Great/Interesting Finds

[John Doe]

You get 2nd chance to get a decent acer kb101a in skcm blue world if you missed last time, or you didn't wanna pay that much.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144397835126?h ... SwUZxh~WxW

[davkol]

Sun Type 5c w/ unix layout & mouse

[Go-Kart]

Interesting looking thing, Mitel MU190EB.

[thefarside]

I thought this was interesting:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Operation ... 5053804066

The seller’s username is “rarekeyboards”, has a Magnavox Videowriter listing with brown alps with USB adapter and in the description says:

If you buy this don’t be a scumbag and rip the keyboard from the system as they’re both fully operational. Use it and enjoy it.

Picture 11/12 was amusing. Hard to tell if this person is being funny or serious, but I can appreciate not wanting a perfectly working device trashed for harvesting the switches. Interesting the switches aren’t soldered in.

[Muirium]

They must know who's looking…

[hellothere]

I first wanted to mention https://www.ebay.com/itm/304344124173. It's a George Risk Industries Series 9000. It probably does have Futaba Complicated switches or some sort of reed switch. Interesting connector. Moar pics. Currently $102.50.

The fun part of the keyboard is that it ha a label that reads, "US Army MICOM" on the label. That's "MIssile COMmand."

====

Anyhow, regarding the Magnavox brown Alps, I have an IBM 5140 luggable up on ebay, right now. I did harvest the brown Alps for a keyboard, but replaced the switches with Matias Quiet Clicks, so no vintage computers were (badly) hurt. I received an ebay message by someone asking me why I removed the switches. I essentially recapped what's in the ad ("Brown Alps are valuable to the keyboard community, too!"). He followed up with a message close to, "No, bro. That's only SKCL brown Alps. A SKCM brown Alps keyboard is only worth, like, $100. If you throw the brown switches in with the 5140, I'll give you $200." That'd be a no, brah.

The sentence structure was about the same as that in that Magnavox ad. Hmmm.

[thefarside]

Anyhow, regarding the Magnavox brown Alps, I have an IBM 5140 luggable up on ebay, right now. I did harvest the brown Alps for a keyboard, but replaced the switches with Matias Quiet Clicks, so no vintage computers were (badly) hurt. I received an ebay message by someone asking me why I removed the switches. I essentially recapped what's in the ad ("Brown Alps are valuable to the keyboard community, too!"). He followed up with a message close to, "No, bro. That's only SKCL brown Alps. A SKCM brown Alps keyboard is only worth, like, $100. If you throw the brown switches in with the 5140, I'll give you $200." That'd be a no, brah.

The sentence structure was about the same as that in that Magnavox ad. Hmmm.

I think I found your listing

IMG_4284.jpeg (52.98 KiB) Viewed 7297 times

Doesn’t get any clearer than that! I’d like to try brown alps but the crazy prices will keep it a mystery short of finding one in the wild.

[xxhellfirexx]

Anyone want the play the switch lottery? It can have some sort of Alps switch given the low serial number.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125140485334

[hellothere]

Anyhow, regarding the Magnavox brown Alps, I have an IBM 5140 luggable up on ebay, right now. I did harvest the brown Alps for a keyboard, but replaced the switches with Matias Quiet Clicks, so no vintage computers were (badly) hurt. I received an ebay message by someone asking me why I removed the switches. I essentially recapped what's in the ad ("Brown Alps are valuable to the keyboard community, too!"). He followed up with a message close to, "No, bro. That's only SKCL brown Alps. A SKCM brown Alps keyboard is only worth, like, $100. If you throw the brown switches in with the 5140, I'll give you $200." That'd be a no, brah.

The sentence structure was about the same as that in that Magnavox ad. Hmmm.

I think I found your listing
IMG_4284.jpeg

Doesn’t get any clearer than that! I’d like to try brown alps but the crazy prices will keep it a mystery short of finding one in the wild.

Yup. That's the ad. I initially had, oh, 18pt text that was bolded. Five or six people put in bids and asked to cancel. I've already had two bidders cancel with the 36pt bolded, red, and underlined text.

I'm moving painfully slowly on my SKCM brown Alps keyboard more-or-less on purpose. The switches will be housed in an OmniKey Plus. The 5140s weren't cheap, nor was the OmniKey. I also had a bit of labor tucked in. Let's just say I won't be selling it for $200 .

[hellothere]

Anyone want the play the switch lottery? It can have some sort of Alps switch given the low serial number.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125140485334

Rule 23 of Deskthority: If there's no picture of the switches, it has the cheapest switches mentioned in the Wiki.
Corollary: If there's no picture of the switches and the Wiki mentions the keyboard was available with rubber domes, it has rubber domes.

[Muirium]

Rule 23.µ: Mu shall then reference Banzai.

[hellothere]

Rule 15: Mu makes your thread better.

[thefarside]

Bigfoot sighting:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Model-F-Ke ... 5285467914

[dotdash]

Poor condition, and the description is wrong:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/154829142823

[hellothere]

Fujitsu Micro 8. Should have 1st Gen Fujitsu Leaf Springs.

Spoiler:

s-l1600 (1) - Copy.jpg (126.05 KiB) Viewed 6734 times

Currently $250 US.

[gianni]

Sorry for the OT, am I the only one who noticed a drastic reduction of availabe model F and old cherry keyboards? I've found nothing at affordable prices (or nothing at all) in the last 18 months or so.

[fohat]

a drastic reduction of available

Classic market forces.
Limited and finite supply with increasing demand.

[goomba_]

Sorry for the OT, am I the only one who noticed a drastic reduction of availabe model F and old cherry keyboards? I've found nothing at affordable prices (or nothing at all) in the last 18 months or so.

I managed to get a model F AT for 150 last week, not exactly cheap but pretty good for what prices are right now. Cherry stuff is a lot harder to come by it seems, and the demand for them is at an all-time high since people like the switches and caps to use on modern builds. Unfortunately, prices will probably only get worse going forward (especially for Cherry boards) as the community gets bigger and more people find out about vintage boards. You can still find deals but they are few and far between on top of requiring constant checking of marketplaces for new listings that haven't been sold yet.

[Muirium]

$150 for an AT is an excellent catch, certainly over here. Now, yes, I got one for a lot less back in the old days, from Texas no less, but that’s irrelevant here besides for my fondness for gloating.



Even back then, the market feeling was the same. “Wish I’d been here just a few years before, those were the days!”

[Obin]

This just popped up on Ebay Kleinanzeigen. Seller is behaving very suspiciously, by only accepting Paypal F&F and refusing to make a photo with date and seller name.

The seller has other suspicious offers (like a whole Ibm 5160 for 200€) as well.

I'd stay away.

Edit: It's "reserved" now... likely some poor sod just lost 150€.

[thefarside]

This just popped up on Ebay Kleinanzeigen. Seller is behaving very suspiciously, by only accepting Paypal F&F and refusing to make a photo with date and seller name.

The seller has other suspicious offers (like a whole Ibm 5160 for 200€) as well.

I'd stay away.

Edit: It's "reserved" now... likely some poor sod just lost 150€.

If it’s too good to be true…

[Muirium]

…then Act Now! That’s how it goes, right?

[Lekrafter]

Sexy blue Alps board - 99 cents right now

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Deltagold-DGK-1 ... 6-26712-0P

[dcopellino]

Japan goodies. A little bit pricey IBM M5-1 old trackball keyboard

[thefarside]

ADDS keyboard with space invader switches according to the wiki:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Applie ... 5385049950

wiki/Hi-Tek_Series_725

[dotdash]

I managed to get a model F AT for 150 last week, not exactly cheap but pretty good for what prices are right now.

If you grabbed the one mislabeled as an XT, I want to see restoration pictures.

Here's a couple more still under $200
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165328985611
https://www.ebay.com/itm/304355184842

[goomba_]

I managed to get a model F AT for 150 last week, not exactly cheap but pretty good for what prices are right now.

If you grabbed the one mislabeled as an XT, I want to see restoration pictures.

Here's a couple more still under $200
https://www.ebay.com/itm/165328985611
https://www.ebay.com/itm/304355184842

No, it wasn't mislabeled here is the listing https://www.ebay.com/itm/255369069568

Got the seller to agree to 120+shipping so was just a little under 150. It's in great shape the plate is spotless and the case only has a few scuffs. The seller had a second one but that was sold moments after I got mine.

[wobbled]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313874679035 ... SwQIhiCWOI
HHKB for £100

[orihalcon]

For all those Symbolics fans, whoever found this in an estate sale no doubt had a great find:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114933868710

Interesting that it notes the microswitches to be tactile. I think I've only ever seen/tried linear microswitches myself

[thefarside]

For all those Symbolics fans, whoever found this in an estate sale no doubt had a great find:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114933868710

Interesting that it notes the microswitches to be tactile. I think I've only ever seen/tried linear microswitches myself

I thought the description was amusing.