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The History of Computing Auctioned at Christie's

Posted by timothy on from the considerable-subset-anyhow dept.

Larry Groebe writes "The most amazing unified collection of books, papers, and similar material on the history of computing is about to go on sale at Christie's auction house. Want a signed copy of 'Rossum's Universal Robots?' Original papers on the Eniac? Alan Turning's original proof of universal computability? Letters from Charles Babbage himself? It's in there, to anyone with (a whole lot of) money. Check out the estimated price on the 1974 journal article by Vinton Cerf describing IP addressing. It's increased in value in the past 30 years...just a bit."

9 of 177 comments (clear)

  1. Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place. by dabigpaybackski · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I hope they put these items in a museum where everyone can see them. Considering the ever-growing importance of the computer in the last half-century, I think papers like these should be part of an exhibit making the rounds across the globe. Smithsonian, perhaps?

    --
    "OH SHIT, THERE'S A HORSE IN THE HOSPITAL!"
    1. Re:Historical Documents Deserve A Prominent Place. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Well buy them and donate them or better yet buld the museum yourself.
      I hope they go to whoever bids the most that is why they call it an "auction".
      Private collectors are usually the best people to assemble and conserve such things-where do you think the libraries and museums get them?

  2. estimated bids are ridiculous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The estimated bids for these items are ridiculously inflated. If they get 10% of what they are estimating they will be doing great.

    1. Re:estimated bids are ridiculous by MerlynEmrys67 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Why do you say that...

      Just because you don't have the money doesn't mean quite a few people don't. I would expect historically interesting documents to fetch a decent price. Someone will want them, hopefully for a museum (A tech museum somewhere) - I could see Bill J, Scott M, Bill G, Steve J. putting bids on documents that particularly inspired them.

      --
      I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them
  3. Intrigued, but annoyed by geekwench · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Wow, I am simply amazed at the collection of Geek History 101 on display. (The copy of R.U.R is enough to make me want to smash the piggy bank.) All of this stuff is, apparently, one person's collected library on the origins of cyberspace. (See here for further information.)

    ...Which brings me to the annoyance factor. This collection is going to be scattered to the four winds. Looking at some of the pre-auction estimates, no one person, and very few institutions, will have the scratch that it would take to keep the collection together. Taken seperately, each of these items has a historical context, but taken together, they chart the idealistic, scientific, and technological foundations of the Internet.

    Auctioning the library off in such a piecemeal fashion just seems wrong, IMNSHO.

    --
    Doing my level best to piss off the religious right wing...
    1. Re:Intrigued, but annoyed by MerlynEmrys67 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Looking at some of the pre-auction estimates, no one person, and very few institutions, will have the scratch that it would take to keep the collection together

      What do you mean - I know people that this would be chump change for (ever go on a drinking spree with someone with more money than sense and get a sip of whiskey out of a multi-thousand dollar bottle ?)

      Bill G easily has this kind of money - heck the brothers google do as well.

      I could see Andy B from Sun, Steve Jobs from Apple, and maybe the Woz kicking out this kind of money if it were important enough to them.

      Now I agree, I would like to see a collection like this kept together - however the owners of the property in question, value its worth much more than the collection as a whole... and frankly selling it off piecemeal like this will probably raise the price (a LOT of people would pay 2000-3000 for their favorite historical book - not many people could pay 1/2M for the whole thing). Frankly they own it and have the right to do what ever they want with it.

      --
      I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them
  4. Re:One man's trash... by Hnice · · Score: 2, Insightful
    yeah, either the estimates or stupid, or

    and i'm going out on a limb here

    christie's employs people with experience in correctly valuing antiques and memorabilia. gee, i wonder who i should trust -- the experts, with years of proven experience in the field, or an anonymous coward?

    yawn.

    --

    god is just pretend.

  5. How about a benefactor? by xbytor · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why doesn't Paul Allen or Bill Gates cough up some $$$ to buy the entire collection and donate it to the Smithsonian? Somebody in the biz with the bucks needs to step up to the plate here..

    ciao,
    -X

  6. Re:Dang! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Except that your C64 is outdated tech, whereas this stuff is fundamental, and will be used as important reference material for new designs 500 years from now, much like Modus Tolens as an important logical construction (in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) came from Socrates, passed onto Plato, and then Aristotle. That's the difference between technology and science. Technology is flavor of the month. Science is flavor for all time.