the old minmatar empire's technological craftsmanship being unsurpassed, I had a thought about that earlier.
Greek bronze helmets. They were made from a single piece of bronze, hammered into shape. This requires a great deal of skill and craftsmanship, and is or was thought to be impossible to replicate, even by modern blacksmiths.
However, it's still a bronze helmet. A well made iron or steel helmet is possible, and performs better, while requiring less skill to make.
so the old minmatar empire things could be similar - artifacts that show a very high level of craftsmanship, beyond anything in contemporary new eden, but which don't necessarily outperform contemporary artifacts of similar function.