Stumbled into a retro computer swap meet in Chicago and it broke my brain

I walked into a church basement in Chicago last Saturday expecting maybe 10 tables of old junk. There were over 40 vendors selling everything from Commodore 64s to working TRS-80s, and one guy had 8 working Apple IIe's stacked on a folding table. Has anyone else found a hidden gem event like this in their city?

2 comments

2 Comments

lunah125d ago

Wait, 8 working Apple IIe's on one table? That sounds like a hoarders paradise. I can't believe stuff like that even exists anymore.

emeryj665d ago

Actually, I don't think it's hoarding if the machines are all set up and functional. I've seen a few collectors who run little retro computing labs where they have multiple identical systems networked together for multiplayer gaming or teaching workshops. The Apple IIe is surprisingly durable too, mine's been in storage for 15 years and still booted up fine when I tested it last month. But yeah, eight of them is a lot of beige plastic, your mileage may vary on whether that's impressive or overwhelming.