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Mid Atlantic IBM 3278 with keyboard

Covers: New York, Pensylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.
B

Bigeyoo

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Joined
Sep 14, 2024
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4
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I have this terminal and keyboard that I am looking to sell. I know that it is rare to find both together, and in such good working condition (the manual inside the keyboard is in very good condition as well). I also have done some research on the value so I would appreciate not having to haggle too much. If you have any additional questions about it or would like more pictures let me know.
 

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Great find there and the fact that you have both the KB and terminal is a big plus. The one issue with this terminal is that it is not super useful. What I mean by that is it is not a serial based terminal so your market is going to be:

1. A collector who wants it for display
2. Someone who has a 3270 based setup (I really doubt any are out there running but I could be very wrong)
3. Movie prop, visual effects, museum etc.
4. Someone buying the terminal for the kb and planning on ditching the rest of it. A convertor is available (http://www.ibmsystem3.nl/IBM3278/) to allow the use of the KB with a regular system.

In the above 4, 1-3 will not pay much for the item. Scenario number 2 would be the ideal buyer from a vintage preservation point of view and would pay the most but not that much more. Scenario 4 is the worst case scenario for preservation but is your most likely buyer and the highest payer.

I am not sure what your research has shown regarding "price" as there isn't enough of these sold (not talking listed or offered) a year to come up with an accurate ballpark. If your objective is to preserve it as a whole then prepare for much smaller offers, haggling, and holding on to it for a long time. If you want a high price and quick sale and don't care about preservation then just ditch the rest of the terminal and list the KB for the KB Kiddies on eBay starting at $0.99 and collect your cash once the bidding is done.
 
1944GPW said:
There is this device available, not 100% sure if it's ok for a plain 3277 though
https://www.tindie.com/products/approachware/3270-usb-interface-ibm/
Click to expand...
Interesting device. Very singular use unfortunately. I am in the process of cobbling something similar using Raspberry Pi 4 to allow an ASCII SERIAL terminal to access multiple network connected hosts. i.e. a single terminal accessing a menu system on the RPi. Of course your hosts would need to be on the network but that is generally trivial to do. In regards to this device the host SW that runs on the PC is compatible with:


Only CUT (Control Unit Terminal) type terminals are supported. I have tested oec with the following terminals:


  • IBM 3278-2
  • IBM 3472
  • IBM 3483-V (InfoWindow II)
  • Memorex 2078
Click to expand...

so I am not sure either.... If it works this gets you Scenario 1.5 "the hobbyist". I would put them at the same price point as scenario 2 maybe a bit higher/maybe a bit lower. Certainly not at scenario 4 levels.
 
I assume from the responses there isn't interest in actually buying this, just stating that it's not worth as much as I believe it is (before knowing what I believe it's worth)?
 
Bigeyoo said:
I have this terminal and keyboard that I am looking to sell. I know that it is rare to find both together, and in such good working condition (the manual inside the keyboard is in very good condition as well). I also have done some research on the value so I would appreciate not having to haggle too much. If you have any additional questions about it or would like more pictures let me know.
Click to expand...

You wish to avoid haggling, but state no price. This is not a great way to do this as there is little reason to do this other than to invite haggling....

Also, can you confirm that this item is located on the non-continental USA, that would be what "Other US Areas" mean, and if that's the case, you may garner far less interest since the logistics get far more complex if this is true.

Bigeyoo said:
just stating that it's not worth as much as I believe it is (before knowing what I believe it's worth)?
Click to expand...

In general, when someone shows up on here and purports to know exactly what something is worth it is almost always because they are wanting to sell the item for way more than what most would consider reasonable. Old, rare and valuable usually does not go for a lot of actual money, unless it is also sort after and/or there is a large following behind it. This is why an Apple I will go for a ton of money, but some far more rare and harder to get machines will sell for peanuts, if at all. For example, I bought a complete IBM 5114 system for around $50, a system that is arguable far more rare than an Apple I these days.

Your item may be valuable to someone out there, but the chances of you finding that exact person who is willing to fork over a ton of money for it are very slim, and this is your number one problem to solve if you want to sell it for a fair bit.

That said, if you want to sell this, then: 1. Put a price on it, be prepared to haggle, and 2. confirm the accuracy of the items location (I really doubt it's in the "Other US Areas" tag), so that people can get a sense of what it would take to get their hands on it, if they chose to pursue it.
 
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Bigeyoo said:
I assume from the responses there isn't interest in actually buying this, just stating that it's not worth as much as I believe it is (before knowing what I believe it's worth)?
Click to expand...
Like I warned you there isn't a huge market for this item so you are going to have to be patient for a sale.
 
Alright, thank you for the clarification. When I made the post I missed the Mid-Atlantic option. I am in New York, not sure if I can edit that in the post or if I need to create a new one.

As for the price, I did not state that I know its value but that I believe I have an idea based on others that I have found. I understand that the terminal seems to not be worth much on its own, and like Shadow Lord said it doesn't do much by itself. The keyboard however has been posted for anywhere between $1500 and $5000, and knowing that each key functions properly is a plus as well as it being in fairly good condition.

Should I just let the post sit and check on it every few weeks?
 
Shadow Lord said:
Like I warned you there isn't a huge market for this item so you are going to have to be patient for a sale.
Click to expand...
There are folks that are looking for them. It’s just hard to find where the keyboard hasn’t already been scavenged. The other issue is that they are very heavy and either requires a local pickup or properly crated for shipment. Both of which will tend to depress the price.

I spent 3 years looking for one before I found my first one.
 
Bigeyoo said:
As for the price, I did not state that I know its value but that I believe I have an idea based on others that I have found. I understand that the terminal seems to not be worth much on its own, and like Shadow Lord said it doesn't do much by itself. The keyboard however has been posted for anywhere between $1500 and $5000, and knowing that each key functions properly is a plus as well as it being in fairly good condition.
Click to expand...

When you say the keyboard has been listed for those prices, did it actually sell for those amounts? I really doubt it, but then again the keyboard harvesting was out of control a few years back, especially for any beam spring or buckling spring keyboards made by IBM. I think it's cooled off a lot since someone was able to make some modern versions of those switch types, so even if you got some interest from the keyboard crowd, it's unlikely you'd get anywhere near your lower end estimate, let alone the higher end of what you mentioned.

Bigeyoo said:
Should I just let the post sit and check on it every few weeks?
Click to expand...

You could do that, you could also put it on Ebay. Maybe you'll get lucky and find the one or two people out there who would pay anything for the terminal and keyboard to finish out their setup and who have enough disposable income to consider your ask to be reasonable. I think that this is unlikely, but I am hardly an expert in that field.

One thing to consider, if your goal is to extract the max value from this thing, would be to find a non-profit to donate it to, and use the value to offset your taxable income when you file taxes*. Not as nice as getting handed a wad of cash, but could be a larger net positive financially to you than just dumping it, or selling it for way less than you'd like.

*I am not a CPA, and I suggest talking to one before listening to anything I say about taxes
 
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ggs said:
There are folks that are looking for them. It’s just hard to find where the keyboard hasn’t already been scavenged. The other issue is that they are very heavy and either requires a local pickup or properly crated for shipment. Both of which will tend to depress the price.

I spent 3 years looking for one before I found my first one.
Click to expand...

Exactly. There isn't a booming market where they are being bought and sold regularly on a weekly basis. Are there people out there who want one? Sure. But it will take a while for the right buyer to find the right seller and as you pointed out many factors depress the price for someone looking to buy to use.
 
Bigeyoo said:
The keyboard however has been posted for anywhere between $1500 and $5000, and knowing that each key functions properly is a plus as well as it being in fairly good condition.
Click to expand...

Which is why I suggested Scenario 4 as your best bet for making a quick sale for the most cash. I don't know about $5k for the keyboard but I have seen stranger things so "never say never".
 
Lutiana said:
would be to find a non-profit to donate it to, and use the value to offset your taxable income when you file taxes.
Click to expand...

I am not a CPA, and certainly not giving tax advice, but don't you have to have some verifiable basis for the value you use to offset the taxes? I.e. I can't just go in and say my unopened copy of MS-DOS 3.3 is worth $15K on the donation slip. I either need to use standard/common values or have a way to show it is really worth what I am claiming.
 
Shadow Lord said:
I am not a CPA, and certainly not giving tax advice, but don't you have to have some verifiable basis for the value you use to offset the taxes? I.e. I can't just go in and say my unopened copy of MS-DOS 3.3 is worth $15K on the donation slip. I either need to use standard/common values or have a way to show it is really worth what I am claiming.
Click to expand...
Good point, I am not a CPA either, it just strikes me as a *possible* way to extract the most value out of the thing. I'd suspect that showing the IRS the various listings OP mentioned might suffice, but again, I am not a CPA, nor have I been in the position of being able to donate "highly valuable" items to any non-profits.
 
Lutiana said:
Good point, I am not a CPA either, it just strikes me as a *possible* way to extract the most value out of the thing. I'd suspect that showing the IRS the various listings OP mentioned might suffice, but again, I am not a CPA, nor have I been in the position of being able to donate "highly valuable" items to any non-profits.
Click to expand...
Multiple verified sales, at a minimum, with documentation of condition. If the Eye of IRS looks in your direction their starting position won't be in your favor ...
 
Looks like I will be letting the post hang out for a while then. We will see what comes of it. Thank you for everyone's advice and contributions!
 
As far as taxes go, while I am not a tax specialist, most 501c3s will tell you that with a signed donation form, you can use any source of value as proof, i.e. a sold eBay listing that you print out or save to PDF.

You might want to contact LSSM, as they feature IBM systems that this terminal was designed to interface with.
https://www.mact.io/

I love the 3278, and really hope that whomever gets it uses it and loves it too!

- Alex
 
Thanks Alex. Yes, we at LSSM have real operational IBM mainframes and can make direct immediate use of this terminal. We are a 501(c)(3) (a "real" 501(c)(3), PC, not PF), if you would consider donating it to us; then it would be available for everyone to learn about and enjoy. Please let me know if you'd consider it.

-Dave McGuire, LSSM
 
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Well that worked out beautifully. The terminal can be in the hands of people who would enjoy it, the KB is not getting sacrificed to the KB kiddies, and OP gets a nice tax break. A win all around!
 
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