IBM Keyboards in a barn
Posted: 26 Feb 2017, 07:03
It all started with this blurry picture, the 11th and last image in a craigslist ad for "old computer parts". I almost passed it by, but then I remembered that a long time ago I had seen a Dell-labeled M on clickykeyboards' website. Upon further inspection, there were 4 or 5 dell AT101s. I was hooked.
It was an hour drive there, and to be honest I wasn't expecting very much. I wasn't sure the 2 hours of driving was worth it for some trashed AT101s. I was wrong.
When I walked into the barn, the first thing that greeted me was a filthy silver-label model M. he had 3 boxes of keyboard downstairs. 2 full of boring rubberdomes, 1 full of AT101s (including some of the old-logo ones) and 2 silver label Ms. One was filthy and missing a few keys, the other was extremely clean, complete, and even had its original dust cover on the cable. As an added bonus, there was a Dell-branded IBM model M (identical to a 1391401, only with a Dell logo).
At this point the drive was definitely worth it. But then he said "do you want to see the ones upstairs?"
"You have more upstairs? how many?"
"100 or so..."
He wasn't wrong.
(sorry for the blurry images, I was in shock)
My dad and I sorted through the keyboards. Spread out through the boxes, there were 7 oval label 101 key model Ms, 5 model F122s, one Model F from a 3178 Display Station, 3 or 4 of the oval-label M122s, and 50 or so silver-label M122s. We didn't have space for all of them, so we ended up taking home the three best F122s, the 3178, the 2 silver label Ms, the dell-labeled M, and a regular M.
Of the ones we took home, here's the filthy silver-label:
2 of the Model Fs (the display station came with the original manual tucked in the back)
The clean silver-label and the Dell branded one (plus an M122 I got somewhere else)
One of them was covered in anthrax or something
Here's a link to the imgur album: http://imgur.com/a/PrIwR
I'm not going to say the price I paid, but it was a good deal. He definitely knew what they were worth, but he doesn't have time to clean and sell 100 old keyboards. Please don't spam me with offers until I have a chance to clean them and take better pictures.
I'm definitely going to go back once I get more cash to pick up the rest of the keyboards. He said he would give me a bulk discount if I bought all of them. Apparently he bought a 40 foot storage container full of old computer junk, and now his barned is FILLED with old computer stuff. I really want to look around more (unfortunately I had limited time there).
Sorry for the terrible pictures. I'll take better ones later.
It was an hour drive there, and to be honest I wasn't expecting very much. I wasn't sure the 2 hours of driving was worth it for some trashed AT101s. I was wrong.
When I walked into the barn, the first thing that greeted me was a filthy silver-label model M. he had 3 boxes of keyboard downstairs. 2 full of boring rubberdomes, 1 full of AT101s (including some of the old-logo ones) and 2 silver label Ms. One was filthy and missing a few keys, the other was extremely clean, complete, and even had its original dust cover on the cable. As an added bonus, there was a Dell-branded IBM model M (identical to a 1391401, only with a Dell logo).
At this point the drive was definitely worth it. But then he said "do you want to see the ones upstairs?"
"You have more upstairs? how many?"
"100 or so..."
He wasn't wrong.
(sorry for the blurry images, I was in shock)
My dad and I sorted through the keyboards. Spread out through the boxes, there were 7 oval label 101 key model Ms, 5 model F122s, one Model F from a 3178 Display Station, 3 or 4 of the oval-label M122s, and 50 or so silver-label M122s. We didn't have space for all of them, so we ended up taking home the three best F122s, the 3178, the 2 silver label Ms, the dell-labeled M, and a regular M.
Of the ones we took home, here's the filthy silver-label:
2 of the Model Fs (the display station came with the original manual tucked in the back)
The clean silver-label and the Dell branded one (plus an M122 I got somewhere else)
One of them was covered in anthrax or something
Here's a link to the imgur album: http://imgur.com/a/PrIwR
I'm not going to say the price I paid, but it was a good deal. He definitely knew what they were worth, but he doesn't have time to clean and sell 100 old keyboards. Please don't spam me with offers until I have a chance to clean them and take better pictures.
I'm definitely going to go back once I get more cash to pick up the rest of the keyboards. He said he would give me a bulk discount if I bought all of them. Apparently he bought a 40 foot storage container full of old computer junk, and now his barned is FILLED with old computer stuff. I really want to look around more (unfortunately I had limited time there).
Sorry for the terrible pictures. I'll take better ones later.
)