Retrocomputing is filled with popular computers that we grew up with and played, but it also has some dark prototypes that never reached the market officially. One of them is the Commodore 65, a kind of midpoint between the classic C64 and the Amiga series. Recently, one unit went on sale on eBay, and its new owner decided to pay just over 20,000 euros for it.
The Auction Market and Its Absurdities
I've seen people asking thousands of dollars for an ordinary IBM PS/2, Mac platforms with four-digit initial offers just because they are Apple, generic BTC keyboards presented as “vintage collector classics” and many other horrors. Fortunately, it's not hard to understand the absurdity of those values: on one side are real collectors who appreciate their items legitimately and set a fair price when it's time to let them go, and on the other side are “collectors”, simple frustrated opportunists who treat a Commodore 64 as if it were one of grandma's jewels, in an attempt to solve their financial problems. However, occasionally a “correct” auction arises outside traditional channels (more interested in Apple I and Altair systems) that surprises everyone. This time, it's the Commodore 65 prototype.
The Commodore 65: A Prototype Between Two Worlds
In late 1990, Commodore's plan was to offer the new 65 (also known as C64DX) as an intermediate upgrade of the Commodore 64, expanding several of its features and incorporating elements from the Amiga series, without sacrificing backward compatibility. This placed it in a strange position from the start. There were eight years between the 64 and 65 models, the Commodore 128 variants were already on the market, and the Amiga 500 had won the hearts of thousands of users. Shortly after, the Commodore 65 was officially cancelled, but the company managed to build a considerable number of prototypes. When Commodore exploded in April 1994, the Commodore 65 prototypes hit the market. Optimistic estimates talk about 200 units, while at the other extreme they calculate just over fifty. A few days ago, a Commodore 65 with serial number 000022 appeared on eBay looking for a buyer. The auction ended yesterday, and the final price is 20,050 euros.
A Rare Machine in Good Condition
Judging by the photos, it's in very good condition, something worth highlighting in any 24-year-old computer. But what sets the price of this Commodore 65 is not only its appearance, but its rarity. The serial number also presents it as a very young system in the production line, which further optimizes its value. And to close this fabulous combo, the computer works. YouTube has several videos with Commodore 65 demos (be careful, some are NSFW), but if they have paid such a price for one, I wonder if we'll see another in auction soon.
