"Irrational Exuberance"?
#1

There are two HP 42S currently up for auction, described as new, with prices nearing $500. Doesn't this seem ridiculous? I was thinking of bidding but it may be an emotional auction.

Has anyone seen this model go for this high of a price before? It's a great calculator I'll admit, but I'd rather buy a couple of new 35s than pay that much.

#2

To paraphrase a Dutch saying, "anything is worth what a fool is willing to give". :-)


A few years ago, I paid $170 for an HP-67. Maybe I spent more than I had to, but I really wanted one, and I could afford to spend that amount... I'm happy, and I suspect the seller is, too.

The HP-42S is the subject of many discussions on this forum, and the prevalent opinion appears to be that it is the best keystroke-programmable RPN calculator ever made. (Maybe that's exaggerating things, but not by much.) Even so, given the fact that calculators like the HP-50g cost only $150 or so, brand new, and also considering the fact that most of the tasks that people used to use calculators for are done using cheap laptop and desktop PCs nowadays, spending $500 on an HP-42S seems extreme... It's certainly more than the calculator is worth in any practical sense, but we're all human, and sentiment (nostalgia?) is always a factor. And of course, there's always good old-fashioned insanity. Again my Dutch compatriots seem to know something about that; if you haven't heard of it yet, you may be interested to read about the 17th century Tulip Mania.

I suspect the HP-42S craze may turn out to be just another market bubble... But I'm NOT selling mine. :-D

- Thomas

#3

It seems to me that I paid over $200 brand new in June of 1980 for my HP-67. But I can't remember. Anyway it's not for sale.

tm

#4

Quote:
Doesn't this seem ridiculous?

Not really, after all, its eBay. Anything is possible.

Quote:
Has anyone seen this model go for this high of a price before?

Sure, they've reached $600. And then there was the new in box, still in shrinkwrap 15C that hit $1,135.00 last October.

Quote:
I was thinking of bidding but it may be an emotional auction

It's all emotion. They function exactly the same as my fifteen year old, beat to death, been 'round the world a few times 42S. Except they look better than my mine :)

#5

Did you notice that current high bidder, number 12 has 0% feedback and has only been in eBay system 30 days or less? It's either a newbie or a bid fluffer :-)

#6

That seem crazy to me, especially when I look at completed items for HP 42s. There was one that close yesterday that close for $117.50. There are others too that sold in the $200's. With fact that many 42s still out there, I would wait and find one that sell for less.



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