# Cards from a circa 70s IBM machine



## powerbuy (Aug 7, 2009)

I am attaching photos of a few cards from a 70s IBM tape drive controller (IBM 3420 and 3803). I had several of these units.... all around 6ft tall and weighing a ton at least. They were full of all types of hardware.... motors, switches, power boards and transformers.... ect. 

These cards were taken from the control boxes.... I have several huge boxes full. Has anyone seen cards similar to these and if so does anyone have any idea on the PM content if any? There is a little bit of visible gold.... but the majority of the metal is the silver chips seen in the photos.


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## powerbuy (Aug 7, 2009)

As an addition.... there were also several dozen of these board (see photos). According to the information that I received, the IBM units retailed for literally hundreds of thousands of dollars each originally. This was in a time where precious metals were at a fraction of the current prices. Would there be any reason to have the pins on these board made of platinum or palladium? Possibly coated?


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## teabone (Aug 7, 2009)

The last bull market for gold and silver occurred between 1970 and 1980. As a cheaper alternative I.B.M started using palladium coated pins on a lot of there electronics. Also in there chips encased in aluminum , you will find some palladium and gold. The big T.C.M chips in the high end computers used a lot of gold. (Thermal Conducting Module ) These chips were huge , they were twice as big as a pentium pro with a much higher gold content. Unfortunately these chips are hard to come by now.


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## Chumbawamba (Aug 14, 2009)

These boards will generally sell to computer collectors for far more than their PM content. eBay is good for that. Check the "vintage computers" category.


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## cmbrose (Feb 3, 2010)

Does anyone have any idea what type of metal is used in the orange wires on the last picture? I have lots of cards that have wires wrapped around the pins and wonder if they are worth saving.


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## Geld Konig (Feb 9, 2010)

cmbrose said:


> Does anyone have any idea what type of metal is used in the orange wires on the last picture? I have lots of cards that have wires wrapped around the pins and wonder if they are worth saving.


This is a copper Ag plated with a plastic (HDPE).


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## goldsilverpro (Feb 9, 2010)

powerbuy,

If I remember right, those IBM cards with the Al cans, in your 1st three photos, ran about $7/pound in about 1973 or 1974. You'll have to check to see what the market prices were at that time. A lot of the value was in PGMs under those cans.


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