NIB Apple IIc Sells on eBay for $2,600

With PCs for sale well under $1,000, nowadays $2,600 would be considered an expensive computer. But what if it's a unopened, new in the box (NIB), vintage Apple IIc? What would you pay for that? Dan Budiac (above), a New York Web developer, decided $2,600 was just fine.

The eBay auction advertised the prize collectible as follows:

We are offering this vintage APPLE IIC complete computer system from 1986, shipped 1988.

All NEW and UNOPENED, exactly as it would originally have arrived from Apple, 20 years ago.

I bought this system from a collector who said he bought this from the original owner who had just stored it and never got around to opening or using it. I have stored this system for years in a smoke free and safe place since. It does show some wear from shipping and storage, which was mostly from the original owner, who didn't understand what a rare item he was dealing with. To find a complete system unopened and never seeing human eyes before is unbelievable.

I have never seen another unopened Apple II C system in my life, and this belongs in a museum as this is the only way to correctly portray how a new Apple system from the early years of computing would arrive.

Of course, as far as ending up in a museum, still in the box: ain't gonna happen. In fact, as far as still being in the box: ain't gonna happen. Remember what a big deal collector's make about sub-$10 action figures still being in the box? Well, Budiac didn't care.

In fact, he created a Flickr page devoted to the unboxing, and it's received over 400K hits as of this writing. As Budiac said on the page:

I wrestled with whether I should open the box, or store it and let it accrue collector's value. In the end, I decided that the reason for my purchase wasn't financial. My very first computer was an Apple //c, and I can't see wanting to part with this computer, ever.

Of course, there was criticism, as the one comment was:

Do you know why the previous owner never even opened the box? That's a crime!

Others were were more worshipful and supportive, saying:

All I can say is THANKS for doing this! I recall going to the store with my dad in 1988 to pick one of these up, it was my first computer (I was 9) and it was just great.

Based on the original price of the Apple IIc and inflation, Budiac made out just fine. The IIc sold for $1,295, and included a 1.023-MHz CPU (thats Mhz, not Ghz as today), 128KB of RAM (yes, K, not G as today), a built-in keyboard, power supply and 9-in. monochrome monitor. Adjusted for inflation from 1984, it would cost $2,630.88 today.

Asked the question if he was going to try her out, Budiac said on his Flickr page, "why, as a matter of fact, I am!"

Have fun!