This is a combination of two items that sits on the mantel of my fireplace. One item is an old 1950s IBM 701 vacuum tube component that I wanted to display but couldn’t quite figure out how. I acquired it after the 1984 Macintosh glass Picasso dealer sign that is unique in that it has none of the normal coloring. As the Picasso sign sat on my fireplace mantle already, I slid the vacuum tube component behind it and it was a perfect fit.

The juxtaposition of these two objects is quite striking:

old vs new(er)

50s vs 80s

Apple vs IBM

Mainframe vs microcomputer

old vacuum technology vs silicon chip technology

one lights up, the other I wouldn’t dare try

Here’s what it looks like in the dark:

While this continues to sit on my mantle I thought I’d share a pic. As a vintage computer collector, I love it.