I’m an 80s kid, which means I had a front-row seat when microcomputers and the first PCs started taking over the world. It was a wild, exciting time to grow up. Everything felt brand new, everyone was sharing knowledge, and there was this incredible sense of freedom in what technology could do for us.
As the years went by, I found myself looking back on those days with a lot of nostalgia. That eventually turned into a hobby: I started tracking down and collecting the actual machines that shaped my youth—the ones I was lucky enough to play around with back then, and the ones I spent years dreaming about owning.
Here are a few of the classic computers I’ve managed to bring home so far.
I acquired my IBM 5150 from a bankruptcy estate, discovering it in the depot of the now-defunct Ring Mekanikk factory in Moelv, Norway. The factory was in the process of being dismantled when I made the trip to pick up this piece of computing history. Despite its years in storage, the 5150 is in surprisingly good shape. There’s no corrosion, and all the original components, including the keyboard and monitor, are intact.
I acquired my IBM 5155 from a retired IBM employee at the main IBM office in Norway. This particular unit was provided to him in the 80s by IBM and served as his personal computer at home for many years. When I picked it up, he was well into his retirement, and the machine had been stored in a dry basement in his house for a long time.
The IBM P70 386 is the first of several IBM machines I have acquired in recent years. I purchased it from someone in Oslo who had owned it since the late 80s. As he was cleaning out his attic, he decided to sell the computer rather than dispose of it.
The Amstrad CPC 6128 holds a special place in my heart as it was the first 8-bit computer I ever owned. I received it as a gift from my parents around 1986, and it became my gateway into the world of programming. I spent countless hours on this machine, learning BASIC and CP/M Plus, as well as playing an array of games and writing my own code.
Back in the early 80s, a good friend of mine owned a ZX Spectrum with 16K, and we spent countless hours loading and playing 8-bit games on it. This machine holds a special place in my memory, representing some of the most enjoyable moments of my early computing days.
