Computer Ephemera - Is there anyone or any institution that wants it?

[britechguy]

A dear friend of mine died recently, and I am now executor of her estate. She and her late husband were pack rats, to put it kindly, and both were big on technology and ahead of their times as far as their age group goes (she just passed away at age 83).

I am now tasked with cleaning out her house, and am discovering all sorts of computer ephemera in the form of old documentation (full set for the Apple IIe), ancient software like WordPerfect for DOS [full original box and documentation], and the like. I even found a big stash of 5 1/4 inch floppies, and I haven't touched one of those in years now.

I realize that these are not useful as functional items, but in the computing world they're really entering the class of "museum pieces."

I intend to give a lot of the old hardware to local theater companies, who can and will use it as props for shows set in the 1980s through 1990s, but the documentation and other odd bits are another issue altogether.

If anyone happens to know of any entity that might be collecting this sort of stuff for the sake of history, would you let me know? I can ship it, but anyone wanting it would have to bear that cost, as I cannot take that expense out of the estate.

 

[Do It All Computers]

It might be worth your while to research what the price of an Apple IIe goes for with full documentation. I am sure that someone out there could use it to beef up the sale of an apple system. Collectors value a system that comes with the full documentation more than just the working system itself and there may be people that would pay a pretty penny for a nice set of docs. You might even be able to sell it on ebay for some decent coin. It is going to require time and research, though.

 

[Philippe]

Vintage computers & original software of the 80s -> big $$$ on ebay.

Could you make a list of what you intent to sell?

 

[Markverhyden]

Vintage computers & original software of the 80s -> big $$$ on ebay.

Could you make a list of what you intent to sell?

Beat me to it. The worlds is full of pack rats who are still alive and be happy to add to their collection. Every once in a while I'll go on Ebay to just look up old stuff. Especially if it's in working condition. Maybe even look on eBay for seller with lots of activity. Maybe they might make a offer so you can move a lot at once. I'm sure just selling each item on eBay will take ages.

 

[labtech]

I am looking for "Quicken 2002 Deluxe or Essentials for Mac" software with a license. If you have it, I am interested.

 

[Philippe]

The worlds is full of pack rats who are still alive and be happy to add to their collection

Well... count me in. Love to fix & restore or just look inside very old PCs. IBM's 5150s are my favorites
Ah! fixing tandon 5"1/4 full height drives... my fun

 

[britechguy]

I've got a ton of 5.25" floppies in various places in the house. The original owner was blind, and many are labeled only in Braille, so I have no idea what they are.

Most of the Apple stuff I've found so far is documentation, the computers are long gone. In fact, there's a Braille Apple IIe (I think) Owner's Manual. And for those who have no experience with Braille and how large each Braille letter is, the size of this thing is pretty much like an old-school school dictionary, and equally thick, but with a lot more air space between the pages and, consequently, much lighter.

 

[Philippe]

I've got a ton of 5.25" floppies in various places in the house.

There is good value in complete original software from the 80s & 90s - the older the better (box + manuals + disks), if it's only floppies with personal labels on them it's more difficult.
Ideally you will have to erase them (they may contain personal data or copied / non-original software), and maybe remove the labels to be able to sell them in bulk. Very time consuming, not worth it...

 

[britechguy]

That might not be a big problem - have you seen http://abcbraille.com/?

Not specifically, but I've used scads of Braille-related software. There was a time, when I was working in the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, that I could read Braille at the word and short phrase level upside down and backward, which was my placement relative to the student reading on the other side of the table.

If ever there was, "use it or lose it," . . .

Also, I'm under a 90 day deadline to get this place emptied out, and that's gonna be a challenge ignoring all other factors.