[Coco] Anyone else collect other old computers/game consoles beside the Coco?

[tonym]

>-----Original Message-----
 >From: "Michael Needham" <jmikeneedham at gmail.com>
 >Sent 8/26/2011 6:29:02 PM
 >To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
 >Subject: Re: [Coco] Anyone else collect other old computers/game consoles beside the Coco?
 >

>Hi All: > >I collect Tandy Coco naturally, but I also own a TRS-80 Model 4 with 128K >expansion in perfect condition! I just got rid of most my older machines >that were mainly Amiga (still have two monitors) and C64 and C128 that I >also no longer have. I do have an old 486 in case I want to play with my >old BBS (MajorBBS) and I also was thinking about fiddling with my OS/2 Warp >4, though I have yet to get anything like a stable install of that thing. > >I basically want to acquire a TI/99 and maybe a DEC Rainbow, but I am also >cutting WAY back on my collection... which reminds me... The TRS-80 Model 4 >could be had for the right price :-) Here is the caveats: I would be REAL >leery to ship this unit, I think it would cost as much as it worth >($100-$200) to ship it properly, so I am only willing to sell it if the >person is willing to come to Kansas City to pick it up. But if there is any >interest, let me know off-list. > >Yeah, I think we are all equal-opportunity 8 bit people (or at least I think >a lot of us dabble in other platforms). BTW: My first BBS machine was a >Tandy 1000 TX. It was a pretty reliable machine for the BBS. Wow, the days >of 1200bps modems :-) > >My collection also includes a 300bps acoustic couple modem (Tandy Phone >Adapter II) and I have quite a few US Robotics Couriers too. I also used to >collect Apple II and IIgs machines, but got rid of those guys a while back. > My first ever interaction with a computer was a TRS-80 Model 1 and then in >junior high and high school, it was mainly an Apple IIe. > >It is a cool hobby, however, it used to be that running a BBS was the 2nd >most expensive hobby (in the US at least) only under Model AIrplanes. I >think vintage computing collecting can be as expensive as model airplanes. > Those things are a BEAR to ship. I sold a 4D to a chap on vintage-computer.com who lived in Texas, shipped from Florida. I basically had to take 2-3 boxes, and "manufacture" a box, including padding+empty box to fill-in the space in front of the CRT above the keyboard. Wasn't all that expensive - $70 I think, but I spent about a good 3-4 hours packaging it up!