Massive auction has nearly every vintage Apple product up for sale

A new auction in March will feature a collection of over 500 Mac computers and other Apple products spanning over 45 years.

Hosted by Julien's Auctions, "The Hanspeter Luzi Vintage Apple Archive" features an extensive collection of Apple products that will be offered for the first time at an auction. The Luzi family is providing the public with a range of products from 1977 to 2008.

One of the highlights of the collection includes an Apple II Plus computer. The second model in the Apple II series, produced from 1979 to 1982, made the computers accessible to a broader audience since the Apple I series was focused more on hobbyists.

1984 Macintosh (128K)

The Apple II Plus computer system includes a monitor, two disk drives, a printer, a pair of game paddles, various connecting cables and parts, and a Monitor II User's Manual. It has an estimated value between $300 to $500.

Another product in the auction is an original Macintosh computer that was later rebranded as the Macintosh 128K. Steve Jobs introduced it at Apple's annual shareholder's meeting on January 24, 1984, with an estimated value between $200 to $300.

Next, the auction includes a Macintosh Portable computer demonstration unit. Launched in 1989 at the Universal Amphitheater in Universal City, California, it was among the first consumer laptops to have an active matrix LCD screen, praised for being fast and sharp.

However, Apple discontinued the model in 1991 due to the computer's heavy batteries and high cost of $6,500, leading to few sales. It has an estimated value between $300 to $500.

Another historical computer in the auction is a 1991 PowerBook 100. In 1990, Apple CEO John Sculley directed the creation of several low-cost computers, including the PowerBook laptop line, aimed at a high degree of public popularity.

A 1991 PowerBook 100

The PowerBook 100 was Apple's second generation of laptops with the lowest price. Its design was sleeker than the Macintosh Portable and was significantly lighter.

Apple launched the model in 1991 with the PowerBook 140 and PowerBook 170. They were an immediate success and hit $1 billion in sales within a year, and the PowerBook line was crucial in helping Apple reach its then-highest end-of-year revenue of around $7 billion.

These computer models, along with more Apple products, will be offered in the auction on Thursday, March 30, at Julien's Auctions Gallery in Beverly Hills and online.

Separately, RR Auction is hosting an auction that ends on March 16. It includes rare items such as a working Apple-1 computer that has been autographed by Steve Wozniak and an Apple II board signed by Steve Jobs.

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8 Comments

tenthousandthings 1060 comments · 17 Years

About 1 year ago

Doesn't look like they are testing anything. It's hard to know what kind of condition any of this is in. Despite the sales pitch, I don't see many signs that he maintained his collection (he died in 2015). Note also, the Macintosh (which appears to be without accessories) has a 220-240V power supply. A lot of the other items also look like they may be European editions, and thus require 220-240V power.

The Bell & Howell Apple II Plus is interesting. I didn't know it existed.

JP234 said:

tenthousandthings said:

Doesn't look like they are testing anything. It's hard to know what kind of condition any of this is in. Despite the sales pitch, I don't see many signs that he maintained his collection (he died in 2015). Note also, the Macintosh (which appears to be without accessories) has a 220-240V power supply. A lot of the other items also look like they may be European editions, and thus require 220-240V power.

The Bell & Howell Apple II Plus is interesting. I didn't know it existed.

Who cares if they work or not? They're useless in 2023. You buy them to collect or hoard, not use.

? Collectors care, and people reselling them to nostalgia buyers on eBay care. A working machine is worth a lot more than a non-working one. The reason that Lisa sold for $50K recently was because it was a working original 1983 machine that had never been upgraded.

The Lisa in this auction still has the original floppy drives, so if they can show it is working, or at least that it has all its parts in good condition (so it can be repaired), it will sell for more. Most of them were upgraded (Apple did it for free), so intact non-upgraded machines are rare.

For what’s worth, I have a working Macintosh 512K — the floppy drive (and external drive) work but I don’t stress them, instead I use a Floppy Emu with it, so I can transfer files via SD card, no problem. Floppy Emu also works with Lisa and Apple II machines:

https://www.bigmessowires.com/floppy-emu/

FileMakerFeller 1561 comments · 6 Years

I don't remember a version of Pong being released on the 512K Mac.

JP234 said:

tenthousandthings said:

JP234 said:

tenthousandthings said:

Doesn't look like they are testing anything. It's hard to know what kind of condition any of this is in. Despite the sales pitch, I don't see many signs that he maintained his collection (he died in 2015). Note also, the Macintosh (which appears to be without accessories) has a 220-240V power supply. A lot of the other items also look like they may be European editions, and thus require 220-240V power.

The Bell & Howell Apple II Plus is interesting. I didn't know it existed.

Who cares if they work or not? They're useless in 2023. You buy them to collect or hoard, not use.

? Collectors care, and people reselling them to nostalgia buyers on eBay care. A working machine is worth a lot more than a non-working one. The reason that Lisa sold for $50K recently was because it was a working original 1983 machine that had never been upgraded.

The Lisa in this auction still has the original floppy drives, so if they can show it is working, or at least that it has all its parts in good condition (so it can be repaired), it will sell for more. Most of them were upgraded (Apple did it for free), so intact non-upgraded machines are rare.

For what’s worth, I have a working Macintosh 512K — the floppy drive (and external drive) work but I don’t stress them, instead I use a Floppy Emu with it, so I can transfer files via SD card, no problem. Floppy Emu also works with Lisa and Apple II machines:

https://www.bigmessowires.com/floppy-emu/

Still doesn't answer the question, why does anyone care if it works? Your 512K "Fat Mac" is obsolete and useless for anything practical. Unless you consider playing "pong" on it practical.

I didn’t say it was “practical.” Why does anyone collect anything?

Regardless, it does matter to collectors and hobbyists. That’s just a fact. For various reasons—for me, I guess it’s about preserving knowledge and history, and reviving shared experiences, which can be educational and, for those who were around at the time, nostalgic. Is it so hard to see value in the physical experience of using an early Mac? Sure, you can use an emulator for the software, but it’s not the same.

bobolicious 1173 comments · 10 Years

Why did the Kremlin buy typewriters...?
www.huffpost.com/entry/kremlin-typewriters_n_3579184

Might some also have desirable software from the early days, although there may be more economical ways to accomplish that...