Comments please!
Finding Vintage Computers - A Primer
by Sellam Ismail
sellam_at_vintage.org
http://www.vintage.org
1st Edition - May 15, 2000
This primer is intended to give you ideas that will help you
find vintage computers in and around your general vicinity.
It was written to aid the many frustrated collectors who
believe they have exhausted their local sources and still
cannot find any old computers. Well, I assure you this is
not the case. Old computers can be found in a lot of places
that you did not consider.
Keep these principles in mind when determining what to pay
for old computers:
* some people are just happy to have their old machine
go to a new home
* the bigger the machine, the less money it generally
sells for
* for some large machine, people are sometimes willing
to pay you to haul it away
Flea Markets/Ham Fests/Car Boot Sales
We begin with the most obvious place to find vintage
computers, the Flea Market/Ham Fest/Car Boot Sale (I will
refer to them as "flea markets"). Flea markets can occur
with frequent regularity or just occasionally, from several
times a week to perhaps once a year. Usually they are
comprised of people trying to get rid of their old junk.
At the more general flea market, finding old computers is
usually a challenge. Most of what you will find is the sort
of junk that you already have stored away in your garage,
basement, attic, closet, etc. But occasionally you will
find old computers, and the advantage here is that most
collectors won't bother with these sorts of flea markets, so
the competition is low.
You will be more likely to find vintage computers at Ham
Fests as most radio guys (and gals) are also computer users.
Many Hams were early adopters of microcomputers during the
mid- to late-70's and as such are likely targets for finding
some of the more interesting early micros such as S-100 bus
machines as well as mini-computers.
You can generally expect to pay prices in the range of $5 -
$50 for most vintage computers that show up at these events.
Occasionally stuff can be had for free, since the seller
just wants to get rid of it, or you can wait until after the
event is over and head over to the trash bins where you will
find all the stuff the sellers didn't want to take back home
with them.
Haggling at flea markets is mandatory. Never pay more for
an old computer than you have to. Learning how to haggle
properly would take a whole other primer. The way to get
good at it is to just go out and do it.
If you don't find any vintage computers at Ham Fests, don't
get discouraged. The fact is they just haven't found you.
It might be well worth your while to rent a space at the
next event and put up a table of your own. Display signs
indicating you are interested in old computers. A lot of
the people attending the ham fests as buyers also have old
computers that they'd like to get rid of and you will meet
many people this way. The price of a space is usually not
very high, perhaps from $10-$50.
To find Flea Markets/Ham Fests/Car Boot sales in your area,
look in the classified ads section of your local paper or in
the small classified periodicals, or check the upcoming
events listings for your local fairgrounds as a lot of times
those are venues for large flea markets. Better yet, hop on
over to
http://www.openair.org/ which is an excellent online
resource for finding flea markets and ham fests in your area
worldwide.
Thrift/Charity Shops
Another good place to find vintage computers is at your
local Thrift (or Charity) store. Almost every city has at
least one. The bigger cities will have many. The most
common ones (in the United States anyway) are The Salvation
Army, Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul. In my experience,
these are NOT good stores to find old computers. Usually
they take all incoming computers and sell them at special
sales. Or, if old computers do make it into the store, the
pieces to it are usually not all together, or in some cases
the parts to one computer may have been scattered across
multiple stores.
The better thrift stores to look in for old computers are
the stand-alone stores or the for-profit chains. They
usually won't sort through and separate the items and so
you're more likely to find old computers at these.
Prices vary from ridiculously cheap to just plain
ridiculous. Some stores have no concept of a computer being
obsolete. To them, a computer is an expensive, fancy device
that is worth lots of money, and they price them
accordingly. Others don't differentiate between an old
computer and an old toaster, and will sell computer items at
the same prices they sell the rest of their appliances, in
many cases for only a few dollars or less. Some stores try
to price computer items separately but can't tell the
difference between modern day PC components and old computer
parts, and as a result you'll see vintage machines selling
for the same price as the more modern machines.
Some thrift stores will slash the price of their items for
every week that it does not sell. If something is priced
too high you might wait until the following week and buy it
at half off! Ask the store what their policy is. While
you're at it, don't be afraid to make an offer on an item
you are interested in. Haggling at thrift stores is OK.
To find thrift stores, look in your local phone book, or
check the web. Many of the larger institutions now have
websites that will direct you to the nearest store. Search
for them online.
Electronics Surplus Shops
If you can find them, electronics surplus shops are great
places to find vintage computers. The prices are generally
high at these stores but haggling is sometimes acceptable.
It's always best to just ask.
Look in your local phone book to find electronics surplus
shops in your area. You also might want to try looking for
general electronics repair shops, as they may have old
computers laying about their shop as well.
Colleges/Universities/Schools
Schools are great places to find aging computers. Oft times
an old machine is tucked away in a closet or basement and
forgotten. Many schools have periodic rummage sales to sell
off obsolete equipment. Ask the school administration if
they have these sales and mark your calendar for the next
one.
You might also want to try contacting the teachers and
professors directly as they may have knowledge of old
computers that are no longer in use. The best ones to
approach would be in the physical sciences departments:
chemistry, physics, biology, etc. Of course, the Computer
Science department would also be a good choice.
Auctions
An auction is sometimes a good place to find vintage
computers, especially if it is an auction to liquidate the
assets of a company that used computers in its operations.
Look in the classified ads of your local paper to find out
about upcoming auctions and estate sales in your area.
Of course you can also try the online auctions. eBay is, of
course, the most popular of the auction sites for finding
vintage computers. However, competition is fierce, and as
such prices are generally higher than you would pay at other
venues. Bargains can be found by performing searches that
locate items not listed in the categories specifically for
old computers.
Scrap/Salvage Yards
If you're looking for "Old Iron", your most likely chance of
finding it are in scrap yards. The precious metal content
of big mainframes unfortunately sends many old computers to
a frightful end. Try to find scrap yards in your area and
ask the owner if they ever get old computers in. If they
do, try to strike up a deal with them. Tell them you will
pay them some amount over scrap value (for instance 10%) for
any old machines they haul in. This will make it worth
their while to work with you. Be forewarned: many scrap
yard owners can be mean & nasty, and legends abound of
various ones destroying perfectly good vintage equipment of
all sorts either because you offered too low a price or just
because you look funny. They are notoriously rude and
generally just unstable people. Of course these are just
generalizations, and your situation may vary.
Classified Ads
Of course you can always try searching the classified ads of
your local paper, as some vintage computers do occasionally
show up in the listings. Of course, don't neglect the
Usenet for-sale newsgroups. Better yet, check for items
listed for sale in the many newsgroups dedicated to specific
computer platforms.
Let Them Come to You
One way to find vintage computers is to let them find you.
Try placing an ad in the classifieds section of your local
paper. Be sure to specify exactly what you are looking for
to avoid getting a flood of false leads. In the very least,
include a cut-off year indicating you are not interested in
any computers manufactured after that year.
Better yet, try posting an ad in one of the many Usenet
newsgroups dedicated to older platforms. Or you can try
posting an ad in one of your local for-sale newsgroups.
The Traveling Nerd
If you take frequent business trips to other areas, try
scheduling time during your trip to search out old
computers. The areas you visit may be fertile, untapped
grounds for finding vintage machines. Upon arrival, check
the phone book for any of the various sources listed above.
You may also want to try to time your trips to coincide with
any large flea markets or ham fests in the area and arrange
to stay during the weekend so you can attend the event.
Once you've acquired vintage computers whilst away from
home, you'll soon realize you have to get them home somehow.
This is not a problem. Most airlines allow two check-in
bags (up to 65 pounds each) and two carry-on bags per
passenger. Find a sturdy box and some packaging material
and pack your findings, then check them in at the airport as
your baggage. You can find boxes and packaging materials at
a local mailing center, or at moving vehicle rental
locations such as U-Haul. Pack your box well! Luggage is
designed to absorb the abuse that the luggage handlers
inflict upon it. Boxes are generally not. Use as much
packing material as possible and pack it tight.
If taking items back with you on the plane is not feasible,
you can always just have the stuff shipped back to you at
home by using your preferred shipping carrier (i.e. UPS,
Fedex, etc.)
Where Else?
Finally, some other resources to try in your quest for
vintage computers include:
- Hi-tech companies in your local area, especially ones that
have been around for a while and may have accumulated old
machines
- Local utilities (power, water, telephone) sometimes have
surplus sales, and also have rather large dumpsters (skips)
that are worth checking occasionally
- Other collectors who are retiring from the hobby
- Family, friends and neighbors and their family, friends
and neighbors...tell everyone you know you collect old
computers!
Finally, if you live in an area where all of the above
resources are either lacking or have consistently turned up
nary a floppy drive, it might be worth your while to plan a
weekend road trip to a major city nearby. Try to do
research in advance to find out where all the thrift stores,
flea markets and surplus shops are, and plot out an
efficient route. Bring along a sizable vehicle, lots of
money, and preferably a companion to keep you occupied
during the boring long stretches.
Above all, remember this: collecting vintage computers is an
exercise in resourcefulness!
Happy Collecting!
Copyright (c) 2000 Vintage Computer Festival
Sellam International Man of Intrigue and Danger
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for a six in a pile of nines...
Coming soon: VCF 4.0!
VCF East: Planning in Progress
See
http://www.vintage.org for details!
Received on Mon May 15 2000 - 13:42:40 BST