• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Most valuable vintage machine?

E

Erik

Site Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 27, 2003
Messages
3,588
Location
San Jose, CA
We've talked about most collectable and collectable sleepers and we've considered value in some of those discussions.

From a pure dollar value perspective, though, what do y'all think is (or should be) the most valuable vintage computer?
 
I was kind of under the impression the original Apple 1 was all of the above. Most valuable and most sought after.
 
PCjr. No point in discussing it, I'll just lock the thread down now ...
 
I'm not so sure either of you is right. . . ;)

I'm thinking some of the early 8008 beasts (like the Micral or the Scelbi) might beat both for price on the open market.

Maybe.

But I guess the Apple does have cachet.
 
When I was at the VCF a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Sellam and seeing his vast collection in his warehouse (somewhere around 1300 machines?). Despite that there are a few he still doesn't own and would like to, one of them being the Apple I. He's helped sell a few (to get fair value for the client) and mentioned (IIRC) the last four going for roughly $25,000.

I'm not sure what other systems would pull that sort of money, but it would likely have to be historically significant, have a good history for that system going on sale (like Altair #002, or one of John Blankenbaker's Kenbaks would pull a similar amount), and have to be a small production run.

Then I think without implying you're probably only asking about the personal computer market and not including a PDP-1 or Cray-1, etc.

From what I've really seen in person though the Apple-1 is the biggest cost, although there's the chance that something went for higher but if I'm not aware of the model or not looking at the moment I could have missed some unknown to me jewel.

- John
 
So, the ENIAC or Harvard Mark 1 then? :rolleyes:

But in seriousness I didn't think back far enough to TTL Logic like the Kenbak 1. Wouldn't that have quite a value to it if it was operational?
 
Are we discussing the computer that today would fetch most money in a sale, or the computer that is likely to increase most (in dollars and/or percent) over the next five years?
 
Well, I'm no vintage expert, but as far as Microcomputers are concerned the Apple 1 would certainly be up there, for the following reasons...

1. It's rare. There were a very limited number made
2. It is historically iconic. These were hand-made in a garage by guys that helped launch the microcomputer revolution.
3. The company that started with this model is still around, a corporate giant and still a major player. And it all started with this computer!
4. Apparently the layout was a work of art in good design.
5. The mass-produced model that came after this one incorporated most of the original design, and was wildly popular.

Those are all compelling factors towards making something a valuable vintage machine.
 
So how do you guys feel accurate replicas impact the value of vintage computers? Is all the value in the antiquity or circulation volume?

How will the Kenbak-1 Series 2 kit impact the value of a Kenbak?

http://www.kenbakkit.com/
 
If we leave out the very small production ones (Kenbak, Scelbi, etc), I'd say the Lisa 1 might be next in line for current value, and most likely to increase over the next few years. There are a s/l of rich people around who got that way using a Mac, and many of them have bitten by the collecting bug. Don't be surprized if the price for a nice one goes up to $20K or more in the near future.

--T
 
grant said:
So how do you guys feel accurate replicas impact the value of vintage computers? Is all the value in the antiquity or circulation volume?
Click to expand...

I don't think replicas cut into the market for the real collectable stuff. The antiquity is a greater part of the value. Besides, once something becomes really valuable (say the Apple 1 at $20,000 plus) then replicas are really aimed at a whole different market. No way could I ever dream or owning a real one, but I might consider a replica. For those vintage computer lovers that can afford to pay $20,000 plus, a replica is probably just not good enough given the opportunity to buy a real one.
 
I have to go with the pack here. An Apple I almost guaranteed is the "most valuable", with another Apple product, an original Lisa (with 5.25" drives,) coming in second. Mostly because while the Apple I was replaced with a newer/better machine outright; the Lisa was upgraded and replaced at the same time (Lisa 2 and Macintosh,) and owners of existing Lisas were offered upgrades to make their original Lisas equivalent to the Lisa 2, including swapping the dual 860 KB 5.25" floppies out for a single 400 KB 3.5" floppy. (The way I see it, I would have gone "forward compatibility be damned, I want my extra 1320 KB of storage space!")
 
Without any doubt Erik it -should- be the Jupiter Ace!

And I'm not talking about some Emulator or a Box which a Jupiter Ace inside it, the real deal. Of course it should be in full working order too! :-D
 
atari2600a said:
Babbage's Difference Engine.
Click to expand...
It was never built entirely.

I'd love a Jupiter Ace. FORTH LOVE IF HONK THEN !, but my vote goes to the Apple I original. In terms of return of investment it's clearly ahead. You wouldn't get $1 mil for an IBM 650.

(not that return of investment is what I base a computers value on ;) )
 
Purely $$'s, Apple I will always be on the top of the pile, unless some new historical treasure is unveiled.

Maybe a small team at DEC in 1966 made a stripped down PDP 8 that worked with a television set and functioned as a PC, but they never sold them. They even made a few finished units, but then put them in storage and forgot about them???

Maybe in some forgotten store room, currently occupied by a shoe store in Cleveland, lies a few boxed, unopened Altair 8800's. "What are those things" the staff would ask.

There are probably some homebrew systems made in 1974-75 that were constructed by "famous" computer pioneers in the homebrew computer club, etc. that would at least be more historically valuable than the Apple I.

Marty Spergel sold some custom computers - do any of these exist? (The Junk Man from the homebrew club days).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top