The cost of collecting debate

Other ideas: * create an archive of software...you can find disks for all types of computers at thrift stores and flea markets; generally a buck or less a piece; a software archive is a very important element in this hobby, since not many people seem to be archiving software on a large scale * create a classic computer book library...you can find them in hoards at thrift stores, library book sales, and of course used book stores (although used book store prices tend to be a little high usually); such a library will be an indespensible resource for your local computer collector community; don't forget computer manuals and software manuals as well * create an ephemera archive: t-shirts, buttons, posters, etc; this would basically be a material culture archive, which may bring you big bucks later on when a researcher or someone writing a book wants to borrow your collection to get some photos All of these things can still be found cheaply and will probably remain so since they are not as glamourous as the machines themselves (although I would argue that software and manuals are MORE important than the machines). I like that :) Sellam