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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

By Harry McCracken

First the bad news: Meaningful though it may have been to you, your trusty old ThinkPad running Windows 98 has little monetary value and no historical significance. But personal computers have been around long enough that certain models--mostly dating from the 1970s and early 1980s--have gone from newfangled gadget to prized relic. We compiled this list after consulting with tech historians and collectors, including Bryan Blackburn, Digibarn's Bruce Damer, the Vintage Computer Festival's Sellam Ismail, and Erik Klein of Vintage-Computer.com. (Klein provided most of the estimates of original production runs and current market values.) Our roster includes everything from still-plentiful bestsellers to rarities that hardly ever change hands; if perusing the list leaves you wanting to own any of them, check out eBay--or, better yet, attend a specialized event such as one of the Vintage Computer Festivals held in the United States and Europe. Click on the above images to see our picks, in alphabetical order...
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