7/15/06 Auctions of Note

Auctions of note for July 15th, 2006:

[Editor's Note: Mike Warns was kind enough to point out a gaff I made below. :) See comments. There was indeed a Deskmate 1 for the CoCo and, yes, it is listed in the Price Guide right above Deskmate 3. As said, "Doah!" :) -07/19/06]

Auction listings from eBay will expire 14 days after the auction ends and the links will no longer work. The blogger guy (me) claims no responsibility, endorsment, or affiliation with the listings presented. 'nuff said. As alsways read the listings carefully and buy and sell responsibly. :)

Nice:

Radio Shack TRS-80, MIC-10 micor color computer new

An MC-10 with 16K module in what appears to be NIB Near Mint. This combo does come up occasionally, but not in so nice a condition. Potential collectible material here.

The following items are all from the same seller, rendent. Might be worth watching these for awhile, as the seller mentioned they have a large lot of stuff from a former Radio Shack employee that they will be listing.

This has potential:

TRS-80 Coco RS-232 Interface Pak

Difficult to tell from the picture, but rare enough with the manual. The packaging is almost never seen, but it's one of those oversized plastic blister packs that yellow quickly and horribly.

Another nice MPI:

TRS-80 Coco Multi-Pak Interface

This one is a 26-3124. Easier to convert for use with the CoCo 3 (just replace the PAL chip, no other shenanigans required). In the box with the manual is a nice plus and collectible.

Here's one that might get overlooked:

TRS-80 Coco Mouse and Joystick

The mouse is the two-button deluxe mouse. No box or manual, so collectiblity is questionable, but very useful. The prize, though, is the not mentioned in the title hi-res joystick interface. Not super rare, but they come up infrequently enough that it's worth a peek. Appears to be NOS. And hey, who couldn't use another deluxe joystick. It is the rarer two button version (required for playing games like Rampage).

Somewhat rare game:

TRS-80 Coco Game Cartridge 'Thexder'

There was a short period last year where Thexder (from Sierra Online) came up several times in a row, a couple of them complete or shrink wrapped. This one is not wrapped, but it is complete and the pak, with all the trimmings, hasn't been spotted this year. Collectible and a pretty fun game.

Several software rarities:

TRS-80 Coco 'VIP Writer' Software
TRS-80 Coco 'VIP Database' Software
TRS-80 Coco 'Home Publisher' Software
TRS-80 Coco 'DeskMate 3' Software
TRS-80 Coco 'Cook Book' Software
Coco Games: raaka-tu, Madness & the Minotaur

VIP Writer is rare enough to warrant a look, but VIP Database is even rarer. Both are long time CoCo stalwarts and are in collectible condition, judging by the photos. Well worth backing up and using for practical applications as well (if you're into that retro application thang).

Home Publisher doesn't really have much practical use, unless you just like to have a lot of pain with your DTP, but complete it has a bit of collectible value and doesn't come up too often. Ditto Deskmate 3 (I know there are fans of this program... no offense. heh!) Both of these items should be in any serious collector's stash, though. Home Publisher was one of the very first true DTP programs for home use, and Deskmate 3 (there's was not Deskmate 1 or 2 for the CoCo) was a great attempt at a GUI for the CoCo. (I just never got the point of a) load deskmate, b) wait a long time, c) click to files, d) execute program, e) look there's a calendar. When you could just as easily a) type LOAD(M) "program" and b) look at the wall where the calendar is. I know, I know... I'm nut.)

Cook Book is one of those rarely seen Tandy disks. Hasn't been spotted in a very long time (since before the Price Guide started and then some). When I was 14 I wasn't into cooking database applications (always hated that Home issue of the CoCo mags), but wonder if it would be useful today. I do love to cook. Wonder if it's got any Paula Deen recipes in it. (That woman made me gain 30 pounds... seriously.) I doubt my wife would let me set up a CoCo next to the can opener, though. Sigh.

The final item has another interesting surprise in it. Both manuals are included, which makes them notable. Madness is aptly named. I recall spending hours pounding away at this game and never solving it. And almost ripping my keyboard out trying to get out of that damnable maze! Ahem. Also included in the auction is what appears to be a Radio Shack demo binder. These were used to store the program tapes for demoing software on the various Shack computers. Not something I've seen before and would be an interesting conversation piece, perhaps. That's assuming you have old TRS-80 nuts for friends, or hang out with former Radio Shack employees, of course.

Angel's Luck,
Capt.