Who Qualify as Collector??

Larry · Post by **Larry** » Mon Jul 27, 2015 12:42 am

I have about 45 or so desktop machines and maybe 15 handhelds. I
guess that would have to qualify me as a collector. The minimum
number would need only be maybe three units, as someone else said.
I did trim the collection over a couple of years from about 65 or so
desktops. I have'nt sold any handhelds because they are easily stored.
Some collect only handhelds for that reason...no family arguments over
storage space.
I do have a few doubles, and in the case of the Novag Expert, triples.
My first Expert was bought used when it was just a year old. A beautiful
machine that gave me endless hours of frustrating fun. A few years back
I came across another one, bare board and signs of a lot of use, but at
$40 I could'nt resist it. Then a minty rare 5mhz Expert came along, all
complete, at a good price.(can't remember the exact figure). What was
I to do?
I don't have plans to build up a mega-collection, and the few remaining
on my wish list I will likely never get. At age 68 I'm guessing I'm the
eldest here, and therefore will die before any of you guys. When my time
to go draws near, I plan to stick a sheet of paper on each comp. On the
paper will be a good description of the machine and a suggested price.
My nightmare will be comps going for a small fraction of their true value.
I'll tell my wife and daughter to feed the comps onto ebay slowly, and
only one at a time.
Down here we face the tyranny of distance. Heavy units are harder to
offload for the same price as they would bring in Europe. Of course that
has worked in my favour too with a few machines that I managed to
get locally for good prices.
It's been a great hobby... and part of the hobby is reading the
thoughts of other like minded collectors, following the results of
tournaments , etc. I also like the buzz I get in struggling with a broken
down chess comp and have it burst back to life.
Waffled on long enough...
L

paulwise3 · Post by **paulwise3** » Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:45 am

Fernando wrote:I have an autographp by Euwe that I can exchange for one of your comps.....

Fake Money maker regards
Fern

For such an autograph I have a lot to offer!
What do you think of the Scisys Kasparov Pocket, with an impressive 832 elo?

And two missing pieces regards,
Paul

paulwise3 · Post by **paulwise3** » Mon Jul 27, 2015 8:58 am

Steve B wrote: Do you have the book by Reuben Fine ...Amsterdam Chess Congress 1936?
it was published in a limited edition of 280 copies
Euwe the then world champion won the tournament ahead of Alekhine and Fine
Published by E.G.R. Cordingley
not really hard to find on the net

Steve, thanx for mentioning, I do not have it yet, seems a nice book to have!
I will take a look around for it

Larry wrote:At age 68 I'm guessing I'm the
eldest here, and therefore will die before any of you guys.

Larry, please do not give me that crap (sorry, well meant). This month I celebrated my 68th birthday, and I hope to enjoy my just 8 months old hobby for many years!
Of course I understand your worries, we are at a vulnerable age, and you want your comps well taken care of. And I am very jealous of all your Novag Experts... Wish you were here in Europe to show them off

We will just stay positive, and can share our ups and downs here

Setting up age 85 reunion regards,
Paul.

pr1uk · Post by **pr1uk** » Mon Jul 27, 2015 12:33 pm

Well reading Larry's and Paul's post i am only a youngster on here at a mere 66 as for collections i don't really have one. I only own 3 yes three but there again i only like boards i can play on i.e large wooden ones.

Peter

Post by **Fernando** » Mon Jul 27, 2015 4:02 pm

I am a teenager of 66 so I do not think I have authority to answer Larry, but if he ever decides to sell one of his Experts, let me know.....

Greedy regards
Fern

Dave C · Post by **Dave C** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 6:38 am

Like a few others here I gravitate toward the chess computers with beautiful wooden boards. I'm also attracted to strength with a few strong modules from Mephisto & Saitek. All of these wipe the floor with me when I dare attempt a frontal attack across a board.

Then there are a dozen or so of the plastic boards, mostly Radio Shack and Saitek. I have a plastic Robot2 that I bought new that has never worked. Very disappointing. The seller refunded my money but didn't want the unit back. I have it apart and can't find the problem. Any ideas are appreciated.

I'm just learning how to use one of my latest purchases, a Gavon 2. I've played a few games against it and yes, it also mopped the floor with me. It should be fun to play some of the stronger engines against some of the desktop units.

My mini collection is up to 33. I'm currently on a self imposed moratorium on buying additional units. Let's see how long that will last...

Maybe Nick and Steve B. can share some thoughts on how you restrain yourself from overbuying chess computers.

Recovering chess-aholic regards,
Dave

Post by **Steve B** » Tue Jul 28, 2015 10:50 am

Dave C wrote:
Maybe Nick and Steve B. can share some thoughts on how you restrain yourself from overbuying chess computers.

Very Funny
Actually ..I never felt the compulsion to restrain myself

Free Spirit Regards
Steve

trontreez · Post by **trontreez** » Wed Jul 29, 2015 12:37 pm

I just have:

2xSaitek Leonardo boards
Analyst C 6Mhz Module
Mephisto Exclusive Board
MMIV module
Novag Star Diamond
Novag Obsidian
Fidelity Designer 2100
Fidelity Designer 2100 (Display)
MB Grandmaster

And have had:
Novag Carnelian
Fidelity Designer 2000
Mephisto Talking Chess Academy

I just have a simple aim to have one nice wood board in near mint condition from each of the four major manufacturers in the 1800-2000 elo range.

So I'm looking for:

HG 440 module
MMV/HG 550 ROMs
Mephisto Exclusive Board
Analyst A,B,D,D+ Book and game ROMs
Analyst 10Mhz Module
Novag Constellation Expert+Clock+/-Printer
Novag Super Expert
Fidelity Avantgarde 2100
Fidelity Elite A/S Glasgow

Always happy to buy or trade

Dave C · Post by **Dave C** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 2:13 am

Steve B wrote:
Dave C wrote:
Maybe Nick and Steve B. can share some thoughts on how you restrain yourself from overbuying chess computers.

Very Funny
Actually ..I never felt the compulsion to restrain myself

Free Spirit Regards
Steve

No offense intended. Just a feeble attempt at collector humor.
I think most of us wish we could have such accomplished collections.

Apologetic regards,
Dave

Dave C · Post by **Dave C** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 2:25 am

trontreez wrote:I just have: ...

I just have a simple aim to have one nice wood board in near mint condition from each of the four major manufacturers in the 1800-2000 elo range.

Always happy to buy or trade

You have a really nice collection. The Saitek modules don't seem to appear on ebay very often. I like your specific goal for the wood boards. I have purchased a few Mephisto boards on ebay from Germany and a few were disappointing in terms of condition. One was advertised as no scratches and no light spots. When I received it is was very yellowed as if it have sat in someone's window for years....fading. This condition was undisclosed in the description....not my idea of attractive.

Happy hunting regards,
Dave

trontreez · Post by **trontreez** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 10:41 am

Dave C wrote: You have a really nice collection.

Thanks

Dave C wrote: The Saitek modules don't seem to appear on ebay very often. I like your specific goal for the wood boards. I have purchased a few Mephisto boards on ebay from Germany and a few were disappointing in terms of condition. One was advertised as no scratches and no light spots. When I received it is was very yellowed as if it have sat in someone's window for years....fading. This condition was undisclosed in the description....not my idea of attractive.

Happy hunting regards,
Dave

Well I considered myself quite lucky to get my Analyst C 6Mhz module. My Exclusive board is in B+ condition and my Leo's A+ and C-. Unfortunately the good stuff is few and far between and it's hard to compete with certain collectors who have a seemingly unlimited supply of money and like to collect multiple copies of the same board.

Venting Regards,

Your Pal
tt

scandien · Post by **scandien** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 12:54 pm

Hello,

i do not consider myself as a collector as i am buying computer chess to play with a variety of opponents ( both level and playing style). I don not care about the package too, and i do not consider buying clones.

Of course i cannot play with all my machine, the weakest ones, but i buy them only to own them. So may be i can be consider sometime as a collector...

best regards

Nicolas

ps : i just bought the Millenium ChessGenius and it will be integrated in my tournament.

Cyberchess · Post by **Cyberchess** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 2:43 pm

Dave C wrote:
trontreez wrote:I just have: ...

I just have a simple aim to have one nice wood board in near mint condition from each of the four major manufacturers in the 1800-2000 elo range.

Always happy to buy or trade
You have a really nice collection. The Saitek modules don't seem to appear on ebay very often. I like your specific goal for the wood boards. I have purchased a few Mephisto boards on ebay from Germany and a few were disappointing in terms of condition. One was advertised as no scratches and no light spots. When I received it is was very yellowed as if it have sat in someone's window for years....fading. This condition was undisclosed in the description....not my idea of attractive.

Happy hunting regards,
Dave

This is a very good point for the aspiring schachcomputer collector to bear in mind. While I don’t actually collect schachcomputers, I do collect vintage and antique chess sets made of exotic woods, brass, pewter, Bakelite, iron, copper and even plastic to a lesser extent. The wooden, Bakelite and plastic materials all need to be protected from damaging UV rays just as people need protect their skin on the beach, while boating, etc. Of course, it’s really best if these sets/computers aren’t showcased where they would be exposed to direct sunlight. I’ve had a couple of beautiful, vintage Lava Lamps with ruined globes because I used to leave the vertical blinds open so that my houseplants would get the sun. Having learned my lesson, I keep all of my chess sets well protected with preservatives/UV block, and out of the direct sunlight. People should take similar precautions with their chess computers.

Faded Glory Regards,
John

Post by **Fernando** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 4:03 pm

scandien wrote:Hello,

i do not consider myself as a collector as i am buying computer chess to play with a variety of opponents ( both level and playing style). I don not care about the package too, and i do not consider buying clones.

Of course i cannot play with all my machine, the weakest ones, but i buy them only to own them. So may be i can be consider sometime as a collector...

best regards

Nicolas

ps : i just bought the Millenium ChessGenius and it will be integrated in my tournament.

Nicolas, it is part of the destiny of a collector that he often does not consider himself to be one, just an user. Fact s are, nevertheless, that if you have more than two items of something probably you will be or already are a collector.

Unconscious regards
Fern

Post by **Steve B** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 4:22 pm

Fernando wrote:
it is part of the destiny of a collector that he often does not consider himself to be one, just an user. Fact s are, nevertheless, that if you have more than two items of something probably you will be or already are a collector.

Yes its interesting that some will deny the fact they are collecotor's ..as if this was some admission of a great weakness or they are afflicted with a addiction or something
on the contrary ..
Say It Loud...

I Am A Collector And I'm Proud Regards
Steve