7 Oct
1998
7 Oct
'98
6:10 a.m.
Phase one: Active procurement (Present state)
My collection currently exists in a very unorganized state in my
basement. I have no real inventory list.
:)
Phase two: Active display
Fully inventoried with a list of what works and what doesn't.
We've discussed the possiblity of setting up some sort of cybercafe to
help pay for maintaining the collection.
Good idea - I have to mark your place for my next visit.
Surfing on an Altair ...
Phase three: Finding the collection a new home (After
I'm gone)
This is the tough one. In the wrong hands the collection might
just go to a landfill and that would be a real shame. I have no kids so
there is no one to carry on the tradition. I shudder to think about the
eventual fate of all of our collections. Do we need a national repository
for all of this stuff?
National Repository ? Like a landfill at Mt. Rushmore ?
Serious: I think it's a) mor than just a 'national' issue,
and b) giving your legacy to any kind of 'big' museum / collection
wouldn't be better than auctioning every single piece for
maximum profit (for the heir).
Let me explane the last one.
At first, a 'big' collection, like a museum (and I just
assume there will be in the future some computer museums
at least the size of car collections) will have already
more than 95% of your (or mine) collection, counting the
CPU's, so they only need 5% for display. The rest will be
surplus or spare parts in best case.
Second, they will have, for shure, already more computers
and accessories than they are able to display. So yours
might never be seen again autside the warehouse.
Third, (and most important in my eyes) 99% of all of the
hard to get software and documentation will never go on
display
And last but not least, even if one of your computers get
on display, they might refurbisch in a way you would never
liked - removing stickers, that you saved as a sign of
Zeitgeist of this machine, or even canibalise it for
display.
For example: The Deutsches Museum in Munich has a quite
astonishing collection of old machinery on display, but
compared to what they have in storeage, it's like showing
a Apple Mac Plus as a representiv for everything Apple
produced - from Apple 1 until Newton ... - Even for old
Computers: they have a quite impressive collection of
uP based Computers, but just an PET and an IBM-PC on
display (within more than 5000 sq ft computer display).
(To be honest, every of the things above can happen also
with smaler collectors, but I think they are more likely
for big collections/mueseum.)
Personal I have not decided what to do with my collection
(althrugh I alredy have a last will where several persons
are picked to get some parts or to be responsible for the
distribution).
Possible ways where I feel comfortable are:
a) Let 'em all on auction after my death for maximum
money.
b) Pick people for every parst to inherit to.
c) sell them among fellow collectors for their real
value. That means for example 100 USD for a C65
or a chicklet PET.
d) If I ever will archive my own museum, building a
base, where inheritance is no question, because
it exists on it's own behalf.
The idea behind b) and c) is just to give them to
people who don't want them pure for the market (ePay)
value, but for the thing itself. c) has an advantage,
because I belive buying is better than getting a gift.
In fact, if I haggle for an Apple 1 at 100 USD it's
more fun than getting the computer for free (dont get
me wrong - I wouldn't deny any free computer :).
Gruss
H.
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK