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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

Lisa (Apple Computer, 1983). Estimated units sold: a few thousand; original price: $10,000+; current market value: $10,000+

The Lisa was a proto-Macintosh, with a fancy graphical-user interface and a mouse back when those features felt like a sneak preview of the future. "The machine was brilliant, but it was also pricey and somewhat temperamental," says Vintage-Computer.com's Erik Klein, who reports that only a few thousand were sold, of which only several dozen may survive. The system's initial market failure, its historical importance, and its Apple connection contribute to making it one of the most valuable computer collectibles. In 1987, Apple famously buried some 2700 unsold Lisas in a Utah landfill: Maybe someone should dig them up and put 'em on eBay. (Photo courtesy of the Obsolete Technology Website.)
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