It's no secret that the breakneck pace of technological process in the computer industry—which churns out newer, faster models every year—leaves behind more than a few orphan platforms in its wake. Within only a few years of each machine's release, it runs the risk of becoming obsolete and therefore redundant. A trip to the recycling center soon follows.

And yet there are some among us who do not follow that common cycle of consume-discard. Instead of throwing these old machines away, they keep them and cherish them, perhaps even fostering a community of likeminded refugees from past computer platforms around them. These people are vintage computer enthusiasts, and together, they form an unofficial network of amateur historians who work together to preserve computer history.

In the slides ahead, we'll take a look at seven amazing collections of these vintage computer collectors. There are many more out there, of course—so feel free to share your favorites in the comments below.


1. The Byte Cellar You're looking at a panoramic photo (at top) of what Alexandria, Virginia-based collector Blake Patterson likes to call his Byte Cellar. I call it a work of genius. Below that you can see a mere visual slice of this amazing display, which packs over 96 computers and game consoles into a space decked out with appropriate retro accents like Amiga posters and Space Invaders decals. Then there's his beloved Slave Leia statue, which adorns his main desk right below a Slave Leia poster. Yep, he's incurable.

2. Alex's Apple Orchard This massive Apple-themed collection comes from a young collector in Maine named Alex, who, along with his family, began assembling this collection about seven years ago—when he was only 11 years old. The most striking thing about it is the presentation, which invites the viewer to explore Apple history in a visually clean and refreshing manner. Check out more photos of this amazing collection here

3. Tom Copper's Computer Shed Tom Copper's collection, located in an unassuming shed in quiet Roxboro, NC, was one of the first vintage computer collections ever showcased online, way back in 1996 (these photos are from that era). As a young collector myself at the time, the size of this collection reassured me that my own collection wasn't as insanely large as I had feared.



Since Copper's website is no longer online, I recently tracked down the collector and gave him a call. He says he's been collecting since 1986, has hundreds of machines (he's not sure of an accurate count), and the collection is still sitting comfortably in the same place, although he doesn't actively collect anymore. Three cheers for Tom, the original vintage computer collector.



(Photos: Tom Copper)

4. Amigas Alive Trevor Dickinson has been a Commodore fan since 1981, when he purchased his first Commodore machine, a PET 4032. Today, his collection features over 150 Commodore-brand machines, although he has a soft spot for the Amiga series (members of which can be seen here). Recently, Dickinson turned his love of Amiga into a business, A-EON Technology, that specializes in Amiga service and support for diehard Amiga users.

5. Nightfall Crew Retro Collection This dramatic panoramic photo, seen in its entirety at the top of this image, comes from the private collection of Davide Gustin , a longtime member of the Amiga demoscene (a collection of people that create programs to show off their skills) and retrocomputer collector from Trieste, Italy. Gustin has put together an interactive panoramic tour of his collection that makes you feel as if you're examining the machines in person.

6. An Atari 800 Masterpiece By now, you've seen more than a few collections that are impressive for their size or diversity. But a vintage computer collection can be just as impressive for what it leaves out. In this case, Bobby White of Desert Hot Springs, CA has assembled an impressive period-accurate Atari 800 setup that includes an authentic computer desk, most of the Atari 800's original accessories, and a few rare additions like two 6MB Corvus Systems hard disks. What a joy to behold.

7. Swiss Apple PowerBook Collection



What sort of vintage computers do you have lurking in your closet, attic, garage, or basement? Let me know about it in the comments. Over the past 25 years, Swiss collector Daniel Imhof has been repairing and collecting Apple laptops, and he has now amassed (at current count) 292 working models at his home in Waedenswil, Switzerland. His favorite machines hail from the business-class PowerBook line Apple manufactured from 1991 to 2006. At night while he's asleep, all the computers gather in his kitchen like this to have a party. Or so I'm told.What sort of vintage computers do you have lurking in your closet, attic, garage, or basement? Let me know about it in the comments.

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