So....unless I find it for FREE in a garbage bin or someone hands it to me gratis, THAT'S IT!
All of these are packed away in storage as spares except for the one I use.
I felt a little sweaty buying yet another VIC-20, but I moved to a smaller town (from Toronto) several years ago and haven't seen any VIC stuff in "the wild" for a long time. So I had the bug to buy something VIC related, even though I didn't really need it.
On the positive side, it was in the original box (a Canadian variant I didn't own before) and the computer itself turned out to be variation I didn't have: slightly different keyfont and keys (not Early PET style nor later C64 thin font style....something in between), and it's a 2-prong WITH the later C-64 style rainbow VIC-20 sticker on the top. Sort of a transitional model between the old 2-prong with the bronze label and the final Cost Reduced model.
And, it came with a Commodore Canada pricelist pamphlet I had never seen before!
Note: most of these VICs have cost me under $10 CDN and this one was the most expensive at $20 with datasette and a book of cassettes.
But, as I was storing away this VIC with all my others in a box, I asked myself (well, actually I heard it in my head in my wife's voice) "Another VIC! How many VICs are too many VICs?!"
Here's the pros and cons:
pros:
- good to have extra vics and accessories for spare parts.
they are not making these anymore, so buy them while you can still find them.
a working computer for experimentation, games, fun for hardly any cost.
another fully working VIC saved from a sad land-fill fate.
nice to have a full collection of all the model variations made.
might possibly appreciate in value so not actually a bad investment if sold one day (YES, my $5 VIC will be worth a whole $8 by 2050 !).
- need to be stored somewhere - take up closet/basement room.
hauling more "junk" into the house strains relations with the wife sometimes.
occassionally I feel like I might be verging on being a mild compulsive obsessive hoarder .
admiting you collect VIC-20 stuff, as well as owning more than a couple, is likely to get some odd looks.
Most of this stuff is stored away in boxes neatly, in the garage or basement. Somedays I think I should wean my collection down, but then another day some electronic gadget will fail and I will thank my lucky stars I have saved that spare component, etc. with which I can do a repair (thus saving me a lot of aggravation).
Anyone out there feel the same (I'm sure some of you have larger collections!).