Austrian collection of 1,100 Macs seeks rescue from disposal

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An Austrian repairman who possesses a large number of Apple computers is looking for a new owner for his approximately 1,100-strong collection of old Macs, one which faces the prospect of being thrown away if it cannot be rehomed.

via Reuters
via Reuters


Collector Roland Borsky worked for a company repairing Apple computers, accumulating the archive of Mac models since the 1980s. The collection is believed to be the world's biggest privately owned archive of Apple products, more than double the 472 specimens at the Apple Museum in Prague.

"Just as others collect cars and live in a little box to afford them, so it is with me," Borsky told Reuters, who rents a warehouse outside of Vienna to store it all.

Borsky made the decision to close his repair business following the opening of Apple's first store in Vienna in February, which caused a drop in customers seeking repairs from the third-party firm. The increased difficulty in replacing parts on newer hardware is also cited as a reason for the closure.

Due to the ceasing of business, Borsky is no longer able to pay the rent at the warehouse, prompting the search for a new owner of the hardware archive. It is hoped a new owner is found to keep the collection intact, though Borsky is hoping to sell it all to pay off a debt of between 20,000 and 30,000 euros ($23,000 to $35,000). It is unclear if the debt is directly connected to the collection.

The collection has previously been displayed to the public as part of smaller exhibitions in Vienna, but a more permanent home is hoped for by the repairman. "I would be pleased if it is simply put on display anywhere... so people can see it," Borsky hopes.

In the event the collection isn't acquired, Borsky claims it will be destroyed. "That is what bothers me the most because I can't currently rent a storage space that I can afford."

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    If he only wants 30,000 euros for it I'm sure he'll find someone, that's not a lot of money for such a huge collection.
    racerhomie3dysamoria
  • Reply 2 of 14
    icoco3icoco3 Posts: 1,474member
    The whole news story was just free advertising to get a buyer...
  • Reply 3 of 14
    jimh2jimh2 Posts: 661member
    Hoarding.
  • Reply 4 of 14
    icoco3 said:
    The whole news story was just free advertising to get a buyer...
    So what's wrong with that? It's still news. I never knew such a large collection existed or that it was up for sale. I'd be interested to see what's in the collection and to hear more about how it was accumulated. There must be some interesting stories behind the collection and their previous owners.
    dysamoriaclaire1berndog
  • Reply 5 of 14
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,443member
    icoco3 said:
    The whole news story was just free advertising to get a buyer...
    What a dumbass statement.

    It's a human interest story, not an advertisement. If it also works to get a buyer so much the better.


    dysamoriaclaire1berndog
  • Reply 6 of 14
    Hey Appleinsider, How can we contact him to purchase some of the Macs?
  • Reply 7 of 14
    maybe mention or show pics of some of the actual "rare" stuff?
    All I see are piles of iMacs.  
    dysamoria
  • Reply 8 of 14
    focherfocher Posts: 688member
    icoco3 said:
    The whole news story was just free advertising to get a buyer...
    You would be seriously disillusioned if you knew how many articles you read came out of some company just creating promotional content.
  • Reply 9 of 14
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    jimh2 said:
    Hoarding.
    Maybe a bit, but repair places often end up with lots of parts and incomplete systems for parts. 
  • Reply 10 of 14
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    focher said:
    icoco3 said:
    The whole news story was just free advertising to get a buyer...
    You would be seriously disillusioned if you knew how many articles you read came out of some company just creating promotional content.
    Most articles everywhere are just presented to sell ad impressions. 
  • Reply 11 of 14
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,292member
    I could do with a GPU from a mid 2011 iMac, thanks.
  • Reply 12 of 14
    J-J- said:
    maybe mention or show pics of some of the actual "rare" stuff?
    All I see are piles of iMacs.  
    This article doesn’t, unfortunately, include many of the photos that were released by the journalists covering the story. He’s got everything from Mac SE/Classic to original iMacs and Powermacs and even old Apple ImageWriter printers. I suspect it won’t take long for some wealthy collector to take it all off his hands.
    xiao-zhi
  • Reply 13 of 14
    claire1claire1 Posts: 510unconfirmed, member
    Stories like break my heart a little.

    Apple should buy the collection, open a small museum and hire this man with his incredible knowledge as manager for the new Apple store. Pay him the same salary he would have at his business. A "thanks" for 30 years of service.
    berndogxiao-zhi
  • Reply 14 of 14
    claire1claire1 Posts: 510unconfirmed, member
    "Stories like these"*
    edited October 2018
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