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Fleamarkets in the USA

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Peborgh

Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
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43
Guys,

How likely am I to find vintage (50s to 70s) computer items at fleamarkets and equivalents in the States? Or elsewhere?

Only I am driving around the USA in September and October and I am looking to expand my collection...

Many thanks,

peter
 
I go to a very good flea market nearly every weekend and while it's full of great general stuff there are some contemporary computers and parts but I have never (in twenty years or so) seen ANY vintage computers or parts!!! :)
 
The fleamarkets out my way don't get much older equipment than five or six years old. Once in a great while is stuff older, but it's either incredibly priced or incredibly wrecked (or both).
 
I might be interested in unusual floppy/flippy disks. Tell me more, please.

peter
 
Hamfest: radio enthusiasts gathering. Google Hamfest along your route. Search Craigslist along your route as well. Have fun!
 
Stone said:
I'm familiar with flippy disks. Other than that what do you consider to be an unusual floppy disk?
Click to expand...

Stone,

I will get back to you about unusual disks I do not already have.

What have you got in the way of flippy disks? (you do mean two-sided floppy disks, just checking...) What specification? And how much would they cost?

Many thanks,

peter
 
I don't have the flippy any more. It was an Apple/IBM flippy. You know, one side Apple and the other IBM. I gave it to someone here. :)
 
I made a few of my own flippy disks a while back. I opened up a damaged 5.25" disk and removed the disk so I could use the jacket as a template for punching the index holes and cutting the write protect notch.
 
I have seen interesting computer items at flea markets infrequently. Not often enough to expect anything at a random flea market.
 
Flippies are older than 5.25" disks. I have a bunch of OEM 8" flippies. Very common, as the single-sided drives predominated for quite some time, so they were produced commercially, not just punched by users.
 
Once, in all my years, I saw a really ratty VIC-20 at a flea market. IIRC it was the computer and the original box (very bad condition) with no power supply or modulator or anything else.
 
People around here are pretty well trained that anything more than a couple years old must go directly to the Chinese trash dump - I mean "recycler".
 
Every once in a while I may find something at a thrift store that may hold some vintage computing value, but most of the stuff you will find is non-descript junk. For flea markets, I do not ever recall seeing truly vintage hardware. Software, yes, but hardware, no. If it cannot run Windows 7 no average person would be interested in it.
 
I found a 486 at a Thrift store a number of years ago, but that is a rarity. Mostly you find current obsolete equipment and MAYBE some vintage software.
 
Peborgh said:
Hamfest? Sorry I am from England...

peter
Click to expand...

As mentioned, Hamfests are flea markets for Amateur Radio enthusiasts. In the United States, each radio club will typically host an hamfest as a way of raising money for the club.

Unfortunately, many of the hamfest are shrinking in size. I've been to a couple this year which are just a shadow of the size they used to be.

Earlier this month at a hamfest I couldn't attend, a friend picked up a complete Data General One computer with manuals, disks and printer for $25. Not a bad deal. Wish I had been there.

Bill
WD9EQD
Smithville, NJ
 
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