in deep trouble more than once! "Why is the cover off the new $800 VCR Jody!!!!"" hehe....

My apartment looks like a damn vintage electronics repair warehouse (just ask my girl), she doesn't share my "enthusiasm", so to speak. lol

I feel like I'm defending myself now. I'm not. Just thought you guys would like to see a cool piece of history that I got for 6 United States quarters in a Goodwill.

I've been collecting and ebaying (and, ahem, foruming) for a decade. Now I'm just doing it full-time.

[sirmorris]

Sorry I started this thread off on the wrong foot - I didn't mean for it to get uncomfortable for anyone

Again, congratulations on your find. It staggers me what people throw away! I think this will attract a serious collector and I'm sure they will value it appropriately

C