Hi
I also have accumulated many machines, but I have the following rules to
keep control of the space it uses:
-Only 1 copy of a machine. Keep the best & cleanest. Trash, sell or giveaway
duplicates. I was keeping extra for trades but find they take up too much
space.
-No matching printers for each system. I abandonned printers long time ago
or it just takes up too much space.
-No books. Only one or 2 max complete reference per system. Or then it gets
outta control.
-No magazines.
-Only 1 or 2 peripherals like floppy drives and such....I dont try to get
every peripheral for each system...
-Only 1 "branded monitor" model per system. Monitors use a lotta space.
-If its a vintage system your not going to "use/play with" : then keep very
little software for each system, only maybe an OS and a few utils, games
etc...just to "show it off"
-Get many shelves, nice ones.
-Frequent cleanings....I do major ones at least 5 times a year a throw out a
bunch of stuff....you have to stop saying "yes but I might use it someday"
at one point and go more like "Whats the chance I am realling gonna use this
again or is this really worth keeping"?
But thats just me...I cant stand a mess - at all...all my collection is in
matching sturdy "ABS" plasctic shelves that I bought brand new a few years
ago...this helps a lot!
Some people I find "accumulate in piles" more then "collect".
IMO...But I
think this was already the subject of much discussion and a very lenghty
thread...
Later
Claude
http://computer_collector.tripod.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lawrence Walker" <lgwalker(a)mts.net>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2002 1:00 AM
Subject: Taking control of your collection
I have a connundrum. I want to thin out my collection
of computer
artifacts
and I'm having problems on what to part with. I
also could use the money.
Instead, even in the middle of nowhere, far from Toronto where I
accumulated
all this stuff, I find it growing. The problem
isn't lack of space as it
once was,
but simply to have a manageable hobby.
I admit, I'm a packrat, and I transported most of my treasures 2000 mi.
shedding replaceable things like couches, beds and appliances justifying
that in my waning years I could dribble-sell them off to supplement my
pension. (even that huge Dumont tube scope that had been refused as
a gift by a list member, shipping would be ridiculous.)
Plus the idea of a small computer museum (a Toronto one had once been
a justification) in the center of the continent in a totally unexpected
environment had some appeal.
I don't want to go the route of a massive sell-off like several
list-members
did, but clearly I have to take control of this
addiction. My first fix
was
only to have a couple of Ataris to supplement what was
already becoming
a fixation. Then home computers, then CP/M, and you all know the downward
spiral. Thenks got, I never got hooked on minis.
I just went thru my collection and each time I contemplated selling
something off I came up with a valid(?) reason not to. My SCO manuals
because they give a good exposition of UNIX and I MIGHT want to
install it on one of my boxes, an old 83 business computing text
cause it had a pic of my prized Micom system, another text from 73
that had pictures of card processing equipment that I once worked on.
Numerous programming how-to's cause I really have to get beyond hardware
hacking, and then things like do I really need 2 Kaypros or the H89 I'm
going
to repair some day. And why in-hell do I have
"Lex and YACC", Odysys
Development", Computes 1984 "Guide to Adventure Games". Do I really
need most of the PS/2s as well as several PS/1s for my IBM collection ?
You get the picture.
Sure I have things like my Apple IIc LCD display and DRI GEM volume
I could sell off for wanted cash, but I WANT to keep them.
How do YOU limit your collection when you aren't a Sellam, John Keys
and others with warehouse space. Seriously. It must be a problem that
many of you have made a decision on, even when it wasn't your S.O.
giving an ultimatum. Any guidelines ? Be stern.
Lawrence
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