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trevorlsciact

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 6, 2007
210
0
Orlando FL
are likely to become collectables? Like, for example, would the iPhone become collectable since it is apple's first cell phone? But they are selling so well, so is it really likely to happen? Would the 4gb be more than the 8, since they sold less, and it was the original starting model? Would an iMac intel core duo be collectable someday, since it was the first intel mac available?
 

madmax_2069

macrumors 6502a
Aug 17, 2005
886
0
Springfield Ohio
It really depends on the Person who is collecting them. some things to some people are not considered collectors items , wile there are a few that do consider them collectors items.

it also depends if the said item was in limited production or not. also it depends on the demand to find the item and how hard it is to get ahold of the said product that can make it a collectors item. some of Apple products can become a collectors item, and some will never be.

like i consider my Beige G3 AIO a collectors item here are a few reasons i think that

1. it was Apple's first line of G3 systems
2. last of the old world PPC Macs
3. it was the first AIO system to have a G3 CPU
4. only sold to schools
5. getting more rare cause people trash them instead of sell them cause how much it would be to ship it.

but that is my opinion on it, not to many other people will have the same outlook on it. most will say its ugly slow and unable to do things modern things.

My Yikes G4 a collectors item ( my view)
1. first G4 system Apple Made
2. first and last G4 PCI only model Apple made
3. Apples first Power Mac to have no ADB port used for a KB and mouse

again this is my view that makes these a collectors item to me, other people might not see it that way.

like i said it really depends on the person that collects them and how many collect the said item and how rare the said item is that makes it a collectors item to most people.
 

macEfan

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2005
1,210
7
yes I think that the iphone 4gb will be more of a collectors item due to the limited number of units produced....

As far as my machines go...

Collectable:

Mac Color classic I

1. Last Compact Mac Series
2. Only compact mac to have a color screen(other than CCII)
3. Can be upgraded with later logic boards for even faster performance

IIFX

1. Fastest mac in 1990. 40mhz...wooo faster than the intel chips of the time!
2. 6 numbus slots....plenty of room for expansion
3. Rare due to its price tag of $10,000 at time of introduction
4. Dual Floppy drives... nifty and expensive!

Powerbook 520c
1.Fastest (other than 540c) 68k powerbooks
2. The last of the 68k machines
3. Only one of apple's early laptops to have on-board ethernet
4. Rugged case
5. much improved color screen
 

dpaanlka

macrumors 601
Nov 16, 2004
4,868
30
Illinois
Usually stuff that is "universally" considered collectable (more or less) are those products that have some significance...

Examples of stuff that will probably be considered collectable:

PowerBook 100
Color Classic II
SE/30
Workgroup Server 9150
Quadra 840av
TAM
PowerBook 1400c/166
Power Mac 9500 Multi-Procesor
First Gen iPod

Examples of stuff that will probably not be considered collectable:

Performa 6200
Performa 5200
Mac IIvi
PowerBook 1400cs/117
Third Gen iPod
Power Mac G3 Beige Desktop
 

gkarris

macrumors G3
Dec 31, 2004
8,301
1,061
"No escape from Reality...”
Firsts, and lasts tend to be collectible. The firsts, are well, the firsts, and the lasts tend to have a more limited production. Also, machines with limited production runs overall. I would also like to think Apple stuff that just plain looks cool. Complete in box makes it worth tons more.

Collectibles in my opinion (not by any means a complete list):

Original Mac (either)
Mac Plus (the beige or white)
Color Classic (last compact)
IIfx (limited run)
Original iMac G3, also the special colors
The last snow white iMac G3
The original lamp style iMac (first ones)
LC (first, low cost color)
Cube (of course)
PowerBook 100
PowerBook Duo (first sub-note)
eMac (original, education only model)
Mac Mini (first release, basic $499 model - the only Mac under $500?)
Original iPod (with the moving scroll wheel).
3G iPod (with the touch sensitive buttons - kinda cool).
The 5G iPod (first with video).
The iPhone 4Gig model (limited, first iPhone)
The iPod Touch (1G)

Some peripherals go for lots of money too, like the PowerCD...
 

Forced Perfect

macrumors 6502
Jul 2, 2004
281
0
Toronto, Canada.
Powerbook 520c
2. The last of the 68k machines

Technically the PowerBook 190 series were the last 680x0 based Macs.


Collectibles in my opinion (not by any means a complete list):

Original Mac (either)
Mac Plus (the beige or white)
Color Classic (last compact)
IIfx (limited run)
Original iMac G3, also the special colors
The last snow white iMac G3
The original lamp style iMac (first ones)
LC (first, low cost color)
Cube (of course)
PowerBook 100
PowerBook Duo (first sub-note)
eMac (original, education only model)
Mac Mini (first release, basic $499 model - the only Mac under $500?)
Original iPod (with the moving scroll wheel).
3G iPod (with the touch sensitive buttons - kinda cool).
The 5G iPod (first with video).
The iPhone 4Gig model (limited, first iPhone)
The iPod Touch (1G)

Some peripherals go for lots of money too, like the PowerCD...

Excellent list. Although I'd add the Macintosh TV, the black Power Mac 5400 (if I recall correctly), the Power Macintosh 8200 as it was a 7200 in a tower case and wasn't released in the US. Possibly the 4400 as it's something of an oddball Mac (even has the floppy on the wrong side).

Some of those exist in large numbers (Duos) but I still value them. Personally I think my PowerBook Duo 230 is one of the coolest Macs ever.
 

macEfan

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2005
1,210
7
Technically the PowerBook 190 series were the last 680x0 based Macs.


Sorry I meant to say the fastest 68k powerbook. The 190 was slowwwww. The PB 520c/540c had ethernet, and any port you could want. The 190 series was like a low end 520...
 

dpaanlka

macrumors 601
Nov 16, 2004
4,868
30
Illinois
Sorry I meant to say the fastest 68k powerbook. The 190 was slowwwww. The PB 520c/540c had ethernet, and any port you could want. The 190 series was like a low end 520...

The 190 had exactly the same processor speed as the 540, but shared the newer motherboard of the 5300.
 

Forced Perfect

macrumors 6502
Jul 2, 2004
281
0
Toronto, Canada.
The 190 had exactly the same processor speed as the 540, but shared the newer motherboard of the 5300.

The fastest 680x0 PowerBook was the PowerBook 550c. Very rare and not sold in North America. It was a black 540c with a 68040 @ 33 MHz (as opposed to an 68LC040 @ 33).

The fastest 680x0 Mac was the Quadra 840AV with a 68040 @ 40 MHz + an AT&T 4321 Digital Signal Processor running at 66.7 MHz.
 

coneman5259

macrumors member
Sep 20, 2007
81
0
Chicago
are you all forgetting the rarest of all macs? The twentieth anniversary mac (TAM) should be the top of the list. I would sell a kidney for one of those.
 

velocityg4

macrumors 604
Dec 19, 2004
7,329
4,717
Georgia
I'm surprised no one is mentioning the Apple Line. Like the an the original Apple I in perfect running order must be worth quite a bit. Or an Apple II. I imagine the IIe is goes up some but there where just so many of them. My high school still used them for typing in 99 I bet they still do.
 

macEfan

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2005
1,210
7
Yes the apple I and the LISA are definitely on the collectors list but I think they are out of the average collector's price range :D
 

Cameront9

macrumors 6502a
Aug 6, 2006
961
500
I'm surprised no one is mentioning the Apple Line. Like the an the original Apple I in perfect running order must be worth quite a bit. Or an Apple II. I imagine the IIe is goes up some but there where just so many of them. My high school still used them for typing in 99 I bet they still do.

Wikipedia says Apple I's typically go for 14-16,000. Yes, that's thousand.

I would wager that a sealed original iPod would fetch a pretty penny.
 

macEfan

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2005
1,210
7
The last Apple I I recall seeing went for $32,000 or so if I remember correctly...
 

sinigang99

macrumors newbie
Jan 31, 2007
29
0
2.jpg
 

Unspeaked

macrumors 68020
Dec 29, 2003
2,448
1
West Coast
I can't believe no one's mentioned the Mac portable! That was unique, limited and is hard to find - certainly collectible.

But yeah, if you guy by some earlier posters criteria of what's collectible - the first of last of something - a case could be made for nearly any Mac.

Between optical drives, RAM type, PCI slots, external ports, resolutions, processors, etc. nearly ANY mac was the first model or last model to feature SOMETHING.
 

sinigang99

macrumors newbie
Jan 31, 2007
29
0
Decided to keep it for now. After I got it all cleaned up, it was kinda hard to push it out the door....plus I figured I could leave it for my son so he can see what the old man did back in the day.

I had offers but no one would ever come up with an actual figure.

It was fun to bring it out into the daylight again for awhile.

15.jpg
 
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