Prototype Commodore "65" was sold for 23000 dollars on ebay

[mehguy]

Well this just happened. Apparently, the C65 was going to be an improved version of the C64 and had backwards compatibility with the C64 but was cancelled later on.

 

http://gizmodo.com/this-25-year-old-computer-just-sold-for-23-000-on-ebay-1685965337

 

According to wikipedia, when Commodore international was being liquidated in 1994, these prototypes were sold to the open market. It's unknown how many of these exist but it's estimated that 50-2000 exist.

 

 

[DaytonaUSA]

I read that while that many may exist, most don't work. Which is why it's going for so much, probably. This is really cool, but like with anything, I'm not sure how its 23k cool. But hey, if it makes the person that happy to own it...

[Retro-Z]

I find it fascinating that a "vintage" computer like the C65 can sell for $20,000+. It really didn't change computing history in any way, and there are more than a few out there (50-200 examples in existence isn't quite insanely rare).

 

I have sold quite a few items for much less that were far more rare. It's always amusing to see which obscure relics from the past can wedge open a checkbook, and which items can't. I honestly don't think the law of supply and demand applies in cases like these... LOL.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Retro-Z

[Rhomaios]

I was shocked when it hit $9000. I still can't believe it hit $20k!

[JamesD]

If I remember right, of that 50-2000 most are just motherboards.
That means no power supply, no keyboard, no drive, etc...

[DaytonaUSA]

Yeah, either non-working or not complete systems. Plus this one isn't yellowed. It's the text-book version of what this system should have been brand new, which is probably why it went for so much.

 

Although, again, it's freakin' nuts. I didn't think an old computer, even one tied to the Commodore line, would fetch anything like this.

 

I bet there will be more of these popping up on eBay after a profit margin like that!

[Tanrunomad]

One of the few computers to appreciate in value rather than depreciate. Early ventless Apple IIs like this one also crack the $20,000 mark.

[Retro-Z]

You know, I can see why the early ventless Apple II computers can be worth so much. They played a huge role in the history of one of the most successful modern tech companies, influenced the beginnings of the personal computer market, there were only a tiny handful of them made, and many of them have been altered/upgraded throughout the past 35+ years. I'm sure there are lots of other reasons why a vintage Apple computer can attract so much attention from collectors.

 

But a Commodore 65? I don't know... I guess I just don't get it. It's certainly a very cool machine. But... nah... not for me.

[high voltage]

Maybe it's history of the other kind, on how not to do it, huge flop like the C64GS

[DaytonaUSA]

Maybe it's history of the other kind, on how not to do it, huge flop like the C64GS

 

Maybe, but that seems even weirder. "Hey man, I bought that 23k dollar computer yesterday to remember that company that sucked it up after their huge success!". Just, doesn't have the same ring to it .

 

I just wonder how people set aside money for purchases like this. I'd be able to "afford" this, but ... I wouldn't dare purchase it. Even if this was something I cared for deeply, like Star Wars, Nintendo, Sega, or Tron related... no. Not in a million years no.

 

Maybe I'm not "committed" enough as a collector, but the most I'd spend on anything is maybe a thousand bucks. Past that, it just gets into affecting my actual life a bit too much for it to be "fun video games" anymore. Kinda like that Sega Pluto that was for sale a while back. I'd offer about a grand for it. Past that, it's just a plastic shell on a Saturn. Not worth it, no matter how much I love the Saturn.

Edited February 18, 2015 by DaytonaUSA

[+Marc Oberhäuser]

Ah well, I sold my fully working C65 for EURO 1.333,00 on eBay in 2003...

[DaytonaUSA]

Ah well, I sold my fully working C65 for EURO 1.333,00 on eBay in 2003...

 

It's ALWAYS like that. I swear I miss every swell in the market by at least a few years, haha.

[carlsson]

A friend of mine also used to own a C65 which he sold many years ago for a fraction of what they currently sell for. I suppose that tells us a lesson to remain hoarders for as long as we can afford and have the space, and at the same time watch the market for when it is the right time to move goods. Time will tell if those 20000 Euros will be exceeded, by small or large margins.

[Tanrunomad]

A friend of mine also used to own a C65 which he sold many years ago for a fraction of what they currently sell for. I suppose that tells us a lesson to remain hoarders for as long as we can afford and have the space, and at the same time watch the market for when it is the right time to move goods. Time will tell if those 20000 Euros will be exceeded, by small or large margins.

Do you think there's a peak though? There will come a time not too many decades from now when nobody will have any direct connections to the Commodore 64 age or Apple II age. Will they still be willing to pay huge sums for something they have zero nostalgia for?

[carlsson]

Well, few people who live today have any personal relation to the Treskilling Yellow but it doesn't prevent people with too much money from buying it from eachother.

[JamesD]

Stamp collecting is one of the world's most popular hobbies and has a bit longer history than collecting computers.

I'm not sure it's an appropriate comparison.

[DaytonaUSA]

Stamp collecting is one of the world's most popular hobbies and has a bit longer history than collecting computers.

I'm not sure it's an appropriate comparison.

 

True, but if there's another thing to note, it's that new generations are getting into older gaming more than ever. More kids are seeking out 16-bit, 8-bit, and older as they're realizing how great the games were from that era. It's hard to say if it'll remain as popular or become more popular, but I wouldn't bet that these older gaming systems and computers will be useless in the eyes of younger gamers in the future once we're all long dead.

[+Ksarul]

My seven-year-old is becoming a hardcore TI-99/4A gamer. . .so the possibility of the classic systems being attractive to the younger set is definitely there.