Mac Color Classic II - What is it worth?

Can you post a picture of it, including the front and rear?

Can you post any pictures of it? Preferably a front and rear photo and maybe a motherboard photo. I'd garner about $500

I don't know what planet you would get $500 for a Color Classic II on.
Definitely not on this one.
I paid $75 for mine on eBay. That included keyboard, mouse, books, and some software.

My favorite gauge of market value is ebay. There's currently several for CCs for sale, the lowest of which is at $249, from a reputable seller, it's in good working condition, and comes with an Apple IIe compatibility card.

It has no bids and just an hour left, so based on that I'd say the market value is less than $249 since no one appears willing to pay the opening bid. Maybe a lot less, considering the inclusion of that compatibility card which is reasonably rare.

If it is a Color Classic II and not just a Color Classic then I believe it could be worth 500.00 or more on ebay. They were not sold in the US mostly sold in Japan.

Todd

I've said it before and I'll say it again...

It's only worth what people are willing to pay for it.

The way the economy is right now? No one, except someone with money to burn, is going to spend that much money on a Color Classic II.

Just my two cents.

EBay is fickle in the best of times. Junk can bring an outrageous price if two affluent newbies get in a bid war. Really nice collectibles get undersold if no one's interested at the moment

It's true the economy is affecting prices and sales on ebay, but serious collectors (who seem not to have to worry too much about money) still bid on rare and desirable items. Recently, however, a Lisa 1, which typically brings $15,000+, didn't get a single bid at $9,000 starting price; but a Mac Plus -- hardly a rare item -- just sold for $400 because it was in its original box!

But In seven years of watching the Vintage Apple listings daily, I have NEVER seen a Color Classic II. They're even rare in Japan, from what I can tell.

I think $500 would be at the low end, if you were to list it. With luck you could double that.

The prices on eBay these days are getting pretty ridiculous at times. I've come back to "old mac collecting" after an 8 year or so absence and it is strangely hilarious to see what several years ago was considered utter junk going for hundreds of bucks. Desirable old models like the Colo(u)r Classics and SE/30s have always been worth that little bit more, but seeing Classics and Pluses and LCs going for hundreds is well, weird.

As someone said before though, things are worth somewhere between what someone is willing to pay and what someone is willing to let go for. I have a sneaking suspicion that Steve Jobs' passing has made lots of people nostalgic and that is creating a temporary bubble of activity on old Macs.

A more permanent factor is that the surplus units being "thrown away" 5-10 years ago as people cleared their closets have come and gone, and the overall number of surviving units is getting smaller and smaller as their early-generation SMD electronics and other parts wear out and die.

Personally I think the LEM Classifieds mailing list is a far more accurate judge of what something is worth; it's where the volume of old Mac gear is traded these days. Given a 1st gen Color Classic appears to be worth under US$100, and that the 'II' is a better and rarer machine... I personally wouldn't offer more than US$200, plus shipping.

That is a genuine offer, by the way, if you're interested in selling.

Cheers, Ben.

Ben,

If by "nostalgic" you mean "He's dead. Now I can make some money!", you are absolutely right. I have been a regular buyer (And on occasion Seller) up on eBay for over 16 years, particularly Apple II and Mac items, and I've NEVER seen anything like what has happened since SJ died.

Usually it's the ZIP Chips, Accelerator Cards, or Large MEG Memory Cards that have higher than normal prices, but since SJ has passed, it seems that everyone has pulled his or her Disk Drive Cards, I/O Cards, Mouse Cards, Super Serial Cards, 80 Column Cards, or anything else they can find and plastered a "Hey Stupid, Buy Me" price on it.

I figure it's going to last about six months or so until they finally figure out that the Regular Apple II or Mac Item Buyers are not going to play thier game and they'll either bring the prices down to the level they were before, or they'll pull them off completely.

If it sounds like I'm disgusted with it....you're right.

If by "nostalgic" you mean "He's dead. Now I can make some money!", you are absolutely right. I have been a regular buyer (And on occasion Seller) up on eBay for over 16 years, particularly Apple II and Mac items, and I've NEVER seen anything like what has happened since SJ died.

Sadly there's probably much truth to that statement. In fact I came across an eBayer earlier today with a few old Mac listings (with daft prices) using "Steve Jobs" in the title for his auctions eg. "Steve Jobs Apple Macintosh Classic RARE!!!". Obviously an attempt to cash in... bit of a symbolic stretch given SJ had been away from Apple for what, 6 years by then... even the signatures moulded into the casing, including his, were gone in the Classics. Desperate and tasteless.

Stuff like this makes me shake my head in wonder - http://www.ebay.com/itm/APPLE-MACINTOSH-CLASSIC-VINTAGE-COMPUTER-/130605859089?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e68b74111#ht_500wt_1413

US$250 for a non-mint Classic, no idea of specs, no accessories, doesn't even include a keyboard and mouse! Anybody dumb enough to pay that kind of money needs their head checked. Or beaten.

I don't understand why Classics are such big money now... they were a crappy computer back in 1991 and it's not like time has been kind. Nor are they rare - they were cheap and they sold well because of that lone fact. A decade ago they were my main source of MacQuarium shells, because - unlike an SE/30 - they weren't worth the effort to repair.

Here on Aussie eBay a Color Classic just went for AU$360... a Cube G4 went for $220 - incredible.

Anyway, hopefully you're right about the stupid prices being ignored and things return back to normal within a few more months. I'm sure the market for $200+ Compact Macs is small and won't take long to saturate.

Cheers, Ben.

I am looking for a Colour Classic ll.
I have not seen one for sale in years.
It is true that prices on eBay make very little sense much of the time.
But a Colour Cassic ll in excellent condition should command a fairly substantial price.... at least from me.

Color Classic II is just a Color Classic with a 550 motherboard. I got the 550 and 575 motherboard for mine. I'd say a Color Classic and Color Classic II are about equal in price. There's nothing aesthetically different except for the badge on the front.

Someone has a Color Classic II for auction up on eBay right now, but will not include the keyboard unless the Buy It Now price is paid for the unit. Every Mac user knows you need the keyboard to start one of these. If someone buys it without a keyboard all they have is a door stop.
Some of these sellers must think we are all village idiots.