14 DAY TRIAL // If you like to stay in the loop with Apple stuff, you may have heard on numerous occasions that owners of Apple I computers are cashing in on some exorbitant sums of money. If you’re thinking that the Apple II, the LISA, or the original Macintosh are in the same league, think again.
Recently interviewed by the NY Times, Corey Cohen, a 43-year-old vintage computer enthusiast from New Jersey who manages a software company, explains what the key reasons behind the extra zeros on an Apple I’s price tag are.
“Yes, partially because of Apple. There were only 175 made. There are only 60-odd boards that are actually known to still exist. It’s probably one of the prettiest boards that you see because it was laid out really well. The Apple-1 board is a piece of art.” As for the Apple II? “People ask me all the time about the Apple II and what it’s worth. I tell them about $50.”
Cohen wouldn’t expand on that, but it’s really not that big of a mystery. It’s not a landmark PC. It didn’t do anything special, like revolutionize the industry or anything like that, and it was produced in far greater numbers than the original Apple computer. There are thousands of surviving Apple II machines to this day, many of which are perfectly operational. Well, provided that you can find all the floppy disks you need to get the job done.
Even newer computers, like the original Macintosh, are more iconic than the Apple II. Really, if you’re sitting on one, just be a good collector and take care of it. It’s worth far more than $50 (€40) at a pawn shop.
