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Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

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Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#171

Post by bdowling »

buildbot wrote: post #4

It’s so incredibly stupid to sell off each piece of the museum - 50K for a DEC-10? Does the Allen estate really need the cash? Jody Allen is simply bent on destroying her brother’s legacy. It was extremely cool and educational to visit the museum as an EE undergraduate, to visually see and use parts of the history of computing. It’s a massive loss to loose this collection. Some of the items we will never get back or…

> Does the Allen estate really need the cash?

The article doesn't clearly distinguish between the museum auctioning off the item it owns and the Allen estate auctioning the items that it had loaned to the museum, but there's a difference.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#172

Post by deafpolygon »

BobAliceInATree wrote: post #86

The sad reality is that you can spend a lifetime collecting something, the but likelihood that any of your potential heirs is also interested in it, is pretty close to zero. That's true of multi-million dollar vintage computers, or your childhood stamp collection that's mostly worthless. Paul's mistake was not properly establishing a foundation & endowment to maintain this musuem, which almost certainly leaks lots of…

This is one of the reasons why I avoid "collecting" anything. (Another is space, maintenance, etc.)

There's just not much point, unless you absolutely love something. But many people collect with the end-game of making a profit, which is a mistake.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#173

Post by sidvit »

jmpman wrote: post #156

So, what is the estate going to do with that money? Surely the family has billions they will never be able to spend, but they must liquidate everything that Paul built and loved?

Well, everything except the professional football team and the basketball team oh and also the giant real estate company. All of the stuff that generates lots and lots of money, which seems like you would want to sell for your trusts big philanthropic mission to have the greatest impact.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#175

Post by klyrs »

femto wrote: post #149
9659 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personal collections are for enjoyment, not investment. I liquidated some of my fathers things for effectively nothing. That he spent decades acquiring.

That can be a good outcome if things go to someone who values them as much as the original owner. My Dad had a collectable car. We sold it for a fair price to an enthusiast who drives it, looks after it and keeps in in a public museum when it's not being driven. That was a good outcome. Better than someone in the family hoarding it and letting it deteriorate. The money was immaterial, main reason for asking a fair pr…

A collectable car is one thing. A bevy of collectable figurines, another thing all together.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#176

Post by mulmen »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #169

This is so sad for me on so many levels. Not the least of which that I came very very close to giving them my PDP-5 because they would keep it running and the curator at the time gave the impression that Paul was setting up a trust to keep the Museum operating (which he could have, but did not). Guess his heirs would rather have his billions than his legacy.

> Guess his heirs would rather have his billions than his legacy.

I think it is unfair to blame his heir when based on all the information we have his wish was to liquidate the estate and donate the proceeds to charity. His heir doesn’t personally benefit financially from this auction.

He could have set up an endowment to keep the museum going. He didn’t. That’s not the executor’s fault.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#178

Post by fnordpiglet »

I wish another area group formed to reopen the museum and acquire lots. I assume they tried and those who made so much from the computers success had so little interest in keeping that history living.

I don’t blame the sister as many do, I realize it’s his wish actually. And in some ways it’s the way it should be. The people who love the computer should keep the museum around. It’s just a shame so many wealthy tech people don’t have that love.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#179

Post by imperfect_light »

BobAliceInATree wrote: post #86

The sad reality is that you can spend a lifetime collecting something, the but likelihood that any of your potential heirs is also interested in it, is pretty close to zero. That's true of multi-million dollar vintage computers, or your childhood stamp collection that's mostly worthless. Paul's mistake was not properly establishing a foundation & endowment to maintain this musuem, which almost certainly leaks lots of…

> but likelihood that any of your potential heirs is also interested in it

That's not the issue, he set up the parts of his empire he cared about so they'd live on (Allen Institute for example) and instructed his sister to sell the rest. She could have gone against his instructions, but the point is he clearly he didn't care whether the Cinerama or the Living Computer Museum continued on. That's on him, not his heirs.

The fact that no other Seattle-adjacent computer billionaires like Gates, Bezos, Simonyi, Ballmer has offered to continue it just shows the generally low quality of people that have gotten rich from tech.

Re: Living Computers Museum to permanently close, auction vintage items

#180

Post by jojobas »

buildbot wrote: post #4

It’s so incredibly stupid to sell off each piece of the museum - 50K for a DEC-10? Does the Allen estate really need the cash? Jody Allen is simply bent on destroying her brother’s legacy. It was extremely cool and educational to visit the museum as an EE undergraduate, to visually see and use parts of the history of computing. It’s a massive loss to loose this collection. Some of the items we will never get back or…

How much would you pay to get to see the DEC-10 again?

Is there that much non-sentimental value about a working specimen as compared to docs and pictures?

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