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
KIM-1 (MOS Technology, 1975). Estimated units sold: tens of thousands; original price: $245 (kit); current market value: $100 to $500
Think of the KIM-1 as an early cheap, bare-bones PC. Even fully assembled, it was barely more than a board with a 6502 CPU and 1KB of RAM. (The computer came from MOS Technology, inventor of the 6502.) In 1975, that was enough to help tech enthusiasts learn about the world of computers, and the KIM-1 sold well; owners expanded them into full-blown systems with keyboards, tape storage, printers, and video displays. The KIM-1 also became the first Commodore computer when that company acquired MOS Technology in 1976. Systems crop up on eBay, but if you can't find one, check out these instructions for building one from scratch. And here's a KIM-1 emulator that runs on Palm PDAs. (Photo courtesy of H.A. Layer.)Upgrade to IE 8
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