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Thinking about thinning collection

M

mikerm

Experienced Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
282
Location
Grand Rapis, MI
I wanted to get several opinions from you guys.

I am completely and totally out of room. I just got my hands on a cheap original boxed Amiga 500 (a computer I've always wanted, missing a power supply though, so if you have one let me know). I'm so stuffed that I have nowhere to store the box. Soon I hope to get my hands on a ps/1 which I've also wanted for ages.

I was thinking about thinning out my Mac collection to make some more room, down to my favorite 3 from 8. I would be getting rid of an LCII, Performa 637CD and 6030, beige G3, and a broken 7300. Has anyone done similar just because they are out of room or am I just crazy? :D
 
mikerm said:
I wanted to get several opinions from you guys.

I am completely and totally out of room. I just got my hands on a cheap original boxed Amiga 500 (a computer I've always wanted, missing a power supply though, so if you have one let me know). I'm so stuffed that I have nowhere to store the box. Soon I hope to get my hands on a ps/1 which I've also wanted for ages.

I was thinking about thinning out my Mac collection to make some more room, down to my favorite 3 from 8. I would be getting rid of an LCII, Performa 637CD and 6030, beige G3, and a broken 7300. Has anyone done similar just because they are out of room or am I just crazy? :D
Click to expand...

This subject comes up from time to time. A lot of us have collections that grow and wind up taking way too much space in our houses or apartments.

If you only have 8 computers, that's a small collection but still may be a problem for someone with limited room. One problem you're going to have is getting rid of those machines you have listed. Very few people are willing to pay anything for them. I see them listed repeatedly on CraigsList with an asking price of $35.00 with no takers (not even me). Add shipping to the cost and your chances of getting rid of them are even slimmer.

I also will be trying to reduce the number of machines I have. Just need to do it. I have picked up machines in the past, not for myself but to fix and pass along to other collectors. Recently I got 4 TRS-80 Model 3's and 2 Model 4's off of CraigsList. None of them work and some have bad screen burn. I have to make a choice if they are worth repairing, scrapping for parts or just recycling. I would really like to get them running, but from a monetary point, it may not be worth it.

When making the choice to get rid of something is too difficult, people start exhibiting signs of a hoarder. I recently find myself reading articles about hoarders and comparing myself with the traits some of them have. Here is a link with questions to ask ones self (not for original poster) if you are a collector or a hoarder:

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100221074825AA647y4

Look at the Best Answer chosen by voters. Submitted by Shan
 
Thinin' the herd

Thinin' the herd

It certainly depends upon just what you collect but, I find that monitors take up way to much room for their own good. Since my specific collection involves mostly the mid 80's 8-bit computers (computer under the keyboard types), I have been able to get along with just a single monitor for all my computing needs. (See my photo albums on this site.)

So, I would try to thin out the monitors to just what is absolutely necessary. Depending on your collection that may be more difficult than my specific case. If you have computers requiring CGA, EGA, and RBG then the plot thickens, so to speak. Or perhaps you must have the 'correct' monitor for each PC in your collection. Mileage always varies by taste, that's for sure. But monitors sure are space consumer!

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I'm definitely at the point of running out of space for my collection. Once it gets to the point that many computers end up in the attic or deep in storage shelves, that takes away most of the fun of it for me.

It can be very tempting to pick up old machines just because they are cheap and old. I need to fight that urge, because those tend to be the machines that just take up space.

It's more fun, I think, to focus on the machines you like the best and do more with them.

Sometimes unfortunately that might mean just junking some old hardware. But do you have a local freecycle list or the equivalent? Sometimes I just give old machines away to make space, partly because it is so much quicker than putting an item for auction and ending up selling it for $10 and then have to pack it up, etc.
 
I should mention that I don't just have 8 computers, I have many more (www.oldcomps.com).

mark66j, yeah, I was thinking either giving it all away on craigslist or freecycle.

Holy cow thats a lot of monitors. I really only have 3, 1 apple specific monitor, 1 commodore composite monitor, and my lcd svga/dvi monitor.
 
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Some monitors you don't want to get rid of - like the Commodore 1084 (or 1080). They're useful multi-purpose monitors for many 8-bit computers, but especially for Amiga. It's good to have one or two backups too. Without this monitor, for the Amiga you'll need an expensive scandoubler to connect to VGA - and you won't get the same old "feel". There are cheaper s-video adapters, but most TVs can't do the easy PAL/NTSC switching the 1084 can do.

I was also considering thinning my collection, but I did some extreme rearranging of my computers and now everything fits nicely in one room, set up and plugged in. Even my closet is organized (that was a killer!).

I can't add one single item though because there's absolutely nowhere left to put it.
 
Nothing in your list would be hard to replace anyway, see if there are any collectors near you and maybe trade it all for something you need. My collection is pretty large at the moment and a few items will be traded or sold off sooner or later. Last friday I started taking things that are broken to get recycled (old dead motherboards) to a recycler. While I hate to get rid of working units I want for my collection, I don't have a problem with units I pick up that I don't particuarly like or things that are broken and not worth fixing.
 
Even the total of every machine on your page there is a small collection - when I decided to "thin out" my collection it went from about 70 machines to about 30. >.>

I'm actually still thinning it out a bit, thus the PS/1 you mentioned. Anything I don't use regularly gets offered to anyone who's looking for it, unless it's a special case (like my C64 or game consoles, which I don't play regularly but NEED to have xD).

I'm tempted to ask about the G3 but I really shouldn't, so I wont.
 
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