Obsolete Power

The Next Apple-1: Four Devices to Find Now

Mintel
In the 1980s, these terminals connected the French to an early online service—a forerunner to the Internet. There were five models, including a mobile device that plugged into car phones, and all are “very collectible and desirable in North America,” says the Computer History Museum’s Dag Spicer. They can be purchased for as little as $195, depending on the model.

Apple II
Produced from 1977 to 1993, the Apple II had one of the longest life spans of any personal computer and gave Apple liftoff as the company’s first mass-marketed, consumer-ready machine. Between 5 million and 6 million were produced, but Spicer says in another decade they could be quite collectible. They are selling for $100 to $3,000, depending on the model and condition.

Plastic iPhone Prototype 
In 2007, Steve Jobs was said to have furiously reprimanded his team for producing a flimsy iPhone prototype, which proved to be far from scratch resistant. “The first iPhones had more of a plastic body,” says Sotheby’s Richard Austin, who believes that this backstory—which led Jobs to order that iPhones be made of scratch-proof glass—would make the prototype valuable. “If you had one of those, that could be incredibly interesting for people.” It is difficult to estimate what such a unique piece would fetch; however, if the 2012 sale of a factory-sealed, first-generation iPhone on eBay for $10,099 is any indicator, it will be significant.

Ricochet Modem 
The 1990s wireless provider Ricochet used an external modem about the size of a pack of cigarettes. Attached to early laptops, it enabled users to get online while on the go. Collector Bob Luther believes the device could become important because it was “an early form of Wi-Fi.” Popular with DIY hobbyists, the modems periodically appear on eBay for next to nothing—about $20.