Batteries are a toughy. Even a good battery can leak--I lost a Classic logic board last year from that. (I also lost my LiteBrite when I was young that way--a devastating loss indeed for a toddler).
If the machine is going to be stored, plain and simple, leave the battery out. If you have an older SE, a II/IIx/IIfx, or some other old machine that has the battery soldered to the board, just put in a battery holder in its place. Most older Macs can boot without the battery anyway, and if you have a machine that does require it to be installed (such as an LC 475), just keep one on hand to stick in when you are running the machine.
Another thing to point out--hard drives don't last forever. They need to be spinned up periodically but also not used a whole lot, as that will add to the clock of MTBF. In the future, we may need to start working on the insides of hard drives to keep the machines truly original.
Don't forget your floppy disk head cleaner kit. Buy one if it shows up, they won't be around forever. The same goes for good Mac parts for the machines you want to keep--get one or two spares for each part (more if it's something that fails all the time like a Plus power supply). Store these in the same way you'd store a Mac itself--in an environment free of extreme temperatures and humidity.
If the machine is going to be stored, plain and simple, leave the battery out. If you have an older SE, a II/IIx/IIfx, or some other old machine that has the battery soldered to the board, just put in a battery holder in its place. Most older Macs can boot without the battery anyway, and if you have a machine that does require it to be installed (such as an LC 475), just keep one on hand to stick in when you are running the machine.
Another thing to point out--hard drives don't last forever. They need to be spinned up periodically but also not used a whole lot, as that will add to the clock of MTBF. In the future, we may need to start working on the insides of hard drives to keep the machines truly original.
Don't forget your floppy disk head cleaner kit. Buy one if it shows up, they won't be around forever. The same goes for good Mac parts for the machines you want to keep--get one or two spares for each part (more if it's something that fails all the time like a Plus power supply). Store these in the same way you'd store a Mac itself--in an environment free of extreme temperatures and humidity.