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Most valuable vintage machine?

carlsson wrote:

Hm. I will seriously try to think of a Z80 computer more uncommon/valuable than any Jupiter Ace. Probably some of the truly oddball Asian ones you barely have seen on picture would fetch more money in the right group of home computer collectors.

What there really needs to be is a definitive list of Z80 computers! :-D Wikipedia might be the closest thing to it (they have something on a list of machines running CP/M) this seems to have the most relevance. Of course they always need stuff added (as I've found Musically).

By the way, today I have agreed to a deal to buy my so far most expensive vintage home computer; a complete, boxed vTech Laser 2001 with a few tape games (perhaps I can get some spare CreatiVision carts too, although the newly manufactured Multicart is reported to not fit physically into the Laser's cartridge port). I'm paying about 350 USD + shipping for this one, which is about 200 USD more than I first had planned, but I'm intrigued and it seems a bit uncommon.

You mean you found a machine which was built in 2001 and has a few tape games? Or is the 2001 merely a model number. A machine like that surely wouldn't be sold commercially.

If there were machines simply built from enthusiests as opposed to machines sold commercially then that would change the situation completely in terms of how rare a machine is. The rules would have to still apply in that it's a system in itself and not some clone which can run software from another machine.
 
Yes, 2001 is the model number.

I find Old-Computers to be a fairly good resource, as you can do a Power Search and e.g. specifiy Z80 on the processor field. Currently the site returns 411 records, and that is possibly excluding any NEC D780 solutions and alike. How does computers such as Exidy Sorcerer II, Grundy New Brain, Heathkit/Zenith H-89, Mattel Aquarius 2 and NEC PC-series value?

While the standard Sord M5 is not as expensive as an Jupiter Ace, one of its variants (CGL, Takara, M5 Jr, M5 Pro etc) might be. In particular the Sord M5 Jr which Dimitri had one in the mega-sale two years ago. An unboxed M5 Jr ended at 705 Euro after 20 bids, which is more than thrice as much as the most expensive Jupiter Ace.
 
carlsson wrote:

I find Old-Computers to be a fairly good resource, as you can do a Power Search and e.g. specifiy Z80 on the processor field. Currently the site returns 411 records, and that is possibly excluding any NEC D780 solutions and alike. How does computers such as Exidy Sorcerer II, Grundy New Brain, Heathkit/Zenith H-89, Mattel Aquarius 2 and NEC PC-series value?

I can tell you that the NEC PC series sold on mass in Asia so they shouldn't be very difficult to pick one up compared to an Ace and for the record machines like the NEC PC8000 are Z80 Compatable which makes it sound like it can do more than what a regular Z80 can. Perhaps it's like a Z80A found in CPCs?

While the standard Sord M5 is not as expensive as an Jupiter Ace, one of its variants (CGL, Takara, M5 Jr, M5 Pro etc) might be. In particular the Sord M5 Jr which Dimitri had one in the mega-sale two years ago. An unboxed M5 Jr ended at 705 Euro after 20 bids, which is more than thrice as much as the most expensive Jupiter Ace.

I'm still not convinced that those machines would fetch more than an Ace, in terms of value an Ace is perhaps under valued when one is up for grabs (which ain't frequently), and anything unboxed is usually valuable (be funny if an Ace turned up unboxed!). The disadvantage with the Ace is as you mentioned earlier it's possible to build one with all the information and ROMs on the Internet to do this. It's a wonder someone hasn't started building them and selling those computers on Ebay. That would lower the value of the machine.
 
Hi
To my knowledge, there were three versions of the
Jupiter Ace. Two were 50 Hz models an one was a
60 Hz model.
I guess having all three would be a bigger value.
I have a 60 Hz one but most that I've seen come up
on ebay are 50 Hz.
The main difference is the speed. Because of the
way the dividers worked out, the 60Hz machine is
slower than the 50Hz.
In most cases, the 50Hz will work on displays that
have enough range to cover 60 to 50 Hz vertical.
Dwight
 
Any thoughts on what computers and related items are cheap and easy to find now but will be rare and valuable in 20 years?

I've come across some interesting thumbdrives, I wonder if companies will ramp up the logos and designs on those as a means of advertising, hence making some collectible.
 
I gotta say, that is pretty cool. I wish they would show the sides, so I can see if it has the vents or not, a large indication of whether or not it is legit. Afterall, geniune cards for it go cheap on eBay. I'm sure it's real, I hope whoever wins it doesn't have it shipped. If I spent that much money, I would super bubblewrap my trunk and only drive 30MPh on the highway all the way home.

Anyone got $3,500 I can borrow?

--Ryan
 
OMG, I should NOT have even looked at that listing in detail. My budget is blown for about 2 or 3 years already, I'll just have to drool.

<whine> Original Paper Tape!!! sniff sniff
 
Yzzerdd said:
I gotta say, that is pretty cool. I wish they would show the sides, so I can see if it has the vents or not, a large indication of whether or not it is legit. Afterall, geniune cards for it go cheap on eBay. I'm sure it's real, I hope whoever wins it doesn't have it shipped. If I spent that much money, I would super bubblewrap my trunk and only drive 30MPh on the highway all the way home.

Anyone got $3,500 I can borrow?

--Ryan
Click to expand...

Vents don't mean anything. My cases have vents. They are genuine Optima cases too...

Vents may not have been standard in the 70s, but you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between my case and that one if they were side by side, except that mine would look better up close. ;)
 
barythrin said:
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.

- John
Click to expand...

I know someone who has an Apple 1 and Lisa 2 he bought from a friend in need back in the 80s. Guess that $600 was worth it. Someone else who bought a kit of mine has 3...

Thats almost 10% of the Apple 1s out there! I wonder if anyone knows how many were sent back to Apple for Apple II trade in. The two guys I mentioned above both worked for or got them from people who worked for Apple, so they might have come from trade-ins.
 
grant said:
Vents don't mean anything. My cases have vents. They are genuine Optima cases too...

Vents may not have been standard in the 70s, but you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between my case and that one if they were side by side, except that mine would look better up close. ;)
Click to expand...

I meant just the opposite. The new Altairs DON'T have vents on them. I think that one does, but am not positive. I would think vents would of been common in the 70s. Even though machines didn't really need them until the 80s (unless we are talking about the giagantor machines, or the really powerful ones) because thats when the home PC started getting hotter. But thats just what I can guess through reading and experiance.

--Ryan
 
The 8800s have vents, the 680s do not. That was not done on purpose. The next 680s will have vents. I made both of them. :)

This is from the altairkit.com web page:

061119-completed_altair_1974.jpg
 
Yes. You have an 8800 kit and a Kenbak kit, right?

http://www.altair680kit.com/

Optima didn't put in vents. I thought they would. Apparently the vents were not standard and since the case is still a valid part number they didn't send me drawings to approve. If I do more I will put vents in them.

I have about 10 Altair 680 kits left, by the way... ; ) Shipping very soon!
 
If it were documented as being complete it probably would have sold for more.
 
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