Timothy Kline Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 The number of times I have seen such 'winning' high bid numbers and then found out it was sold to oneself to bend the curve.... or the buyer simply doesn't complete the purchase has been astounding... but I have seen an awful amount of 'sucker' and 'stupid' in my day as well Last 1200XL I bought was 3 weeks ago for 6.95 at American Family Services Thrift stores..... It appears to have come from one town away.... and it works... they also had a crap ton of tube tv's I've wondered this myself as I adopted Atari hardware over the past year or so. Just an occasional, nagging hunch from the patterns I was seeing from daily scanning of the listings. A remarkable find, too, with the 1200XLs! They're out there. Waiting. --Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+slx Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Glad to have two in the basement, still wondering whether upgrading them for compatibility makes sense or if "never tinkered with" condition will be all the rage with collectors should I ever decide to part with one of them . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlowingGhoul Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 This has become a recurring theme here, and on other 8-bit enthusiast forums. For most people, the days of finding retro gear 'in the wild' are largely over. This stuff is scarce, and getting scarcer. There are no "cheap" Atari 8-bits available online any longer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Kline Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 There are no "cheap" Atari 8-bits available online any longer. Considering The_Doctor found 3 1200XLs for what most would consider "cheap," and even on GreedBay I picked up a 1200XL about 3 weeks back for under $100 shipped, it's my opinion that saying "no" "cheap" Atari 8-bits are available online anymore is still premature. However, given that there is a finite remaining number of systems out there, what's required is attentive diligence. Heck, 1200XLs have been showing up even on the Goodwill online store at prices far below GreedBay's. We're not at the "none" point yet. Are sellers enjoying the current trend of unusually high payments for what was once a much-aligned system? Evidently they are. I'll see where things stand, trend-wise, as we exit the tax refund season and that "disposable" income dries up. --Tim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+orpheuswaking Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 I picked up the three 1200xl units each with a different keyboard key or keys missing from a thrift store in Dayton Ohio a few years ago (along with 2 600xl, okimate printer and a box load of SIO cables) each unit was $5 So occasionally it comes up in the wild, usually from a less well known thrift store. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Guitarman Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 I have been out of the loop for a few months. I was, just the other day, amazed at what standard 800XLs are selling for on eBay!! Considering the amount of hardware I have shelved in the garage, I must be sitting on a goldmine!! My favorite being the 1200XL, I have collected a few of those. At those prices, I may have to think about thinning the herd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tschak909 Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Since I have CP, I'd love to buy a 1200XL with an Ultimate1MB and a VBXE in it....someday. -Thom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACML Posted May 6, 2017 Author Share Posted May 6, 2017 Best is sold out of pretty much all 1200XL spares: 1) There are no more spare 1200XL keyboards at Best. There were a bunch sold at Radio Shack as a hobbyist part and they do show up on eBay from time to time. 2) There are no more spare 1200XL motherboards at Best. That means if the board is truly bad, one machine must die to save another. If its just an IC or capacitor, you now have to do the leg work and find and fix the errant part. No more easy R&R of the mobo. 3) 34 years after they flopped becoming Atari's "Edsel", the community has finally discovered what an exceptional machine they are. I imagine that the majority of 1200XLs we are seeing, were someone's everyday machine. I can only imagine how many 1200XLs just got thrown away back when they were literally giving them away. I remember that time shares would give you a free 1200XL in the mid 80's if you heard their sales pitch. In 1986 and 87', most people still had no idea what a computer could do. So many of those never got used more than 10 minutes and got tossed in the trash while saying "what the hell am I going to do with this"? 4) Only thing to do is stay vigilant, there will be those garage, estate sale and thrift store offerings that do not understand what they have. For those occasions I listen to Abe Lincoln, "Good things may come to those who wait, but only those things left by those who hustle." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariGeezer Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 (edited) I'll be selling one of my 1200XL's this month either in the market place or ebay, the keyboard is fully functional... Edited May 6, 2017 by AtariGeezer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACML Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 AtariGeezer, You're in Santee. Where you there in the mid 80's. I also lived in San Diego County back then. Do you remember Warner Engineering downtown by the Sports Arena and Sea World? He sold a lot of surplus Atari equipment. He was doing a lot of 1200XL OS conversions on 1200XLs. he was putting OSB ROMs in place of the 1200XL rev 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariGeezer Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I joined the Air Force in 1978 and came back to San Diego in 1994, so I missed out on some local stuff except when I returned for vacation time. That maybe where I bought my Casio CZ-101 or some other Atari Shop. There was also an Atari store that was selling off their Atari Stock in 1994 where I bought a Falcon 030, Mega 4 and a bunch of A8 carts including most of my OSS collection. I think that's where I bought the 1040 STE too... Warner Engineering might be where I bought my first 1200XL on one of the vacations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACML Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 There was the Federated Group. They were owned bythe same parent company as ATARI after Tramiel left. They were selling off hardware cheap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Kline Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Now selling for nearly $700?! http://tinyurl.com/n3pe5vq --Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACML Posted May 21, 2017 Author Share Posted May 21, 2017 The hysteria continues! $455 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-1200XL-Computer-Power-Supply-Switch-Box-Cable-Manual-Basic-Box-Near-Mint-/262984173111?hash=item3d3b140637:g:W-MAAOSw3gJZF6ou $680 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-1200XL-Computer-Power-Supply-TV-Switch-Box-w-Cable-/272667607290?hash=item3f7c4180fa:g:rKcAAOSwYlRZFKR7 $250 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-1200XL-Computer-1050-Disk-Drive-410-Program-Recorder-/282484440869?hash=item41c5627f25:g:NnoAAOSw~y9ZHfqE "Soylent Green is PEOPLE !!" For the love of humanity, STOP THIS INSANITY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Even if I had the money knowing I have always wanted one of those I'd still NOT pay that sort of money and as its been pointed out that there's very little if no retail spares around now its more of a worry to have one (except for Tim K ). I could not reconcile the notion of that much money bar if I had won the lottery. Great for sellers but utter lunacy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) Heh, you should see the Apple scene. Some early serial# consoles going for $3000 and up. Standard-issue accelerator boards and certain sound cards $600 or more. Individual (truly rare disks) in the hundreds or even thousands.. Lisa computers for $50,000 and up. Drive assemblies for those, $40,000. Edited May 21, 2017 by Keatah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+kheller2 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 With 1200xls at these prices, 1400xls better be around 10k now! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 All classic hardware seems to be skyrocketing lately. I wonder if it's temporary or permanent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACML Posted May 21, 2017 Author Share Posted May 21, 2017 Maybe everyone's getting their tax refunds and they have cash to burn. All I know is that this is crazy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+kheller2 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Last 1200XL I bought was 3 weeks ago for 6.95 at American Family Services Thrift stores..... It appears to have come from one town away.... and it works... they also had a crap ton of tube tv's Hmm. Competition. Thought I was the only one in these here parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) are you the one that scoops MY Atari stuff from time to time? Very glad someone else is rescuing this stuff.... as I have been of ill health... I have gone long period without checking... and no one bought some stuff.... they put disk drives a printer and an 800XL (all working) in the crusher/dumpster Edited May 21, 2017 by _The Doctor__ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mytek Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 At these prices the XEL is starting to look cheap by comparison - Michael 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclaneinc Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) If they were from the 1800's I'd accept the prices but from 1980 and achieving prices comparable to antiques made of gold...Shocking.. This as we say in the UK is a saying similar to "extracting the urine" or "taking the p*iss" to be exact.. Edited May 21, 2017 by Mclaneinc 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariNerd Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 At these prices the XEL is starting to look cheap by comparison - Michael In a way, knowing that there is a functionally-alike system, using a new, more reliable motherboard, using stock chips, but with easily-done upgrades, RE-empathizes the value and collectability of the original, especially untouched, hardware and to some extent eases the fear of plunging in and purchasing. The 1200XL is socketed. If worst came to worst, the main chips could be salvaged and transferred to something like the 1088XEL, while the original machine remains an iconic, beautiful, aesthetic piece. Many of these folks will be in the same market. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+kheller2 Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 are you the one that scoops MY Atari stuff from time to time? Very glad someone else is rescuing this stuff.... as I have been of ill health... I have gone long period without checking... and no one bought some stuff.... they put disk drives a printer and an 800XL (all working) in the crusher/dumpster Doesn't that mean that you are responsible for said crushing... not having rescued ALL the cheap Atari gear? Typically, places think the bigger the box or higher the model number the more expensive something should be. By that reasoning, 130XE's should be at the dollar store if you can find a 1200XL in the wild for 7 bucks. I get out maybe once a month to a place or two but always come away discouraged: Either there is nothing there, or someone wants $100 for a 800XL that looks like it was left on a deserted island, on the shoreline. My offer of $100 for all the Atari stuff gets turned down, but then its not my problem they don't actually make any money on product sitting on a shelf for 4 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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