Re-Bitten By The Collecting Bug

My paltry vintage computer collection has been left virtually untouched in storage for pretty well 7 or 8 years, but after doing a bit of tinkering on my IBM 5170 I've just noticed that I -only- have a 5170; I still don't have a 5150, or 5160, or a 5161 expansion unit, no IBM MDA, CGA or PGA monitors, no original manuals or software.

I must remedy this soon. So much wasted time I could have been turning myself into an even bigger pack rat. Tsk.

Has anyone else here taken pause for a long time before re-discovering their passion for old technology?

I used to play with old computers starting in 7th-8th grade on up through high school (so about 1999-2005). I'd have fun configuring hardware, changing/adding hard drives, running old software on floppies, putting them all on a LAN throughout the house, etc. Then as I got to college, I started getting rid of a lot of it. Good news is most of the stuff I had back then dated between 1989-95; mostly later 286 systems & a 486, so not incredibly tragic losses, but I do miss the Power Mac LC575. However, I did keep a lot of the drives, expansion cards, cables, extra screws/mounting brackets/drive rails/face plates, etc.; just not the motherboards & cases.

Two notable things that made the cut were my Tandy 1000RLX (that my parents bought for me new) and an old IBM 5150 that never quite worked, but Mom dutifully stashed in the garage. Last summer, when an old computer store in the area announced they were closing, my interest in old PCs re-awakened, as I figured it could be a good opportunity to fix my 5150. This was a significant moment, since the proprietor had a "computer museum" he was liquidating with everything from parts to full units, some still new in box with original pricing label. My 5150 needed expansion cards, so I found it a video card. Also one of the first 2 memory ICs in Bank 0 was bad, so I piggybacked it & got it working (eventually desoldered the old one & replaced it in a socket). Since doing that, I've fostered a modest collection of purely 80s Mac & PCs & clones, and an Amiga 500, book-ended in time (1991 to be exact) by my Tandy and a late PS/2 model 25 286.

I've paused somewhat for the last year or two. Only because other things went up the priority list and there are only so many hours in the day. Roll on retirement when I'll have a lot more time.

I've largely stopped collecting though...largely dictated by space (or lack thereof!) I've got more or less the models I want and now it's a matter of maintenance, consolidation and restoration.

Tez

I just started collecting over the last year. See if this does not stir that interest of yours again. I do need to start on the IBMs but they take up a lot of space.

I started with the 1977 Trinity.

1976 KIM-1
1977 Apple II
1977 TRS-80
1977 Commodore PET

1979 Atari 400
1979 Atari 800
1981 Commodore 64

I also have a good collection of Home Video Game Systems all in near mint boxes

1972 Magnavox Odyssey
1975 Atari PONG
1976 Fairchild Channel F
1977 Atari 2600
1983 Nintendo NES
1988 SEGA Genesis
1996 Nintendo 64

I'm trying to slightly down size. I have a nice collection of IBM's. Due to not wanting to be a hoarder and trying to be picky, quality over quantity. I'm slowly selling off a couple of units and extra parts that will never be used. I'm 1st a software junky and started collecting to be able to use, save and image old software. My interest may go up and down with my time spent on playing with my machines but I do take care of what I got. I try to spin up all the systems every month or two.

framer

framer said:

I'm trying to slightly down size. I have a nice collection of IBM's. Due to not wanting to be a hoarder and trying to be picky, quality over quantity. I'm slowly selling off a couple of units and extra parts that will never be used. I'm 1st a software junky and started collecting to be able to use, save and image old software. My interest may go up and down with my time spent on playing with my machines but I do take care of what I got. I try to spin up all the systems every month or two.

framer

Click to expand...

I am also into quality. I hope that my current collection displays that. I have almost every version of IBM DOS from 2.1 to 5.0 in sealed boxes. However I am not a software junky as of yet.
Although I probably will start picking up as many versions of MS Windows as I can.

I am hoping to start a computer / home video game system museum, so feel free to make any suggestions that you think, might help me make this a reality some day.
Please post pics of your collections, as I enjoy seeing what other collectors like myself are collecting.

Some are already on this board:

http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?37609-My-5150-early-model-A&highlight=

http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?20277-How-I-view-my-vintage-collection&highlight=framer


Pictures at the bottom of the thread.
http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthread.php?47023-Model-xt286-5162-questions&highlight=

framer

Nice 5150 and it looked like a 5170?

I will be adding IBMs to my collection after I recoup from all the things I have going on now. Trying to get my Commodore PET up and running at this time.

Oh, Just found myself a nice Atari 800, in the original box. (Hard to get in a decent condition box) It is on its way here now.

There are always lots of different version of computers from each and every Vinder. I do not want to collect every computer just the first, although with the IBMs
you have the 5150, 5160 and 5170 then a 286,386 and 486 these are all milestones to me.

I do already have DOS 2.1, 3.3, 4.0 and 5.0 in sealed boxes. Thinking about collecting a couple of MS Windows versions as well.

I've taken many breaks.. usually around the time I'm wondering why I'm spending more than the cost of a new pc on something that will ultimately sit on a shelf. I really enjoy fixing things up.. if I had the discipline I'd sell inmediately after finishing a project.

I think I will probably pause again after I acquire a SWTPC 6800. The items remaining on my hit list are all $1000+ pieces. There will have to be a few pauses in between.

So much for me downsizing. When trying to sell off a unit on ebay I bought a MFM drive, a ST-4038. Now I hope it works, I got two bad ones on the shelve already. I'm also going to keep that unit that I was selling because the parts really are worth more to me that what I can get for it.

framer - re-bitten

I have vowed to now stop buying for a while (once my eBay watch list goes away of course) so the rarest and best deals on vintage computers will now be available, with my luck.

Today I ran my pdp 8e through my Dell486 running win 3.11. Point being the vintage bar is continuously moving newer so my collecting interest is always in transition. The "bug" moves along the continuum. I am not yet nostalgic about win32 systems...yet...I will prob still be into computers as a hobby until I can't see or type...I was never solely focused on 8 bit machines as many others here are (nothing wrong with that), but I am kind of glad we're moving on to the "later bbs dawn of the WWW vintage" vintage.

I had a good sized collection when we lived in England, but foolishly sold it all for a pittance because I didn't want to pay $15 a cubic foot to bring it with me when we moved to the USA.

I regretted doing that and ended up getting into tube (valve) radio & audio (which I'm still into) instead. That led to a six or seven year break from vintage computing, until I accidentally fell back into it by buying out a couple of estates, mainly for the tube electronics and getting a shed load of vintage computers into the bargain.

After that, the old addiction reasserted itself and my current project is a pdp11/34. I only got it last week and have done bugger all in the way of actual paying work since.

Well my good news was the ST-4038 was a perfect drive. Worked perfect .

framer

I am trying to slow down, now that I have just recently picked up an Atari 800 that is in a near mint box :D, which is almost impossible to find.
The Atari 800 is one of my favorite old computers, so I have been looking for one in a mint box, every day for almost a year now.
And now I finally have one.

I've been active with a computer hobby since I started in 1987. But I have never really been a collector of vintage computers on purpose. One day I just realized that a lot of what I have is now vintage stuff. So, I did set aside a little space in my basement to organize my small collection. At that point I had an Atari 800, C64, CoCo2, NorthStar Advantage, IBM XT-286, Clone 286, PC Partner 386sx, and a Gateway 2000 486DX2/66.

Then life got more busy and I started spending more time looking after my parents and I never got back to that little "museum" until a few weeks ago. That was over ten years ago.

I the meantime I inherited lots more computers, mostly Pentiums, P-II, P-III, and P4. I also got a few Core 2 Duos, which are now my main computers at home for everyday use. Over the past ten years I've been mostly focused on Linux and Windows XP, Win7, Win 8.1, and Win 10.

I was going to recycle several old systems and I started researching. I didn't want to just toss them. I wanted to find them a home. It seems that I may be able to find some interested parties thru the internet. I really don't care to make anything on these systems I just want them to be used. But these systems are not "Vintage" collectables. But they are still old, and retro. Seems many gamers may be interested.

All this has led me back to my vintage "museum" and I have now picked it back up. I barely have time but I will chip away at it until I can get this done. I want to learn to take pictures and videos and get some of these vintage models on the internet for future interest. I've been inspired by Tezza and others, and everyone here. I'm glad I found this community that until now I did not notice. I've been so focused on Linux the past few years I overlooked the vintage and retro groups. But not anymore.

Sean

I like the fact that there are those among us who are collecting the P1's P2's P3's and P4's and Duo Cores. They pick up where I have left off.

The same is true with my Game Systems, most of us remember growing up with one or two of these systems, but younger generation
may not. So, it is important to have the more recent items as well, so we include the younger generation.

I am talking about the Playstation 1,2,3,and 4. The Game Cube and the XBox systems as well as the Nintendo Wii's
Then everyone can enjoy these collections as everyone will remember at least one or two of these games systems, that they used to play with as a kid.

The same is true for computers. We need to display those slightly newer models as well. I have a friend here, who has almost every big box
computer game that came out back in the late 80's and 90's. It is amazing. DOOM (1993), Diablo (1996), Masters of Orion (1993)

So, do not be dissuaded, because your items are not as vintage or are lying around in a bit of a mess. Display them proudly, as they are just as
historic and a part of our culture as the earlier models, that seem to get a little more attention. The younger generations, will appreciate your
collection even more.

Share your pride and your pics here:

Game Systems

Computers

I have numerous other hobbies besides vintage computers, so I don't have a whole lot of time to dedicate to each one, but they at least stay 'on the back burner' while I focus on one or another. When I got started in this hobby while in high school, I didn't have as many hobbies, and there was a relatively constant stream of stuff getting donated to the electronics shop, so I managed to build up a pretty good collection. Once I graduated, I got involved with more hobbies (antique radios, rotary phones, tube audio, vinyl records, calculators, etc.), so things on the computer front slowed down a bit.

However, I've never entirely stopped collecting. Over the years, I've continued adding to the collection whenever the opportunity presented itself. Just this year alone, I've acquired an Atari 1200XL (boxed!), a Macintosh Plus, a TI Extensa laptop (not really part of the 'museum', but might prove somewhat interesting), a TRS-80 Color Computer 1, a HP OmniBook 300, a Kaypro 10, an Atari 400, and a Rockwell AIM-65 (as part of an "Aeolian Kinetics Microcomputer 65" unit). I'm still hoping to open a physical museum of some sort around my computer stuff, as well as my other vintage tech devices, at some point in the future.
-Adam

I am with you on starting up a vintage computer and video game system museum.

My idea centers around setting up my museum in a busy tourist area, where visitors can travel back in time and relive their youth.

If anyone out there has any experience in getting something like this off the ground, I would love to here from you.

I think I need to find a marketer to market to the local businesses around here for support. As well as obtaining the correct business
licenses and petitioning the local and federal government for support as well.

I have contacted several working museums and I have not received the first bit of information from them.
If you have any information, that you feel will help me get started, please feel free to share your ideas.

Thank you

AdamAnt316 said:

I have numerous other hobbies besides vintage computers, so I don't have a whole lot of time to dedicate to each one, but they at least stay 'on the back burner' while I focus on one or another. When I got started in this hobby while in high school, I didn't have as many hobbies, and there was a relatively constant stream of stuff getting donated to the electronics shop, so I managed to build up a pretty good collection. Once I graduated, I got involved with more hobbies (antique radios, rotary phones, tube audio, vinyl records, calculators, etc.), so things on the computer front slowed down a bit.

However, I've never entirely stopped collecting. Over the years, I've continued adding to the collection whenever the opportunity presented itself. Just this year alone, I've acquired an Atari 1200XL (boxed!), a Macintosh Plus, a TI Extensa laptop (not really part of the 'museum', but might prove somewhat interesting), a TRS-80 Color Computer 1, a HP OmniBook 300, a Kaypro 10, an Atari 400, and a Rockwell AIM-65 (as part of an "Aeolian Kinetics Microcomputer 65" unit). I'm still hoping to open a physical museum of some sort around my computer stuff, as well as my other vintage tech devices, at some point in the future.
-Adam

Click to expand...

That is a beautiful Apple Lisa !!!