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What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:20 pm
by tezza
Do you collect old computers? What kind of collector are you?

I've just read an interesting article in “Vintage Technology” issue 3 (http://www.vintagetechnology.co.uk) about the different types of vintage technology collectors. I"ve condensed the descriptions for brevity's sake and made them specific to computers. Individuals will overlap but see if you can recognise youself? They list these types;

    Investor: Mint condition. Collect computers purely in the hope they will appreciate and they can sell at a later date. Must be in mint condition preferably with original box. Even better if it is unopened!

    Finishers: Complete collection. These folk will seek to collect every item of a certain type. E.g. All Amiga models, all TRS-80 model 1 peripherals etc. They want to get everything item of whatever they have decided to collect.

    Speculator: Buy what seems to be of value cheaply, then sells it again hoping to make a quick buck. These people can follow fads and can cause price spikes.

    Repairer: These are rare but vauable folk. Collects broken machines to fix and resurrect. Main enjoyment is seeing something dead spring to life. May then resell.

    Personal Use: These people have vintage computers because they perform a useful function. Why change?

    Caretaker: Just ended up with it and feel they shouldn't throw it away. No real emotional attachment

    Historian: Someone who feels these items have historical value and future generations should know about them

    Part time collector: Just pick up something because it seems interesting. Don’t really understand the true value of it.

    Hoarders: Collect anything and everything and just can't throw any of it away. Have a strong attachment to the past
For myself, I'm mainly Historian, with perhaps a hint of Hoarder.

How about you?

Exidy Sorcerer

PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 1:27 pm
by Selwyn
Definitely Historian - with more than a dash of Hoarder/Repairer.

I still have my 1978 vintage Exidy Sorcerer + all the bits & pieces plus Sorcerer magazines from around the world.

Of course it still goes (as long as the trusty tape recorder keeps working).

Selwyn


2019 update
Well that tape recorder died, but I now have (via Banggood) a Super USB Cassette Capture to save my 100+ Sorcerer tapes as .wav files. 47 saved so far! :D

Unfortunately the 'Sorcerer magazines from around the world' actually belonged to the NZ Computer Club library and as it closed in 2015 after I retired to Papamoa Beach Tauranga, they are probably gone forever. :(
My Sorcerer needs some Tantalum capacitor 'heart bypass' action as BASIC programs load OK but it then fill the screen with graphics characters from bottom RHS to top!
But my original NOVEX 28cm CRT monitor still works as 1980's monitors capable of 30 lines of 64 characters are hard to come by these days.
I do plan to see if I can make a converter to VGA or HDMI next year.

Selwyn Arrow

PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:54 pm
by TRS80
A selective Hoarder/Repairer....

In the Micro group mainly the machines that I spent huge amounts of time playing with but could never afford when they were mainstream so TRS-80's (Models III and 4) and BBC's.

Designed an IDE hard drive interface for the TRS-80 just because it seemed possible.... http://www.electricsoftware.co.nz/trs80

... and DEC Minicomputers... just can't go past flashing lights and switches on the front panel

... and old Windows CE pocket PC's.... just because they sit gathering dust in the hardware room at work because there is a new model this week!

PostPosted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 10:25 am
by Carcenomy
I'm definitely historian, with a sprinkling of hoarder and the prerequisite requirement of repairer :)

I like mortifying young'ns with old gear that more than competently performs useful chores even now. Show them the worth of the older generations :)

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Sat Mar 07, 2009 5:32 pm
by gavo
Hmm, from those definitions I guess I'd be a "part time collector" - although I feel a little offended by it! ;-)

Seriously, there needs to be a definition for those of us people who enjoy just playing with this old kit and seeing what it could do - espically the stuff we couldnt afford when it was new - I guess thats kinda me - is it wierd that I find fiddling with this junk relaxing?

I'm defintely not in it for the money or even because I think theres any historical significance to it all - I just think its a bit of fun :)

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 2:33 pm
by tezza
Gavo,

What models of vintage machines have you got?

Terry (Tez)

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:59 pm
by gavo
tezza wrote:What models of vintage machines have you got?


At the moment I have an Mac LC475 fitted with an Apple IIe emulation card, a Mac Classic and a 128k "original" Mac.

I would love to get my hands on a real Apple II (e preferably) again, but they seem hard to come by now days (despite there being plently of them in NZ during thier hayday) and of course there is the space issue to contend with (i like to have these things out where I can use them) - makes me sad when I read about whole palletes of Apple II's available for "$50" in the US :)

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 1:22 am
by scamp3
Historian and Repairer, I would never sell my items even if I have bulk lots of one thing i.e 5 commodore 64's. The feeling when somthing goes that was previously not working is priceless. My big one was replacing the rubber belt in the Amstrad PCW 8256 with a rubber band after I heard it was the remedy somewhere on the internet, and when it ran and loaded the CP/M disk in front of me its a great feeling. I must say it is a little more exciting when I recieve something from trademe or somewhere else and the it doesn't go.

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Sat Jul 18, 2009 3:20 am
by linuxlove
since i'm not on my own yet i don't really have a collection, but if i did i would be historian and hoarder plus maybe a bit of caretaker. after all i can't bear to stand seeing any computer just get thrown away (unless it was 100% broken with no way of repairing it).

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 3:02 pm
by beestuff
I have a small collection of Microbee gear. My main interest is in collecting disks and documentation so that it can be shared with other Microbee enthusiasts. I have set up a simple web site where I have provided some software to assist in dumping disk images, etc from Microbee computers. I am also the author of a Microbee emulator (uBee512) which is my main focus.

If anyone has something they consider to be of interest I can be contacted at the address shown at the bottom of my site page.

EDIT 2010/11/20: The old site no longer exists and has been removed. The site is now located here and is known as the 'Microbee Software Preservation Project' (MSPP) and provides a forum specifically to discuss the Microbee with an emphasis on community involvement.

http://www.microbee-mspp.org.au/

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 10:14 pm
by tezza
I remember reading about the Ozzie Microbees in the early 80s and wondering what they were like. Good to see someone is preserving their history.

Terry (tez)

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:02 am
by beestuff
There is a new site to help preserve the Microbee and is known as the 'Microbee Software Preservation Project' (MSPP) and provides a forum specifically to discuss the Microbee with an emphasis on community involvement.

http://www.microbee-mspp.org.au/

Stewart

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 3:18 pm
by YetiSeti
tezza wrote:I’ve just read an interesting article in “Vintage Technology” issue 3 (http://www.vintagetechnology.co.uk) about the different types of vintage technology
:
:
Hoarders. – Collect anything and everything and just can’t throw any of it away. Have a strong attachment to the past[/list]For myself, I’m mainly Historian, with perhaps a hint of Hoarder.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/highlights/nine_to_noon_publicity/nine_to_noon114
Code: Select all
Thursday, 19 August 11:20 am
If clutter is your thing and hoarding second nature, Nine to Noon guest Peter Walsh may be able to help. He’s an Australian-born professional organiser, writer and television personality who now lives in Los Angeles. Peter has a master's degree with a specialty in educational psychology and has been an organisational consultant for the past 12 years and a regular on the Oprah Winfrey show. He organises homes and people’s lives and also has big business clients wanting their companies organised more effectively.

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 7:21 am
by lizardb0y
I can't believe I never chimed in on this one!

For the record, I'd be (in order of magnitude) a Historian, Hoarder, Repairer, Personal Use, Finisher. The order of the first two is debatable.

This is almost crying out for some kind of Collector Personality Type Indicator (like the MBTI) isn't it?

Re: What kind of a collector are you?

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 8:05 am
by kevman3d
Hoarder, definitely. While the ZX81 was the first one, I gave it to a friend who wanted it for his collection...

But still hold on to my Spectrum, and literally everything that I collected with it from Magz to Software (god knows how many of those tapes actually still work, but I can't throw them out). Its been stored in boxes in all kinds of environments. A lot of damp ones at that so no idea if it still works. I even have the old Sharp cassette deck (I dunno how many people recall those large chunky decks that most schools had, with the wood-grain top on them) that was my other main "peripheral". Given all this gear has never really been outside of storage for almost 2 decades and that I've held on to it - Yep, definitely a hoarder. :)