Massive computer collection for sale (mine)

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Massive computer collection for sale (mine)

Postby YetiSeti on Sat Jul 17, 2010 10:48 pm

Well, This Is It --> (mental image - movie reference:Real Genius)

My father passed away last weekend :(

The collection is my pride and joy, but the priority now is how to look after my mother and grandmother and this is going to require major building expenses to the tune of amounts I don't have but do have some of it in the computer collection (albeit about as liquid as an ocean on mars). The museum is a dream and something in my head and reality is in the pocket.

I doubt there is probably a buyer though with a collection that has cost possibly in excess of $50K but I think I may have to try my luck and list on trademe (hmm, or sella which is commission free). I couldn't split or break as that'd be the slippery slope of it losing value and its unique quality of the collection as a whole. There is such a significant amount in it of just postage (cursed nz post!) and in this case the sum of the parts is probably not greater than the whole.

Perhaps I'll wait till I check the lotto ticket.
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Re: Massive computer collection for sale (mine)

Postby tezza on Sat Jul 17, 2010 11:55 pm

Sorry to hear about your father Clinton. My own passed away last year.

It will be wrench having to give up your collection (and dreams of a museum). I know it's more hassel but if you want the greatest return on the investment I would consider selling items separately. You will get more overall I'm sure, and more buyers. My feeling is it will be hard to find a buyer with the cash and room to take it all as one lot. A second-hand dealer might, but then he/she would them just onsell it at a profit anyway.

I'd be certainly be interested in a TRS80 Model III or IV if you have one and would pay good money for it.

Anyway, my sympathies to you and your family regarding your loss. Hope you navigate through these new waters ok.
Tez (Terry Stewart) (Administrator)
Collection: https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/co ... /index.htm
Projects and Articles: https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/index.htm
Twitter: @classiccomputNZ | YouTube: Terry Stewart
Trade Me: tezza5
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Re: Massive computer collection for sale (mine)

Postby YetiSeti on Sun Jul 18, 2010 7:54 pm

Thanks for the message.

My problems are two fold, the space the collection occupies is required for other use, and the value locked up in the collection. I'm sure four rooms worth of vintage technology would pack tightly into some purpose built storage or a container if someone had one !

In the least it will be an exercise in putting the feelers out there seeing I don't think there will be a buyer at the price but to get some comments back from people might be quite valuable. I would think vintage computers are pretty much outside the domain of second-hand dealers (at least here in Dunedin), so I think it's safe from such interests. Unless the collection was sold at a significant discount there wouldn't be much room for profit. It's 90% from trademe and market prices were paid before postage (at across island rates). So it's not a collection to be bought with motive of profit or investment in mind (well, assuming the market doesn't grow.)

It will force me to inventorise everything which will be for my own good and community at large (seeing there's plenty of items that don't feature in too many search results) but it will take a significant amount of time as I don't like to do by halves. Perhaps after that I might know better the gap between the value and costs of it all. Of course if there was any recompense for time put into the collection I'd call it to be worth considerably more.

The collection is mostly in my head and I'll never lose what thoughts and realisations it has brought to me and dreams are free so I won't lose them either.

No TRS80's Model III or IV in the collection I'm afraid. Just a few of the same System 80s which I must say I paid more than the list price of your auction. Have you checked through the lists on old-computers.com? Maybe there's some on the trade lists of the OZ collectors.
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Re: Massive computer collection for sale (mine)

Postby tezza on Sun Jul 18, 2010 8:48 pm

I hadn't thought of old-computers.com. I have chased up a few OZ contacts to no avail. TRS-80 Model III/IVs seem like rare beasts in New Zealand.

>The collection is mostly in my head and I'll never lose what thoughts and realisations it has brought to me and dreams are free so I won't lose them either.

That's a good way of looking at it.
Tez (Terry Stewart) (Administrator)
Collection: https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/co ... /index.htm
Projects and Articles: https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/index.htm
Twitter: @classiccomputNZ | YouTube: Terry Stewart
Trade Me: tezza5
tezza
Site Admin
 
Posts: 2382
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 pm
Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand

Re: Massive computer collection for sale (mine)

Postby matsondawson on Wed Jul 21, 2010 9:32 pm

Gutted! Sorry to hear that, but in the end physical things can be bought and sold but family is priceless.
Maybe you could trim the collection by defining a limited subset that you'd like to keep.
In my case, I only intend on collecting 8 bit machines that came with built in Basic. _Intend_ being the operative word!
There's the odd one I have just because of it's uniqueness like a Vectrex, or because of sentimental value like an Archimedes A3000, but I still try to stay true to the rule.
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