Montgomery's Mothballed

Microcomputer Museum

Near the 'Silicon Valley' in Sacramento, California

From the 'curator', Ken Montgomery:

October 2016 - My computer museum project has been on hold for quite a while. I've hardly added to my collection in years. I'm currently doing a major 'stuff' sort, allowing me to get the collection out and photograph and cataloging the components. Also, I have photographs from 9 of the 11 West Coast Vintage Computer Festivals to add (I missed VCF 8 and 2016).

Welcome to this site on the history of microcomputing. Here you will find an expanding group of archival material pulled from my collection, find out why have I collected all these old computers and what do I mean by 'mothballed'?

Why collect old computers? - It started because I bought several of these computers new and couldn't bring myself to part with them. Many others were owned by friends and they didn't want to cast them out either, and knowing I was a protector of old and outdated computers, they knew I would give them a good home. Some of them I picked up at swap meets around California. What I think is most important about all these old machines is their history and that of the companies and people who conceived them. They blazed a path that all that came after them have built on. The collection is called 'mothballed' because that's exactly the condition of the collection. These computers are all in DEEP storage, boxed and protected. I don't have the room to display the collection nor to allow me to dig through any of it at will. Unless I move to a much larger property or inherit a warehouse I expect that's the way they'll stay.

All the machines listed here are my own and are in working, or at least workable shape. It is my hope and intention to photograph and document every system listed here and its accessories. I will also have a paragraph on the history of each type of machine and a history of the system pictured. Please note that none of these systems are for sale at this time. As I document them I will identify duplicates and determine which machines I will release to other collectors.

I have been employed in the computer industry since its beginnings in the early 70's. During that time I have worked for companies that sent me to training at Xerox PARC, Northstar, Pertec, Basic 4, IBM, and others. Sitting at the fringe of the computer revolution, I have been able to watch first-hand the booms and the busts of this industry without getting too burned (or making too great of a profit). When I attended several of the more historic events in microcomputing history, I often brought a camera. Take a look from above the show floor at the First West Coast Computer Faire, held in San Francisco. And see what it was like to attend one of the earliest computer swaps in the heart of Silicon Valley. See the 25^th anniversary of the (Intel) microprocessor exhibit at COMDEX from 1996. Even more events will follow, so stay tuned!