Sir Clive's Z88 Computer

Having sold the ZX Spectrum line and the Sinclair brand to Amstrad but having wisely kept Sinclair Research to himself, everyone's favourite genius, Sir Clive Sinclair, went on and produced a truly innovative portable computer: the Cambridge Research Z88. It was the first truly affordable laptop that was actually small enough to carry around, featured a smart built-in screen and a ton of PDA-like & business software. The rather powerful machine happily sold pretty well too and you can find out more about it over at Planet Sinclair, Old-Computers.com and Vintage Computing & Gaming.

To grab a decently preserved computer, complete with manual, 128kb RAM, 15 issues of Z88 EPROM and an assortment of goodies, you could try this lovely Cambridge Z88 Computer eBay auction. Seller ships within the UK only. The average Z88 sells for something around 30£.

A very impressive Sinclair QL

The Sinclair QL, Sir Clive's Quantum Leap of sorts, was supposed to be the powerful yet affordable professional PC that would replicate the ZX Spectrum's success and cement Sinclair's dominance in the UK. Unfortunately this rather magnificent machine failed and probably signaled the beginning of Sinclair's end. A sad story, a great machine and you can find out more over at Wikipedia, Old-Computers or Planet Sinclair. For a fine QL emulator (Win/Mac) try this link.

Now, even though the average Sinclair QL isn't too rare to find, this immensely expanded (boxed) Sinclair QL that just hit eBay is a truly rare gem. Seller ships worldwide and I would expect prices to rise.

Provided you make the winning bid, you will be getting your hands on a mint condition Sinclair QL in its original complete box, complete with manual, additional software suite (on microdrive cartridges), cables and power supply. What's more, the computer comes with a twin floppy disk drive, 768k of extra RAM and Eidersoft's amazing ICE GUI.

The Monster Atari Sale

Hopefully the pictures above speak for themselves. Now, do try your luck on this impressive Retro Atari lot @ eBay. US only.

A boxed / mint Atari Jaguar

Ah, yes, the dawn of 64-bit gaming, do the math and the demise of Atari. A sad story really, but a pretty impressive console and some great games. Oh, well. Better try this Atari Jaguar (boxed) & 3 games auction @ eBay. Seller ships worldwide. As for the included games, they are Club Drive, Kasumi Ninja and Cybermorph. The Jaguar usually sells for over 20£, 40$ or 25 euros, whereas the average game goes for much less; say 5-10$.

Quarterstaff :Tomb of Setmoth

Like the pictures above? Love RPGs? Care for Infocom classics? Have (more than) enough money to spend on you video games fetish? Own a Mac? Well, then this Infocom Quarterstaff RPG eBay auction should be just for you. Seller ships worldwide.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) Issue One

Phillyman of Retromags.com managed to track down the premier issue of EGM, scanned it, touched it up and made it available for free download, as you can probably find out by clicking here. Now, he's just put said magazine up for sale again in order to help fund Retromags, and you could bid on it and grab one of the rarest US gaming mags while supporting a pretty excellent retro site. So, uhm, go on, do have a look at this Electronic Gaming Monthly issue #1 eBay auction. Seller ships within the US only.

Nintendo Color TV Block Kuzushi

If you are into early pre-NES Nintendo consoles, you'll absolutely love what dear Retro Treasures reader Luke discovered: a Nintendo Color TV Block Kuzushi in apparently mint condition. It's a 1979 single game, single player console that was actually designed (well, the external parts of it) by a certain Shigeru Miyamoto.

The console, sometimes referred to as Block Kusure for some weird reason, plays a rather impressive version of Breakout, where the in-game paddle is controlled via a properly analog dial. Just like in the arcades really, and that's why the console went on to sale roughly 400,000 units. Interestingly, this was the first console to have a Nintendo logo on it too.

For a probably rare chance to grab one you had better try this incredibly well priced (for now at least) New in Box Nintendo Color TV Block Kuzushi eBay auction. Yes, that is NEW as in unused and boxed. How rarer can things get? Seller ships worldwide and I'm definitely tempted...

Boxed new/wedge style C64 with tons of games

Now, that's what I call a bundle, though you will have to be a UK resident to get your hands on it, and also pay 60£, which admittedly is more than reasonable. Actually, quite a bargain, as this fantastic Commodore 64 bundle @ eBay does come complete in its original box with manuals/guides and cables. Oh, and a Quickshot II, a light-gun and a C2N/1530 Datasette unit are also included. As for the games you'll be getting, well, they include such retro gaming gems as The Great Escape, Treasure Island Dizzy, Ghostbusters, Aliens, Wonder Boy and Blasteroids.

Sega Saturn game store display

Ever wanted a cabinet like the ones they have at game stores for costumers to play? Well, here's your chance! This lovely display features a place for the Saturn (the console is not included), a dedicated TV and two controllers (they look like model 1), all encased in a beautiful cabinet in shades of blue and orange, featuring a certain blue hedgehog on the front and the Sega and Saturn logos on the sides.

Breathtaking, isn't it?

And this could be yours! If you live in America and have the money to spare, that is. Follow this link to craigslist in order to contact the seller, if you're interested. The advertisement has no price, but I doubt it'll be cheap...

Boxed Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Super Mario RPG is much more than a great Nintendo SNES game and a unique turn-based take on the famous plumber. It's a rarity -especially when boxed, and sealed versions of it have managed to sell for almost 500$. For a chance to grab a boxed though not sealed copy do try this Super Mario RPG (SNES) eBay auction. Seller ships within the US only. Oh, and don't pay much more than 100$.

The fantastic BBC B Micro Computer

The BBC Micro by Acorn, affectionately known as the Beeb and original home of Elite, was quite popular in the UK (especially in the education market), despite being a rather expensive and almost luxuriant computer. You can find out more about it over at the excellent BBC Lives site or even go for the always trusty Wikipedia entry.

The average BBC Micro usually goes for 15-20£. Now, then, why does this amazing Acorn BBC B sighted @ eBay have a 70£ Buy Now price tag? Well, first of all, the seller ships worldwide. Then, this is the BBC B model, meaning it comes with 32kb of RAM and you even get all necessary cables, 29 software titles (mostly games) and the Wordwise Plus ROM.

What's more, the computer is in a more than impressive state, as it has been fully disassembled and carefully cleaned - even the keyboard has had each key removed one by one and individually cleaned. Also, the X2 suppression capacitor was removed and replaced, meaning this BBC B is more reliable than your average BBC, since the X2 suppression capacitor failing is one of the most commonly experienced hardware problems.

ColecoVision Adam: the working CPU

Amidst the console crisis, the all around 1983 video game industry hysteria and the undeniable rise of the home computer, Coleco went on and shipped 100,000 or so units of the ColecoVision Adam hybrid. The Adam -now quite obviously a rarity- was in essence a ColecoVision console disguised as a home computer, complete with proper keyboard, two built-in tape drives, extra memory and word processing capabilities. Most people were not particularly excited...

Then again, happily, some were and you can find out why by reading more on the Adam here, here or here. To grab the working main bit of the computer for a modest price you can try your luck over at this ColecoVision Adam CPU eBay auction. Seller ships worldwide.