Visiting the Vintage Mac Museum

Having a private museum, and one which appeals to a niche audience, it isn’t every day that I give tours to visitors. But I’m happy to accomodate when I can, it’s always fun to meet with people who appreciate the crazy hobby you share. August 2013 has turned out to be a popular month for vintage Macheads to trek over and check out the collection. And notably, the recent visitors are people who weren’t even born when the Mac made its debut!

This spring I received an email from a woman looking to setup a tour for her fiance’s 22nd birthday:

“My fiancé has grown up with Macintosh computers and has been fascinated with them ever since he was little. In middle school he realized he wanted to be a Technician and get certified with Apple. I have noticed he has a genuine interest in all products that are Apple and is fascinated with them. I mean, he has even converted me to solely use Apple products!

“I read your FAQ’s, and you had written that you do tours for people who are in/live near the Boston, MA area. I was wondering if you could give my fiancé and I a tour of the Vintage Macs?”

They came by last week and we geeked out for nearly an hour, discussing vintage gear and how to score cheap old Macs (hint: check craigslist regularly). As usual the eMate was an item of interest, as was my QuickTake 150, one of Apple’s early digital cameras.

Then this week, I received another note regarding an even younger Mac fan:

“I am writing to you because I have a young son (nine years old) who is absolutely obsessed with Macs! He is especially interested in all vintage Macs and their operating systems, and is becoming quite the expert. ;) We were hoping to set up a visit to your museum.”

There aren’t many nine year olds who are interested in old Mac operating systems! It’s nice to see the younger generation taking an interest in computing history and legacy. More than once I’ve thought that geeks like myself are becoming our generation’s replacement for classic car enthusiasts, gathering on Sundays with our restored machines to share memories of glory times past.

I hope someday to have a location where I can display the Vintage Mac Museum publicly, for at least limited hours, in order to enable more people to enjoy the collection. Meanwhile if you’re hankering to check out old Macs and you live in or are going to be visiting the Boston area, feel free to drop a line.