Hi-I have stuff to sell

[vessels42]

Hi All,

I work in a research group at a University and often times come across some interesting vintage computer stuff getting tossed.

I imagine a lot of it was top of the line for research in its day, so I am trying to find an outlet to get it in the hands of those who will properly archive and preserve it.

I am not a vintage computer enthusiast per se, so mostly I am looking just to develop some connections to get these machines in the right hands and avoid some of the pitfalls of using ebay.

I suppose the only question I have right now is, for the collectors, is there a rule of thumb for what is desired and what is not?

Specifically,

i) do you prefer complete, all-original machines (should I leave them intact even if they won't boot, vs. trying to get them in working order using other salvage parts)?

ii) Are vintage hard disks and/or RAM modules of any value loose?

If anyone is willing to give me some guidelines like this it will help me to know what to grab and what to let go, and what to tear down and what to leave intact. I have limited time and resources, so I can't possibly store it all.

Sorry about the long message. Any help would be appreciated.

[Erik]

Hello and welcome aboard!

The short answer to your questions is yes. :D

Components, partial machines and whole machines are all desired.

The ideal is usually an intact, working machine with docs and software but even an old keyboard or monitor could help someone finish a project.

As for guidelines, typically the newest "vintage" computer is at least 10 to 15 years old. Some machines in that timeframe aren't really vintage, though - things like Pentium systems.

In the end it's easist to just ask with a post here until you get a feel for it. :)

[NathanAllan]

We're all looking for parts, so the loose internals would be welcome, too. Sometimes the plastic parts on the outside get broken, so those would be good to get ahold of, like the plastic bezel of an old terminal, and even a tube. So you never know, but most parts will find a home here. So I mirror Erik's short answer, Yes!

Nathan

[vessels42]

Thanks for the quick replies. One follow-up question:

Is it appropriate to include other vintage devices like calculators or word processing machines? I checked the top level topics and didn't see anything obvious for those.

Probably when I want to get started I will observe the auction process in the appropriate area and decide how I want to list things. I'll adhere to the rules that I know, but probably I will need some gentle prodding about what items are/aren't appropriate for sale to collectors on this forum. I will try to keep the 10/15 years figure in mind; that is about where I would have drawn the line anyway if left to my own devices.

Thanks again.

[VintageComputerman]

vessels42, where are you located? tia

[hargle]

I also need to chime in that if you sell stuff with a hard drive, make sure the drive is wiped clean. Nothing will shut your operation down (and our enjoyment of your operation!) faster than finding out some leaked data was shipped out with a hard drive that was supposedly scrapped.

[rachael24]

Welcome to the forum...Whats your location?

[vessels42]

Thanks for all the helpful input and messages. I updated my profile to include my location (St. Louis, MO).

Maybe this weekend when I have free reign of the lab I can put together a list of what I have at the moment.

[johnorun]

Maybe this weekend when I have free reign of the lab I can put together a list of what I have at the moment.

If you find any Hard Drives that are RLL Controlled (from mid to late 1980's vintage) and from 30-100MB, I would be interested in one or two for my IBM-PC 5150.
I'm also looking for a working EGA monitor for my system. The NEC Multisync model also will work. Good luck in the lab. :)

[NathanAllan]

We're all looking for parts, so the loose internals would be welcome, too. Sometimes the plastic parts on the outside get broken, so those would be good to get ahold of, like the plastic bezel of an old terminal, and even a tube. So you never know, but most parts will find a home here. So I mirror Erik's short answer, Yes!

Nathan

Let me amend this a bit. Scratches, scrapes, and discoloration is okay with me, too, as long as whatever it is functions. Others may be more picky. But if you have a Wang anything that has half of its case gone yet all innards are intact, that's for sure a keeper. On the other hand, if you have an IBM 286 with a smoky smell coming from it, unless it's very unusual (prototype, wires hand-soldered on to something, etc.) then most likely it's toss-able. ANY kind of ROM writer device is definitely welcome!

Looking forward to your list!

Nathan