The Most Collectible PCs of All Time

Is that computer in your attic a treasure...or trash? Here's the scoop on 19 historic digital antiques, worth from $10 to $10,000 and beyond.

Harry McCracken

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Kenbak-1 (Kenbak Corporation, 1971). Estimated units sold: 40; original price: $750; current market value: $12,000+ 10 of 19

In 1987, the Boston Computer Museum declared that the Kenbak-1 was the very first personal computer. Sold through ads in Scientific American to schools as a teaching aid, the Kenbak didn't have a microprocessor--which made sense, since microprocessors weren't commercially available yet. It did sport 256 bytes of memory; to program the machine, you flipped switches, and lights served as its display. Today, 14 units of this historic PC are known to survive; inventor John Blankenbaker presides over a site dedicated to his brainchild. (Photo courtesy of Vintage-Computer.com.)