New Collector

Introduce yourself. Tell people why you are interested in vintage computers and what (if anything) you've got.

New Collector

Postby mrad01 on Tue Sep 18, 2012 1:21 pm

Hi All,

I'm Marcus, and I am starting to collect old computers.

The 8 year old version of me would say the hottest machine on earth was the Apple IIe. I've had the ZX81, Spectravideo 328 and more Macs and PCs than you could imagine. My day job is iOS/Android development and a fair bit of WebApp dev. All good fun, but nothing like hardware....

So, I'm looking out for a few Apple IIs at the moment, then I'll build from there.

Let the fun begin!
mrad01
 
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Re: New Collector

Postby falco on Tue Sep 18, 2012 11:50 pm

Interesting - pretty much the same series of machines that I had. ZX81, Spectravideo 328, Apple ][+, //e, Mac Plus. I've managed to hold onto a number of my original machines (the ZX81, the //e, the ][+ I used at primary school, and the Mac Plus). My spare room is a huge pile of Apple 2s of various types, and the basement contains numerous ZX81s and Spectravideos, but generally I don't let them go! And I'm also in web app development. Just thought the parallels there were curious, especially the Spectravideo thing. I don't often encounter other SVI users.
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Re: New Collector

Postby tezza on Wed Sep 19, 2012 8:41 am

Welcome to the forums Marcus,

Yes, I have a couple of Spectravideo machines myself. A 318 and a MSX 728. I've always considered them capable 8-bit machines for what was then the "home" market.
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
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Re: New Collector

Postby mrad01 on Wed Sep 19, 2012 11:56 am

I think I was the only Spectravideo user in the town I was from. We didn't have any arcades, so I spent my time re-writing games I had seen from trips to the city. Crikey, that sounds like a real hick thing to say!
Wow, you have apple IIs. Trying to buy one is really really hard! I'm trying every contact I have to see if I can get one. Gibsaw is helping me out currently...

I'm keen to build up a collection of well preserved (or restored) machines from the 1977->1990 era - should be fun!

Falco, If you ever want to spare one of your Apple IIs - please let me know!
mrad01
 
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Re: New Collector

Postby mrad01 on Wed Sep 19, 2012 11:57 am

Thanks Terry. It's a great site.

I'm going to ring my parents and see if they still have my 328 somewhere!!!
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Re: New Collector

Postby Gibsaw on Wed Sep 19, 2012 12:18 pm

falco wrote:...I've managed to hold onto a number of my original machines...

You lucky sod. You'd be one of the few who did. I think it'd be fairly accurate to say that most of us end up having to buy everything again after our original machines suffer their original obsolescence and disposal.

I've spent a fortune on Apple II's after giving away my originals to another collector in the late 90's... including quite a lot of software I wrote as a teenager. (Which I would dearly love to get back.)
"dsakey" on trademe. Apple II's are my thing.
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Re: New Collector

Postby falco on Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:46 pm

Gibsaw wrote:You lucky sod. You'd be one of the few who did. I think it'd be fairly accurate to say that most of us end up having to buy everything again after our original machines suffer their original obsolescence and disposal. I've spent a fortune on Apple II's after giving away my originals to another collector in the late 90's... including quite a lot of software I wrote as a teenager. (Which I would dearly love to get back.)

True, seems to be normal. It's more surprising given that I traded in inexpensive older machines in the late 80s and early 90s. Just buying, repairing and selling to make a bit of pocket money. When I sold one of my own daily-use machines, it was generally for a specific purpose. My original ][+ I sold to trade up to a //e, which I then sold to trade to a Platinum //e (which is the one I still have, boxed and all). The SVI 328 I sold in 1990 before going on an overseas trip, just for funds. I ended up buying another one in the late 90s I think, and ended up with a pile of them in the end. Actually, I probably had about 200 sq m packed with classic computer gear until a few years ago, when I decided to concentrate on the machines that meant something to me personally (ZX81, SVI, Apple 2, and original Mac).
I have my original disks as well, some dating from about 1980. The amazing thing was despite the squashings and bendings they suffered in my schoolbag, they still read OK (not that I read them often at all). In fact, same with my SVI tapes. I didn't expect to be able to read them, but they all worked fine last time I tried. Just good luck I think.

mrad01 wrote:I think I was the only Spectravideo user in the town I was from. We didn't have any arcades, so I spent my time re-writing games I had seen from trips to the city.


Interesting - where were you? I got into SVIs because relatives in Whitianga (Coromandel Peninsula) had one, which they bought from a place called Piaggi Computers in Thames.

mrad01 wrote:Wow, you have apple IIs. Trying to buy one is really really hard! I'm trying every contact I have to see if I can get one. Gibsaw is helping me out currently... I'm keen to build up a collection of well preserved (or restored) machines from the 1977->1990 era - should be fun! Falco, If you ever want to spare one of your Apple IIs - please let me know!


In a way I'd be happy enough to move the things on, but the trouble is that they aren't all that reliable. Fortunately I have lots of //e spares, and ][+ machines are pretty much entirely off-the-shelf parts, but actually doing the repairs can be fairly time-consuming. If I have a big stack of spare machines, I don't worry about that sort of thing so much. Also, I'd really like to set up a small vintage computer lab type thing, with a variety of running machines. I'm sure that'd involve a couple of different configurations of each of my favourites!

One thing that does surprise me is the prices that standard Apple 2 machines are going for these days. I never really expected the things to appreciate in value, but there's a fair bit of money in that pile now.
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Re: New Collector

Postby mrad01 on Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:55 pm

falco wrote:
Interesting - where were you? I got into SVIs because relatives in Whitianga (Coromandel Peninsula) had one, which they bought from a place called Piaggi Computers in Thames.


I was from Ruawai (near Dargaville, up north). We were one of the first schools in northland with computers, so it was Apple 2 all the way for us. That's why I'm so keen on getting hold of one (or many)!
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Re: New Collector

Postby falco on Wed Sep 19, 2012 7:34 pm

mrad01 wrote:I was from Ruawai (near Dargaville, up north). We were one of the first schools in northland with computers, so it was Apple 2 all the way for us. That's why I'm so keen on getting hold of one (or many)!


There were definitely lots of Apples around in schools in the 80s. I bet a lot of people have some nostalgia for them. I don't think you'll find it hard to find one, a bit of patience and a close eye on the TradeMe vintage computers category should work. Good luck, they are a lot of fun to play with. I'd be happy to help you out with software, writing disks from a PC etc (I use ADT and a //c or Laser 128).
Last edited by falco on Wed Sep 19, 2012 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New Collector

Postby tezza on Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:47 pm

falco wrote:....They are a lot of fun to play with. Once you find one, I'd be happy to help you out with software, writing disks from a PC etc (I use ADT and a //c or Laser 128).

Up until I started collecting in 2007 I'd never owned or even played with an Apple II variant. I find them idiosyncratic..but that's because I was more use to the Z80 and 8088 machines. All '70s/'80s micros had their own personalities. What I do like is the open and well-documented architecture and the stylish cases. The hardware is very easy to get to. Loads of software too of course.
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
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Posts: 2382
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 pm
Location: Palmerston North, New Zealand


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