How many VICs is [u]too [/u] many VICs?

[ral-clan]

Okay, I just bought another VIC-20 yesterday. That makes a grand total of SIX working VIC-20s, 5 datasette recorders, a VIC-1540, a VIC-1541 and a C64 style 1541, and three Commodore monitors! These were all found over the past 10 years at Thrift Stores, flea markets, etc.

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 !).

cons:

• 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.

PS: This doesn't even include my five Atari 2600s, Five Intellivisions, Four ColecoVisions, (all bought for dirt cheap --- each less than $10). Three Amiga 500s, one 2000 (main computer) a 3000 and a partial 1000 (anyone got a spare A1000 keyboard?). Amiga is my main computer for art & music production so I like to have spare parts on hand. Several PONG units, a Vectrex. Plus a whole garage loft full of old PC parts (some of that has GOT to go)!

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!).

[Centallica]

Get as many as space will allow and give them away to spark an new collector/hobby person to the Vic-20

I have (4) working and (2) on the workbench Vic-20's
(7) datasettes
(2) 1541 C64 Drives
(1) 1541 Vic Drive
(2) 4032 PET computers

I need (6) more Vic-20's for matching end tables to my Vic-20 coffee table in the basement (until we complete the basement with furniture, walls, and carpet).

Collecting IS an obsession,
Brian

[Jeff-20]

I had as many as ten in the mid 90s when I thought I was the only one in the universe collecting. I threw away eight working systems just because I was moving to a much smaller studio apartment. I simply had no room. I remember leaving them on top (outside) of the cans just in case someone might rescue them. I still regret discarding them.

[MacbthPSW]

I was about to say I had 5 VICs, when I realized that there is another row of 5 VICs behind. They're all stored on end, beside my row of Amiga 500s, behind my Coco 1, 2 & 3, Plus/4s. Flat C128s and 64Cs fill out the rest of that 2'x4' shelf, while the 2'x4' shelf beside it is full of 128Ds, C64s and 64Cs. I've got 8 PETs of various types elsewhere, and I won't get into the rest of my stuff.

That particular shelf can be partially seen here - the right hand steel shelving units, 2nd from the top: http://www.psw.ca/geekroom/geekroom8.jpg

[vic user]

i have way more C64 stuff than vic 20 stuff, and would gladly trade the C64 stuff away for vic 20 stuff, as i have little interest in the C64.

chris

p.s.
this isn't a proposition, just a statement

[6502dude]

I think I have about 13 or 14 working Vic-20s.

I have three of them close by. Two of them I unpacked from moving this past summer and one I bought in August for $10.

I only have one C128 (of 4) unpacked.

All 6 of my C64s are still boxed away.

As for datasettes, I have lost count and I think RF modulators breed in the dark.

[Schema]

I have a grand total of two. One I use in the recroom, and one spare. The spare one is actually my original from age 14.

I used to have a third one at the cottage for ham radio stuff but the display was too wonky to be useful. It eventually conked out and I put it on the freebie table at World of Commodore. Not sure who grabbed it.

TPUG has a dozen or so plus another 6-7 non-working, so I'll never be short if I want one.

[Centallica]

I think I have about 13 or 14 working Vic-20s.

I have three of them close by. Two of them I unpacked from moving this past summer and one I bought in August for $10.

I only have one C128 (of 4) unpacked.

All 6 of my C64s are still boxed away.

As for datasettes, I have lost count and I think RF modulators breed in the dark.

I think we better change his name to "6502obsessed"

"Light" vic-20 collector,
Brian

[Boray]

I only have 4 vic-20s (Two 9v (one of them with swedish keyboard) and two CR (one of them blue), one c64c, two c128 (swedish keyboards), one c128D (german keyboard), one Plus/4 (swedish keyboard), one NTSC Plus/4, one non-working swedish Plus/4, one 1541, one 1541-II, 3 old C2N, One black modern datasette and two non-working datasettes, one Amiga1200 (for music production) (68040 40MHz 34MB RAM) and one Amiga500+ ... plus a couple of monitors etc... and one vic-1020!

http://user.tninet.se/~pug510w/datormuseum/
http://user.tninet.se/~zmj477m/vic/

[ral-clan]

I threw away eight working systems just because I was moving to a much smaller studio apartment.

OUCH! (I have this vision of a stack of VIC-20s being crushed in a garbage compactor).

However, I have done similar things which I regret. Mostly things like passing up piles of 128Ds or EPROM burners at thrift stores because I thought that $10 was too expensive and that I didn't really need them. (wasn't thinking that years later these would be great trade items, or even useful - you just DON'T come across this stuff everyday, so grab it when you see it). I also got rid of some PET computers and a C-16 which in retrospect might have been fun to hold onto (although I still wouldn't have a place to store it).

On a side note: if I had been driving my car by your house and saw that stack of eight VICs sitting out for the taking, I probably would have done a double take and nearly drove my car off the road!

[Jeff-20]

That same year I traded in around 200 atari games (mostly common) and about five systems to a videogame resale shop. He acted like I did him a favor (although I knew the relative value of the games) and gave me about $40-50 worth of saturn and TG16 games. Again, I had no room and needed to move.