QUESTION: I’ve been what’s referred to as a “geek” since I was a teenager. Back then, my buddies and I played all sorts of games on what today would seem like ancient machinery—old computers. Recently, I was cleaning out my attic and ran across my old Altair 8800. I remember when it graced the cover of Popular Electronics Magazine back in 1975. I haven’t used it in years but today, I own a souped up PC with all the bells and whistles. Do old computers like this have any value?
ANSWER: Before you give that old computer the heave-ho, you might want to read on. It’s been 46 years since your Altair 8800 rose to prominence in Popular Electronics. During that time, personal computers—better known as “PCs”—have turned the world upside down and inside out. In fact, most people do very little without computers today, and businesses, especially, couldn’t operate without them. And without computers, this pandemic would have been shear Hell for most people.
Geeks, also known as “nerds,” grew up with computers and often seek out their first ones. And in the retro movement, those from the younger generation are also trying to discover the computers from before they were born. In fact, someone out there collects just about any pre-1990 computer, but it’s the ones from the 1970s that are hot.
One of the real classics was the Commodore 64. With 17 million units sold during its long lifetime, there are probably more Commodore 64 computers stashed away in closets and attics than any other model. Some say the Commodore 64 was the best-selling single computer model of all time. Collectors can usually find one or two available on eBay for anywhere from $10 to $300, with some in their original box.
Cover-featured in a famous issue of Popular Electronics magazine as a do-it-yourself project, the Intel 8080-based Altair wasn't the first microcomputer, but it was the first one that truly caught on, spawning an entire industry of clones, add-ons, and software suppliers. Bill Gates, through his company Micro-Soft, developed the first operating system for that computer, launching a company that operates to the present day. And because the Altair was such a big seller, it isn’t as valuable as some of the other early computers, however, models in good condition do sell today for over $2,000.
The first clone of the Altair was the IMSAI 8080 which sold for $600 in 1975 and has a value nearly that now. It’s main selling point was its compatibility with the Altair 8800. It’s probably most famous today as the computer that Matthew Broderick used in the 1983 movie “War Games.”
Two of the most popular computers to catch the eye of consumers and now collectors are Radio Shack’s Tandy TRS-80 Model 1, which hit the stores in 1977 for $599, and the TRS-80 Model 100, which appeared in 1983 for $799. The TRS-80 became the first computer sold in shopping malls while the second became the first popular notebook computer, with nearly 6 million sold, making Radio Shack the world's leading computer retailer for a while. Both sell today on eBay for $25 to $250.
Finally, there are Unix computers. These are one of the rarer computers on the market. Many companies, such as Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics, and Hewlett Packard, developed variations of the Unix computer to run on their own custom hardware like SPARC and MIPS. For those who are interested in classic computing, it doesn't get more classic than Unix, and these were often workstation machines so they're usually a little bit better built than your typical Windows computer. You could easily run into Unix machines at commercial business liquidation sales.
What determines the value of an old computer? Just because it’s old doesn’t make it valuable. Companies flooded the market with their products. But what makes an older computer stand out is whether it was first on the market.
What was the first desktop, the first laptop, the first tablet, or the first LCD screen? All these firsts add value to otherwise old computer gear. It doesn't have to be a first if the computer has technology on it that was unique but is no longer used, like plasma screen displays or ZIP drives. Even the first model of a long used series like the first Intel Pentium, or the first Intel Core processor can have a little extra value. In fact, some Intel Pentium's command a surprising price because they're known to contain a high quantity of gold.
And as with toys, computers new in the box are worth more than used ones. There are a number of tech items that sell for hundreds if not thousands of dollars despite being essentially unusable for their original purpose. And while many computing items can be found new in the box, not all of them are valuable. However, the smart collector looks for those that are unique.
In February 2005, Christie’s held an “Origins of Cyberspace” auction which offered old documents detailing the foundations of computing. The auction drew a lot of attention to vintage technology and placed value on items once used only by geeks. Unfortunately, that attention caused vintage computer prices to skyrocket, thus pricing a lot of collectors out of the market.
Although many old computers don't have a lot of redeeming features, that in itself is what makes them special when you find a classic one.
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