Hello! I am new to the vintage keyboard scene, however I've already grown quite an obsession. There's so many brilliant boards that I see on here and on youtube, however I have a tough time finding them online for sale. Where do y'all find your boards, is it mainly on Ebay, is it in person at thrift and antique shops, or are there some other methods? Of course, I have been ogling the microswitch hall effect keyboards, but It seems like those are generally hard to come by and are at a much higher price point. Regardless, I still want to know where the best place to look for such keyboards would be.
Thank you all!
Where to find vintage boards?
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Wonderbread
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: Custom build, KBD Tofu65
- Main mouse: Glorious I2
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Falkenroth
- Location: United States
- Main keyboard: 1987 IBM Model M 1390131
- Main mouse: Standard Issue Lenovo
- Favorite switch: Catastrophic Buckling Spring
Welcome to the hobby.
I normally do ebay because I don't have time for anything else. Going to pay more doing it that way. People find the best deals at thrift or goodwill stores. Going to take sometime and persistence to find something good. Some of the best finds are in trash piles for free. Quite a few are also found when a company someone might work at is cleaning out old storage or an office space. I got my most rare keyboard with a an old computer I was buying. They told me they almost threw the keyboard away. Little did they know the keyboard was worth more than the computer by a lot.
Good luck acquiring some keyboards.
I normally do ebay because I don't have time for anything else. Going to pay more doing it that way. People find the best deals at thrift or goodwill stores. Going to take sometime and persistence to find something good. Some of the best finds are in trash piles for free. Quite a few are also found when a company someone might work at is cleaning out old storage or an office space. I got my most rare keyboard with a an old computer I was buying. They told me they almost threw the keyboard away. Little did they know the keyboard was worth more than the computer by a lot.
Good luck acquiring some keyboards.
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Muirium
- µ
- Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Main keyboard: HHKB Type-S with Bluetooth by Hasu
- Main mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Favorite switch: Gotta Try 'Em All
- DT Pro Member: µ
As an "accomplished" old timer (well, I have lots of different keyboards, and pretty much all the ones I really longed for) the way I got mine was almost entirely by trades right here at Deskthority. Those were the days, etc. etc. …
Ebay works as well. I mean, my black HHKB was a steal, even in fairly recent times.
There's basically a single, supreme trade-off: how patient are you? If you're a sick minded cheapskate like me who enjoys researching and hunting more than the actual purchase itself, then where there's a will (and an enormous length of patience) there's a way. But you do need to make the effort of persistently looking (and asking around) so you find your opportunities when they finally present themselves.
Or, alternatively, there's the Fry from Futurama approach.
Ebay works as well. I mean, my black HHKB was a steal, even in fairly recent times.
There's basically a single, supreme trade-off: how patient are you? If you're a sick minded cheapskate like me who enjoys researching and hunting more than the actual purchase itself, then where there's a will (and an enormous length of patience) there's a way. But you do need to make the effort of persistently looking (and asking around) so you find your opportunities when they finally present themselves.
Or, alternatively, there's the Fry from Futurama approach.
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Green Maned Lion
- Location: USA
- Main keyboard: Unicomp New Model M
- Main mouse: X-keys L-Track
- Favorite switch: Buckling Spring
The secret to collecting *anything* is patience, sir. I spent *10 years* searching all over the tristate (NJ/NY/PA) area looking for a 1920s Glenwood cast iron gas cooking range. And then I just walked into a antique co-op in Philipsburg one day, and there one was, in generally excellent condition, for $350. Took it home, connected it to gas, and have been using it as my cooking range for the past 7 years.
eBay is a lot more expensive, but requires less patience. Sometimes I'm not patient; I really wanted the F122 I'm typing this on; I paid $620 or thereabouts on ebay for it. And it was not tested as working at that price. But obviously, its working. The one key that wasn't has even started working fine with time.
So the other secret, really, is money.
eBay is a lot more expensive, but requires less patience. Sometimes I'm not patient; I really wanted the F122 I'm typing this on; I paid $620 or thereabouts on ebay for it. And it was not tested as working at that price. But obviously, its working. The one key that wasn't has even started working fine with time.
So the other secret, really, is money.
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modelf
- Location: Texas
- Main keyboard: Keychron C3 Pro RGB (MX blacks) and '81 Model F/XT
- Main mouse: Logitech M325 and Kensington Expert Mouse (64215)
- Favorite switch: Cherry MX black RGB and IBM capacitive BS
Other than a handful of 1970s-'80s IBM typewriters, I've NEVER found a good vintage keyboard at a thrift store (I live in one of the biggest metro areas in the US). So, the vintage keyboards (Model Fs, a 1985 Model M, other Model Ms, Cherry stuff) in my collection I've sourced either on eBay or through word-of-mouth.
The social thing works: there are guys in their late 60s, early 70s who used IBM mainframes, terminals and PCs back in the day, and they've kept that old beam spring, Model F or Model M in the home office, back closet, garage, attic. I've found Model Ms (and some boards with vintage Cherry switches) through making friends with these guys and asking what, of their old equipment, they'd sell.
Another good source has been eBay's "free local pickup" ads, because those sellers are close by geographically and usually have large quantities of IBM (and other) equipment to unload. Also, keep an eye open for "lot of ____" sales on eBay, where you might be able to pick up, for example, 15 Model Ms in one purchase. I did this a year or two ago and had three cartons of (very dirty) IBM 1390120s sitting on my front porch within a week.
And then there are the fabled moments when a local company/factory/medical office discards their old equipment, and the keyboards go to the landfill, e-recycler or an outfit like ClickyKeyboards. I've long suspected the CK guy acquires his keyboards (pallets at a time) in mass quantities from companies throwing out old gear.
The social thing works: there are guys in their late 60s, early 70s who used IBM mainframes, terminals and PCs back in the day, and they've kept that old beam spring, Model F or Model M in the home office, back closet, garage, attic. I've found Model Ms (and some boards with vintage Cherry switches) through making friends with these guys and asking what, of their old equipment, they'd sell.
Another good source has been eBay's "free local pickup" ads, because those sellers are close by geographically and usually have large quantities of IBM (and other) equipment to unload. Also, keep an eye open for "lot of ____" sales on eBay, where you might be able to pick up, for example, 15 Model Ms in one purchase. I did this a year or two ago and had three cartons of (very dirty) IBM 1390120s sitting on my front porch within a week.
And then there are the fabled moments when a local company/factory/medical office discards their old equipment, and the keyboards go to the landfill, e-recycler or an outfit like ClickyKeyboards. I've long suspected the CK guy acquires his keyboards (pallets at a time) in mass quantities from companies throwing out old gear.