MUGOO Message Board

Hi
I have a laptop dating back to the 1990s, around 1995 or 1996 or so.
It is a MACINTOSH POWERBOOK 190 and is in very good shape. I am trying to get a sense of its value.
Any ideas?

Virginia

hey virginia,

welcome to the forum!! a lot of great people in this little community! :-) i'm sure you'll enjoy yourself here!

as for the value of a powerbook 190, its not very much.  maybe at the most 20$ or so.  depends on the person buying it.  clearly, its not worth anything as an every days computer and only holds a very little "collectors" value.

i'm sure you'll get a few people 2cents about the matter, but that's all i'd be willing to pay, and even at that, i find it a lot.  but mind you, its all in the buyer!!  for 20$, i've scored some pretty awesome systems, some even in their original box.

Quote from: vfreydis on January 22, 2010, 10:22:01 PM
Hi
I have a laptop dating back to the 1990s, around 1995 or 1996 or so.
It is a MACINTOSH POWERBOOK 190 and is in very good shape. I am trying to get a sense of its value.
Any ideas?
Virginia

The Powerbook 190, the last Powerbook to use a Motorola 68xxx chip i believe, really doesn't have much intrinsic value as a computer.

However it could have sentimental value.

And if neither, then what would be left would be it's value to a collector.

eBay.com
I searched ebay.com and see but one PowerBook 190 currently posted for $US 39 OBO + shipping.

I then used ebay.com's advanced search to search completed listings for 'Powerbook 190' in January. Five Powerbook 190s listings had been completed. Two sold at $US 5.95 + shipping and $US 10 + shipping. The other 3 were listed at between $US 9.95 and $US 79.99 and did not sell.

Selling piecemeal
Many collectors may already have a pristine unit, but either it's not working, or they are missing parts. Ironically you might be able to get more $$ (if the PowerBook has no sentimental value and collectibility has no personal appeal) by selling it in pieces!! e.g. battery, ac adapter, manual, boot floppies, etc.

For example ebay.com completed sales for January, list 'just the AC Adapter for a PowerBook 190' as selling for $US 25 + shipping. Also in January,  'just the Track Pad assembly for a Powerbook 120' sold for $US 5.95 + shipping. You may find that original manuals, especially if still sealed, original boot floppies, etc. will also have have value as separate items on eBay.

Good luck,

...ben schmidt

PS. I'm not into collecting vintage computers, but I do have to fight an urge to collect vintage HP calculators from the dawn of the 'pocket sliderule' period, which began when HP launched in 1972 with their amazing HP-35, the first pocket scientific calculator (http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/histnfacts/museum/personalsystems/0023/other/0023hpjournal01.pdf) for the then amazingly, low-cost of just $495. (For comparison, a new VW Beetle cost about $2500.)

BTW there's an Apple Computer connection in that Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak sold his HP-65 calculator (http://www.hpmuseum.org/hp65.htm), the world's first programmable pocket calculator for $500 (http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-09-25/business/17311486_1_steve-wozniak-apple-employee-steve-jobs/3), and Steve Jobs his VW bus for $800 to raise the start-up capital for Apple Computer: $1300. Not a bad ROI!

From my pocket slide-rule collecting experience, collectivitiy dollar value for vintage electronics is based on factors such as rarity, working-condition, and accessories (boot floppies, manual, charger!!, & original packaging material). And especially with battery-powered vintage electronics, it's important to store the item with the battery removed (but keep still keep it!!). As batteries age they are susceptible to leaking corrosive acid which, at minimum, damages the batter compartment, and at most, renders the item non-working. Either result reduces its value to a collector, or turns it into value-only-as-parts item for a collector.