About 20 years ago i saw a Bell and Howell branded black case Apple IIe at a flea market;being married and flat broke at the time ,didn’t have the $2 the seller was asking.
Saw one sell on ebay for $1300 maybe two years later.
8<(
And then there was this craigslist ad for Amiga books ,etc. Went over and asked about the computer itself-the lady said”we took it to the recycle center weeks ago.”Based on the books and software and warranty cards ,the system was maxed out with very expensive third-party memory,video, and other cards. Probably was worth at least several thousand $$$.
A surprising number of people simply have no clue.
Yes, the black case Apple IIe is a very desired item by collectors. Too bad you didn't fork over the $2! People don't realize that it isn't just the early Apple-1 that is desired. There are thousands of hobbyist collectors willing to pay big bucks for machines that other people discard thinking they are worthless. For instance, one of the last versions of the Apple IIe might have a hybrid IIgs motherboard installed with a special baseplate and rear ports. Very rare and commands big bucks. It's a IIgs inside a IIe case. Apple offered these upgrades to people but few had it done.