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HP Forum Archive 20

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Shocker! Nice HP-70 sells for only $260
Message #1 Posted by Michael de Estrada on 22 June 2011, 1:43 p.m.

It's commonplace to see threads on this forum discussing outrageouly high TAS auction sale prices for vintage calcs and accessories, but how about amazingly low sale prices? Something to this effect happened earlier today, as a very nice HP-70 sold for a mere $260. In the past, an HP-70 in good condition would easily fetch over $500, and in one case nearly $1000.

There were several factors that probably affected the final price.

First, it was domestic only with no shipping beyond the USA.

Second, the auction ended at an odd time, middle of the week at a time of the morning when many potential bidders were probably somewhere between home and work.

Third, this auction comes after a period in the last 1 1/2 years in which more than a dozen HP-70s have sold, and perhaps all the high roller buyers have been exhausted, leaving only budget buyers.

Anyways, there is one very lucky collector out there today.

      
Re: Shocker! Nice HP-70 sells for only $260
Message #2 Posted by bill platt on 22 June 2011, 3:39 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

The Euro is strong, the Greeks are going bankrupt, Helicopter Ben is printing money, and everyone is out of work.

What's shocking? ;-)

            
Re: Shocker! Nice HP-70 sells for only $260
Message #3 Posted by Joerg Woerner on 22 June 2011, 4:48 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by bill platt

Or collectors spent their money on TI calculators?

I saw three SR-60(A)in the past three weeks going for $2,000+, $1,600, and $760. And a TI-59 in Europe for more than EUR 300 (more than USD 450...).

Or was it Casio? That fx-98 recently for $485, you remember.

Or collectors knew already that I listed today a fx-98 Plus a.k.a. Radio Shack EC-4009?

If you do a lot of auctions on eBay as a seller, you'll learn:

It's all about bidding war! I had calculators not selling for my usual $9 minimum, re-listed them in the same week and selling for $30+. You can't predict the maximum bid, this is why you see more and more "Buy-It-Now OR Make-Offer" auctions.

Or in case of the EC-4009 a very high minimum bid...

Regards, Joerg

                  
Re: Shocker! Nice HP-70 sells for only $260
Message #4 Posted by Mike Morrow on 22 June 2011, 7:05 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by Joerg Woerner

That EC-4009 is, IMHO, the best credit-card scientific ever made. They were inexpensive...I bought more than five when they were on the US market in 1985 and gave most away as cheap gifts...except for the one I still have.

The HP-70, on the other hand, was never the nicest or the best in any category.

                  
Re: Shocker! Nice HP-70 sells for only $260
Message #5 Posted by bill platt on 22 June 2011, 8:29 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by Joerg Woerner

I will not bid on any calculator auction with a minimum, or a reserve price. Waste of Time.

      
Re: Shocker! Nice HP-70 sells for only $260
Message #6 Posted by Joerg Woerner on 22 June 2011, 4:58 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

Congratulations!

Should make a nice addition to the Omron 12SR ;-))

Cheers, Joerg

      
Re: Shocker! Nice HP-70 sells for only $260
Message #7 Posted by David Ramsey on 22 June 2011, 6:37 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

Hm. Guess I shouldn't have contributed my HP 70 as a raffle prize at HHC 2006.

But it was so ugly. And I really only am interested in the scientific calks.

      
Re: Shocker! Nice HP-70 sells for only $260
Message #8 Posted by Mark Hardman on 22 June 2011, 8:44 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael de Estrada

In January of this year I purchased an HP-70 from a seller in the UK that disclosed that there were a few bad LED segments. I won the auction for what I then thought was an incomprehensibly low $312! There must have just been a little corrosion on the LED's finger connections. Because, when it arrived from the UK, all display segments were working like new.

I guess it’s just a good time to be a buyer on TAS. In the last month, I also picked up an HP Xpander for $48.77! The seller disclosed that the digitizer was not working. But again, lady luck was with me. The NIB Xpander arrived, I popped in two pre-charged NiMH batteries and the unit booted right up to the digitizer calibration screen and I was able to align the touch screen without problem.

Mark Hardman
Houston, TX

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