Seeking Unobtanium

Performa

Member
Out in the world of retro computing, there are a fair deal of old machines that are either so rare, valuable, or some combination of the two that the chances of ever reasonably getting one is pretty low.

Part of the goal of the Wisconsin Computer Club was to make retro tech, especially hard-to-access retro tech, more accessible through collaboration. To that end I've gathered quite a few interesting things I'm keen to share with you all going forward. That's not to say I'm done just yet though, there's a few things I'm still looking for that I'd love to get my hands on for the group, and I thought I'd share some of those here.

To kick things off, I'd sure love to find an Apple Lisa


This one is a pretty common goal of old Apple and Macintosh collectors. The Lisa was the "precursor" to the Macintosh system, and shared a lot of it's design ethos- from it's boxy "appliance" shape to it's graphical user interface. Sold for a short time at ridiculous prices, the Lisa systems were swiftly eclipsed by the Macintosh line. Unfortunately, even those Lisa machines that were placed in storage aren't safe- the large battery pack that runs the clock system is a time bomb just waiting to destroy the irreplaceable components inside. As such, those that survive today are either in immaculate collectors condition, or untested finds in the wild, with both commanding prices upwards of $1000 USD on eBay.

While the likelihood I'll ever find one is slim enough, let alone with the resources to buy something like that, it is the computer I'd most like to add to the WCC collection. It's the sort of thing I think pretty much every Apple fan has seen once, or at the very least heard about, and I would presume people would like to see one in action, or give it a spin to see what it was like to use when it was new back in 1983. It's not the sort of thing I think most people would want in a collection as they are expensive, difficult to maintain, and objectively rather incapable machines (roughly the same power as a Macintosh Plus) with only a smattering of very simple games. But, as an organization, if we had one we could share it with our members, the retro tech community, and beyond. I don't know, wishful thinking maybe, but that's the top of my list.

I may add more "wishes" onto this thread, but I'll open it up here to you all- what's the machine you'd be most excited to find in the wild?
 

zorlof

Member
I collect mostly IBM branded stuff. My grail item? An IBM mainframe of course! Preferably either a very old one (from some old warehouse or something but moving and preserving that would be very hard, requiring assembling a team of us to do it as sort of a museum piece) or a smaller more modern one (single cabinet one, which are tiny in comparison and typically weigh less than a literal ton these days--about 1500 lbs, give or take). Some private folks have gotten them over the years, including a very young guy who bought a working one at a university auction about 5 years ago for $275.

More likely for me to find though is that there are a few oddball early Thinkpads I'd still like to get.
 

Performa

Member
I collect mostly IBM branded stuff. My grail item? An IBM mainframe of course! Preferably either a very old one (from some old warehouse or something but moving and preserving that would be very hard, requiring assembling a team of us to do it as sort of a museum piece) or a smaller more modern one (single cabinet one, which are tiny in comparison and typically weigh less than a literal ton these days--about 1500 lbs, give or take). Some private folks have gotten them over the years, including a very young guy who bought a working one at a university auction about 5 years ago for $275.

More likely for me to find though is that there are a few oddball early Thinkpads I'd still like to get.
The sound of those big systems with all those fans, disks, and other moving parts moving about inside those big metal boxes sound fantastic to me. Definitely count me in for your assembly crew if you ever do get something that needs more hands to get it moved and set up!

Interestingly, I encountered a gentleman in the Kronenwetter area a couple years ago who was trying to sell an IBM AS/400 unit he had picked up in the Wausau area as scrap, but the thing was intact and basically working. It was in his basement, though I have no idea how he managed to get it down there; the thing was bigger than a refrigerator and considerably heavier. I'd imagine he probably still has it, and I could get you in touch with him if you're interested in such a thing.
 

zorlof

Member
Yes, for sure! Do you happen to remember what he was asking for it?

(And if I ever *do* manage to need such a crew, I'll be sure to contact you. Thanks!)
 
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Jasper

Well-known member
The sound of those big systems with all those fans, disks, and other moving parts moving about inside those big metal boxes sound fantastic to me. Definitely count me in for your assembly crew if you ever do get something that needs more hands to get it moved and set up!

Interestingly, I encountered a gentleman in the Kronenwetter area a couple years ago who was trying to sell an IBM AS/400 unit he had picked up in the Wausau area as scrap, but the thing was intact and basically working. It was in his basement, though I have no idea how he managed to get it down there; the thing was bigger than a refrigerator and considerably heavier. I'd imagine he probably still has it, and I could get you in touch with him if you're interested in such a thing.
Can you play doom on it?
 

zorlof

Member
Ha! But I've seen posts where someone was working on getting Doom running on an AS/400, but never saw a post saying they completed it. Should be doable, at least in some fashion!
 

Performa

Member
Ha! But I've seen posts where someone was working on getting Doom running on an AS/400, but never saw a post saying they completed it. Should be doable, at least in some fashion!
I'm sure there's a way to do it- though how exactly I'm not sure.
 
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