Any rtro computer shops in london?
category: offtopic [glöplog]
I'm in london atm and was wondering if there are shops that sell old 8 bit computers, such as the zx spectrum or BBC micros?
Does any one know?
Does any one know?
I would like to know too. I haven't ever discover a shop selling retro computers though. But retro consoles is possible.
There was one somewhere near Tottenham court road, I think taking down Goodge Street or a parallel to it. I bought some old console games and a gameboy color from there. I think I have found another retro console shop somewhere in Camden Town but I don't remember where.
But retro computers, I wish there was one. Oh btw,. last year I went to Vintage Computer Festival in Bletchley Park which is not very far from London. There were some tends full of retro stuff and some people where selling everything you would ever imagine. I bought two Spectrum computers from there, but you could find old Amigas, C64, Spectrum QL and other stuff. Also, retro hardware, games in their boxes and all that stuff. It was a great resource for buying old stuff in a good condition.
There was one somewhere near Tottenham court road, I think taking down Goodge Street or a parallel to it. I bought some old console games and a gameboy color from there. I think I have found another retro console shop somewhere in Camden Town but I don't remember where.
But retro computers, I wish there was one. Oh btw,. last year I went to Vintage Computer Festival in Bletchley Park which is not very far from London. There were some tends full of retro stuff and some people where selling everything you would ever imagine. I bought two Spectrum computers from there, but you could find old Amigas, C64, Spectrum QL and other stuff. Also, retro hardware, games in their boxes and all that stuff. It was a great resource for buying old stuff in a good condition.
Optimus, when you went to Bletchley Park, did you get to see 'Robotic Liberation' running on a projector screen in the manor itself? There were also ZX81's running demos in the same room there.
Apart from the event itself, the Computer Museum with Colossus was well worth a look as well.
Needless to say, I was there with Felice, out of known demoscene personalities, Gasman also appeared.
Apart from the event itself, the Computer Museum with Colossus was well worth a look as well.
Needless to say, I was there with Felice, out of known demoscene personalities, Gasman also appeared.
CiH, you also met me, didn't recognise me even though we've met before, and have now forgotten me! Cheers! :)
Bollocks! You've never turned up at any events shane.
Quote:
CiH, you also met me, didn't recognise me even though we've met before, and have now forgotten me! Cheers! :)
You either avoided mentioning who you are when we met, or successfully conducted a post-hypnotic brain-wipe to erase any trace of your visit. I suspect the latter! I hope I would have remembered you better but never mind. Glad you enjoyed Bletchley Park though.
there's a retro shop in every city, road and house throughout the world. it's called eBay.
ebay is just so f*cking boring. Besides, I want to see interesting stuff, not just women's clothing, shoes and handbags. Come to think of it. Women ruin our society. There, I said it! Men, we need a revolution!
@Cih: No, I haven't seen it. I came the first day a little late, then I couldn't find a hotel, so I returned back at London (and missed the talks at second day)
Yeah, I know it's a bit far away and they don't sell anything, but I always wanted to go to this. It was originally in my old school. http://www.swindonweb.com/?m=2&s=963&ss=968&c=5513&t=Game+on+for+Swindon+Computer+Museum
Optimus, pity, it was a grand weekend with lots of interest from a general retro computer pov and a fair bit of demo stuff scattered around.
Not to mention the concert by Pixelh8 which also rocked.
I didn't get to go to the OMD evening performance and Sophie Wilson's talk was block booked out by an organised gang of Acorn fanatics.
Not to mention the concert by Pixelh8 which also rocked.
I didn't get to go to the OMD evening performance and Sophie Wilson's talk was block booked out by an organised gang of Acorn fanatics.
anything for sale in a 'retro shop' will be x10 the price it is on ebay.
spiny: yep, that's my experience also. you can find pretty good retro deals on eBay if you're patient. the only retro-computers to avoid on eBay are the BNIB boxed stuff. once an old computer is advertised as boxed it starts attracting those weird "collectors" the type of person that doesn't actually want to *use* the computer but just likes to keep it in the box, opening it every now and then to smell its oldness and touch its original wrapping. those guys are freaks and seem to be prepared to pay ridiculous prices.
personally, i couldn't care less about packaging or exterior condition - as long as the hardware still works.
personally, i couldn't care less about packaging or exterior condition - as long as the hardware still works.
hehe "smelling oldness" :) one can do that at a local old folks home as well i guess.
anyway yeah, all shops selling "retro" hardware of any kind are usually very badly overpriced. probably because their clientele is rather limited and something has gotta pay the rent :)
anyway yeah, all shops selling "retro" hardware of any kind are usually very badly overpriced. probably because their clientele is rather limited and something has gotta pay the rent :)
plek: you can smell that kind of oldness by pissing on an old pair of trousers and coming back the next day. Maybe we could sell old pissy trousers to retro computer collectors?
About pricing:
In Oslo there is a courtyard consisting a bunch of second-hand/collector shops(next to the Gunerius mall).
One shop in particular dealt with old electronics, gadgets, game cartridges and the like, not much but some.(had loads of other stuff, i was there one time when a couple came in and tried to sell him an Luger :) )
I usually pop in there from time to time to see if there was something new, and he told me he'd gotten two crates with loads of C64 stuff.
Two C64(or was it just one?), two tape players, two joysticks
, 5.14 diskette drive and tons of diskettes with pirated games.
The cutest thing i saw was a notebook filled with handwritten basic code :) , alot of pages was filled with pixel coordinates.
Tried to dig through the disks to see if there might have been any scene production included, but I was not that well versed in old C64 intros and groups.
Anyway, he wasnt interested in selling them piece by piece and he wanted 5000-6000 crowns the whole lot (600-750 eur)
I told him it was probably a bit to much, i think he argued that one the reasons for the price was the amount of software.
He was probably thinking of the collector market with that price, was surprised when i told him people are still after them for usage.
But what would be a fair price for an used C64 or an Amiga.
In Oslo there is a courtyard consisting a bunch of second-hand/collector shops(next to the Gunerius mall).
One shop in particular dealt with old electronics, gadgets, game cartridges and the like, not much but some.(had loads of other stuff, i was there one time when a couple came in and tried to sell him an Luger :) )
I usually pop in there from time to time to see if there was something new, and he told me he'd gotten two crates with loads of C64 stuff.
Two C64(or was it just one?), two tape players, two joysticks
, 5.14 diskette drive and tons of diskettes with pirated games.
The cutest thing i saw was a notebook filled with handwritten basic code :) , alot of pages was filled with pixel coordinates.
Tried to dig through the disks to see if there might have been any scene production included, but I was not that well versed in old C64 intros and groups.
Anyway, he wasnt interested in selling them piece by piece and he wanted 5000-6000 crowns the whole lot (600-750 eur)
I told him it was probably a bit to much, i think he argued that one the reasons for the price was the amount of software.
He was probably thinking of the collector market with that price, was surprised when i told him people are still after them for usage.
But what would be a fair price for an used C64 or an Amiga.
Nah there are no retro shops in London. Although I live here just for 6 months but lived in Swindon, Bournemouth and found none. The closest are car boot sales which has some Amigas (bought two there) and sometimes an Atari but I saw a single zx spectrum 48k so far. Looks like all retro stuff was either went to the bin or kept for memories. (don't tell me they didn't I pulled two (!) A500 from the local tip (Bournemouth) - one of the with ram expansion) and both works perfectly! Shame on him/her whoever chucked them.
http://www.retrocomputermuseum.co.uk/ not sure how far its from London tough
