Ready Start Your Compact Collection?

[Mac128]

This single auction will take care of most of it: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130327511233

128K, 512Ke, Plus, SE, SE/30, Classic, Classic II, & Color Classic.

Hard to imagine someone selling an entire collection like this. The shipping alone is a staggering prospect.

But I do have to wonder about the original collector who identifies them as "8-inch" screens.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

128K, 512Ke, Plus, SE, SE/30, Classic, Classic II, & Color Classic.

8-o

But I do have to wonder about the original collector who identifies them as "8-inch" screens.

Heh! Back in the day, when I'd been using an SE/Radius16 for a couple of years . . . and AFTER I'd finally gotten a used IIx with a HUGE (to me, by comparison) 19" Panasonic B&W Monitor/Card combo, it seemed like I was playing with pixels on a freakin' football field!

By then I was sorely tempted to hack a pair of flip-up handles onto the sides of the ole' PeriscopeMac! }

jt

p.s. The used IIx was bought specifically as a launch pad for the Radius Rocket 33, that saw me safely through the entire Quadra era without ever needing an upgrade!

p.p.s. . . . still in shock at that auction! bleh!

 

[Flamingtoasters]

Huh, how many boxes would that shipment take?

Personally, I think one auction with everything ruins the fun of hunting down the desired machine...

 

[Mars478]

Wow. I'd love that.

 

[Unknown_K]

$50 a machine, not exactly the best deal in the world considering shipping charges. I guess if you were local it might be worth it.

For me it is more fun snagging smaller lots and building up a collection that way (cheaper too), plus it gives me time to clean and setup each machine as I get it.

 

[tmtomh]

$50 a machine, not exactly the best deal in the world considering shipping charges. I guess if you were local it might be worth it.

The auction's listed with free shipping. So it's $50 a machine shipped. It probably costs the seller $18-$30 per machine for shipping (depending on how far away the buyer is and how well the seller packs everything).

So considering you're paying $20-32 per machine net, I think it's a very nice deal. Certainly you could obtain some of those machines locally for free or very little money - but it would take you a long time, most of them would not be as good a condition as this auctions' ones are, and it would also likely require a lot of driving around (time+gas money).

Worst case scenario, you pay $399 now, sell 2, 3, 4 or 5 of the eight machines in a few years when their value increases, and you still have at least a few left for a net price of zero, or even a profit.

 

[Unknown_K]

I don't collect thinking of profit down the road, and didn't notice the auction had free shipping.

Some people view the gas and time spent running around looking for machines is wasted, I think it is part of the fun in collecting. If somebody comes to your house to view your collection and they ask you where did you find all this stuff, I would rather have an interesting story for each piece then just saying ebay.

 

[Flamingtoasters]

Some people view the gas and time spent running around looking for machines is wasted, I think it is part of the fun in collecting.

I completely agree. My first compact mac was originally my parent's first machine, a Mac SE. My second was a Plus I picked up at the local Goodwill. My third was an SE/30, frankensteined together with parts from eBay and craigslist.

Part of collecting and preserving these machines is to also preserve their story (I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true). Many sellers on ebay don't say much about their products.

 

[Mars478]

I always love to know the story behind machines. This may sound weird, but when I get computers off of FreeCycle I ask the person who is giving it away the story of the machine. It helps you diagnose problems. Like my PowerMac 8100, I have no story about it except that it was a VideoServe machine. It may have been dead already, or water killed it.