128K/512K Mouse New In Box

[Mac128]

Here's an interesting auction (if not outrageous) for an original 128K/512K mouse new in box. I have never seen one of these much less still wrapped in plastic and thought it interesting to share. The window in the bottom of the package to allow the serial number to be viewed is a most interesting feature of this packaging.

Anybody know if the keyboard box looks the same?

But is it worth a starting bid price of $199 (plus shipping & tax)? Clearly it his more highly collectable than a loose mouse that's just been sitting around somebody's junk bin for 20 years. I might be inclined to pay more if the employee signed some kind of certificate of authenticity indicating a single owner/Apple employee. Or perhaps some of the original Mac team should set up a service and start charging to sign these auction items! All said, I'll be keeping my eye on this to see what it eventually sells for.

Whatever the price paid for it – if you won it, would you open it?

 

[tmtomh]

To me the price is outrageous, but if I were to bid on it and win it, it would be precisely because of the collectible value, and so I would not open it.

 

[equill]

An interesting offering, but it makes for expensive packaging. Just over three years ago I bought three M0100 mouses, in apparently 'original' packaging of a different kind—sticky-taped bags—for USD5.85 (total). That values the 'Picasso' box of this mouse (G530M010004091) at USD198.04. My mouses (made in Japan) are:

M528M010004736

M528M010004750

M528M010007601, all on still-white labels,

and another, which came with a Compact AIO and is slightly yellowed, is M906M010097103 (Japan) on a distinctly yellowed label.

Not being much of a box-collector, I'm not tempted by the offering, even though I have dealt quite satisfactorily with mapleridgeauction before.

de

 

[slomacuser]

Here's an interesting auction (if not outrageous) for an original 128K/512K mouse new in box. I have never seen one of these much less still wrapped in plastic and thought it interesting to share. The window in the bottom of the package to allow the serial number to be viewed is a most interesting feature of this packaging. Anybody know if the keyboard box looks the same? 

But is it worth a starting bid price of $199 (plus shipping & tax)? Clearly it his more highly collectable than a loose mouse that's just been sitting around somebody's junk bin for 20 years. I might be inclined to pay more if the employee signed some kind of certificate of authenticity indicating a single owner/Apple employee. Or perhaps some of the original Mac team should set up a service and start charging to sign these auction items! All said, I'll be keeping my eye on this to see what it eventually sells for.

 

Whatever the price paid for it – if you won it, would you open it?

Original Mac 128K M0001 Packaging http://www.vintagemacworld.com/m0001box.html

Keyboard http://www.vintagemacworld.com/m0001box/keyboard_box.jpg

 

[Flamingtoasters]

Ehh... That's a tough one. A few weeks ago I saw a sealed Mac SE (opened the box, but did not rip shrinkwrap from computer) on ebay that had been sitting in some guy's closet all these years. The case was virtually flawless and it still had the yellow disk guard in the drive. In that case, I would have opened it. IMO, an unopened 128k mouse is harder to find than an unopened SE. So I would keep it sealed if I bought it.

 

[Morrick]

Tough one indeed. At first I thought "I would open it and use it, taking good care of it just like with all the Mac hardware I already own". But then I thought: it would also look too new to go with my hardware of similar vintage, heh heh.

So, I'd probably end up re-selling it for a slightly higher price. (LOL. I'm joking -- with all the recent talk here about outrageous eBay prices! )

Cheers

Rick

 

[MacPlusOwner]

sure is a big box for a mouse...

I'd be too paranoid that it has been re-shrinkrapped. It's easy enough to do.

 

[Mac128]

How about $129 for opened keyboard AND mouse boxes?

Robert2d3d has a set for sale over at eBay. The keyboard does not come with a cable, but I have to admit the boxes are the cleanest I have ever seen. No yellowing at all. Considering that the same seller charges $40 per mouse without a box (and I believe I have seem keyboards listed for as much as $129 by themselves), A mouse and keyboard in such pristine original boxes seems like a steal, even without the keyboard cable.

So this auction begs the question, just how much is an original box worth? And what do you do with them? Display them with the Mac?

 

[Charlieman]

The boxes have no yellowing because almost nobody would display them. What is remarkable is that they haven't been bashed or crumpled. When a pound sterling had value against the US dollar, I would have been very tempted...

What to do with them? Create a nice photo montage, frame it and display it next to your perfect Mac 128K.

MacPlusOwner asks about shrink wrapping. Re-wrapping a software box is trivial because the contents can be removed, copied and replaced without messing up the packaging. However, anyone who has attempted to repackage hardware for return to the supplier will appreciate that the process is close to impossible, even when you are NOT trying to hide that the box has been opened.

 

[trag]

To me the price is outrageous, but if I were to bid on it and win it, it would be precisely because of the collectible value, and so I would not open it.

It's only value is as a collectible. There are hundreds of new -- in the sense of never used -- mice available. I have about 70 of them. Sun Remarketing was clearing them out in 50 lots a few years ago.

I'll happily sell anyone an unused one for $7.50 plus shipping.