Collecting

You've been bit by the bug. You already have a PowerMac and a PowerBook but it's not enough. You started playing with an emulator or your old Mac Classic. You want more. Welcome to the club.

If you want to begin collecting, go for something small to begin with. Don't try to start out with a LISA or 20th Anniversary Mac because a.) you won't find them and b.) you'll probably pay too much.

Decide what you want to start with. A PowerPC? A 68k Machine? On Y! Auctions older the machine, the cheaper it will be (with the above-noted rare machine exception.) For the most part: 68k desktops & all-in-ones can be had dirt cheap. All-in-one Performas, Mac IIs, etc. can be had from ¥100 and up. 68k PowerBooks are also cheap, in the ¥1,500 ~ ¥10,000 range. Popular models will be more expensive, like the PB 180, and the fastest 68k model the 540c. The Macintosh Portable (called the luggable because of its 15lbs+ weight) will command more since it's rare. Since they are also fragile, working ones are growing more rare. Another rare machine, is the PowerBook 100 which was co-designed by Sony. In working-condition they can still command around ¥10,000 (most are dead.)

Recently however, the 68k machine sections on Y! Auctions have become a lot smaller and quieter. As focus changes to newer Intel-based Macs, and the G3 chip gets older and older, the value of 68k Macs continues to drop.

In all honesty, collecting in Nagoya is not an easy thing. Currently, as of September 2006 very few stores in Nagoya city sell used Macs. As demand for them drops, stores will remove their used Mac sections.

In terms of price, auctions win out. In stores, used hardware is expensive, and used, obsolete hardware is unfortunately still expensive. For example, the average revision A iMac went for about ¥13,000 in stores, and some beige G3s for ¥20,000 and up. Cubes go for around ¥70,000, and B&W G3 PowerMacs still go for ¥30,000 and up. On auctions these machines will generally go for50% less than what stores charge. Remember to check the seller's feedback, and look out for the old Too-good-to-be-true auctions. There are scammers on Y! auctions, too.

Rare machines sometimes known as Classic Macs

Rare (or rarer) machines are machines that in general, were made 8-9 years ago or previous. Often they had a short prodcution run, were not popular, or just made a long time ago. Some examples: 20th Anniversary Macintosh, Macintosh Portable, PowerBook 100, PowerBook Kanga, Apple][s and the most elusive, arguably the Holy Grail of any Apple collector - the LISA.

Don't even bother looking in the shops for the aforementioned Macs; you won't find them. Ever. Don't bother asking in the shops because sales staff will in most cases not know what you're talking about. The last thing you want to do is ask about a PowerBook 150 and have a sales assitant on the phone for half an hour to find out that he's investigating a 15 year old machine. There are sales people sometimes who do know about classic Macs, but they will probably not be able to help you. Mostly the reason why you can't find them in stores is because the original owners still use them, don't want to sell them, or because there just aren't any.

The LISA is the most elusive of all collectible Macs and arguably the most coveted, no matter what country you live in. It is about 99.9% sure that you will never find one in Nagoya. Even in Tokyo they are extremely difficult if not impossible to find, Their production run in the US was very short and not many were made before the LISA II was made. Even the LISA II was made in small numbers before the LISA project was cancelled and the Macintosh program started. Finding a LISA in Japan is like trying to find the preverbial needle in a haystack. Finding a working LISA is almost impossible. You can expect to pay at least ¥100,000 for a working LISA.

Like the 20th Anniversary Mac, the LISA is like a ghost in that in appears every once in a GREAT while on Yahoo! Auctions, and everyone jumps on it. If you want to see what a LISA looks like, try Good Will in Osu, who had one on display last year, along with some Apple ][s, a NeXT Cube, a Macintosh Portable, and a few other rarities. They are not for sale.

Machines that are rare in the US are going to be more rare in Japan with a few exceptions. Color Classics seem to be prevalent in Japan and regularly appear on auction. The were also 2 PowerBook models only released in Japan, the 550c and a variant of the 2400c codenamed "Comet".

Parts

Before you run around looking for a Mac-specific store- what do you need? An IDE hard disk? Go to your local PC store and get one there, it'll be cheaper.

An IDE CD-ROM drive? Most IDE CD-ROM drives that work with PCs will work in a Mac.

Be careful with SCSI devices. I'm not sure if SCSI devices are PC <-> Mac compatable. If you know, please contact me.

Parts for classic Macs can be found in Good Will in Osu. In the back of the store, on the first floor, is a large display case. In the case are G3 and G4 PowerBooks, they also have iBooks (white and clam shell type.) Around the back of the case are older PowerPC PowerBooks and parts.

The parts for sale are PowerBook keyboards, CD drives, floppy drives, AC adapters, and other bits and pieces. On the right side of the case are parts for PowerMacs like keyboards, CD drives, memory, hard drives, floppy drives and some older SCSI devices. The top of the case has packaged hardware like CD burners, ISDN terminal adapters, etc. Prices are competitive if not sometimes a little expensive. If you're in a hurry for a part then Good Will can be a life saver. For rarer parts or if you're not in a hurry, Y! Auctions again is your friend. Many hard to find network cards can be found on Y! Auctions.

Also, don't skip out on used PC shops; I've found rare network cards that support the Mac OS and even the Newton buried among PC parts. It doesn't hurt to look.