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William Donzelli wrote: Recall about a week or so ago I had an informal survey concerning wills, and taking care of collections after the collectors have passed. Results were better than last time - barely. Two. I guess this means there are going to be a lot of Straight-8s and Apple Is scrapped in the next 20-30 years. Will ------------------------------------------- One problem I see is that the general population views old computers as just a bunch of old office equipment. When my friends come over, they tease me about all the effort I put into this stuff, saying, "Why bother with all this old crap? You realize that when you die, it's just all going into a dumpster?" And that's precisely what's going to happen if those not knowledgeable are left with your collection in their hands and not knowing what to do with it. It's just too hard to sell for most people. So, seems like "old office equipment collectors" could use a safe, central place to register... a place that they or their heirs can contact when it's time for the collection to go.. an organization that either handles dispensing of the collection, or that merely alerts others in the collecting world that the collection is available. Another question is whether old computers will have the same popularity as they have now (whatever that level of popularity is now). Will interest go up over time, or will it go down as the people that grew up with those models are replaced by people who did not? I would hazard the guess that most people are most fond of the machines they grew up with.. and then second, those that at least existed during their lifetimes, and then lastly, a sharp drop off for those that existed prior to their lifetimes. That pattern could change some due to machines having gotten so much smaller starting in the 70's. The prior question has much bearing on how much goes to dumpsters. If you others are contacted about a collection, will they even come? What is the best thing, today, that I can tell my family about what to do with this collection if I were to check out? I really don't know the answer to that question. John Singleton