This collection was never going to the dump. Karl's family listed it on the local Craigslist and since I regularly troll all of Oregon, I found the add and replied. Probably like many others. The next day I got a call from a wonderful gentleman who said the collection went to a great home locally. That is you, and I can tell it all ended up in the right place. The Craigslist pics didn't do the collection justice. Your video is amazing. I showed if to my wife, and she would have killed me if I showed up at home with it all. Enjoy the journey and the memories...
Rob, thank you for the kind words! The gentleman who listed it told me that one of Karl children was sending it to the dump. He intervened and got her to agree to let him list it on Craigslist first. He it truly awesome to work with and I expect that our families are going to be great friends. Karls Grandson helped me with the packing and moving because all my usual helpers had COVID that week (Ugh). I am going to walk the young man through fixing a commodore 64 or 128 for him to keep. You are 100% right about the craigslist ad, it only showed about half of it. I did not expect to be buying the lot but went out there to see it and help them understand exactly what it was they had. When I walked through the door my jaw dropped. I am really looking forward to restoring and sharing this incredible collection with the world. My wife has been amazingly supportive, especially given how hard we have worked to make space and clear clutter around here. A good portion is in her she shed for the summer as I get it cataloged and sorted.
This is really emotional and astonishing. Wow, I really feel what you're going through. There's such a treasure there. I hope a lot of it can be preserved.
This was shot on day 1, a couple weeks ago. It was held until everything was moved. Its is all secure now and I am TOTALLY EXHAUSTED!! I shot as much video as I could on location but time and access was limited due to other work being done on the estate. I will be looking for a way to list everything that I should be looking for on the floppies so, if there is something that you are looking for that is not available on Archive.org, then comment below for me to add to the list. Keep an eye on the channel for many more videos about this collection, and restorations of the machines, for many years to some! THANK YOU to everyone who helped with this move! From backs to some awesome boxes you saved my butt when so many friends and family were sick with the Rhona'
I did a rescue like this back in 1990.... I was as exhausted as you....and I was 20 at the time... I had to rent a 17" box truck to get it all out of the guy's garage from Virginia...I lived on Long Island in New York at the time. Now I live in Florida... I had to move all of the stuff down with me in 2004. I sold half of it a few years later and stored the other half which I am still going through today! .....No lie...I just started taking it out of my shed last year... I know exactly how you feel! Tony K. ;)
It was great meeting with you at the Retro Gaming Expo this past week. Me and my podcasting partner, Nate, spoke with you about Amigas and the collection you’re talking about in this video. Keep up the good work!
Those disks are pure gold! Keep me in mind when you start looking to dump those disks as I would be more than happy to help. Like others have stated, there is stuff in there that has been lost to time when it comes to NTSC based releases. I have a Kryoflux, Supercard Pro, Zoomfloopy and my prized IECHost which does an exceptional job on hard to read disks. I also have 3 other people around the US and 1 in Canada that are ready to help if you need it. I don't know what you paid for it all but god bless you for saving it all from the dump!
I will certainly keep you in mind. My flux dumping experience started last month with the Greaseweazle for the TV station Amiga disks. That's about all I know but I learn fast.
All I can say is WOW!!. That is amazing but some serious work that would be awesome. Going through all the floppies and imaging would be my thing for sure. Nice that you can carry on the legacy of someone you knew. That Amiga 500 is an early model, you can tell by the keyboard as it has the Commodore logo in place of the left Amiga key. Probably a rev 3. Great channel, subbed. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Racer X, My back went out during the move and ALL my usual family and friend helpers had COVID in their households. Thanks to Karl's Grandson, Stone and his Dad Bobby, I made it through and, and my Sister and Brother in Law saved my arse yesterday (That was the big move).
@7:20, hidden gems, while the focus on on Zakes I noticed Compute! "Tool Kit Kernal" and "Tool Kit Basic" both by Dan Heeb. It was only in the past year that Robin of 8-Bit Show & Tell has done a feature on them and that took years of seaching for the books. BTW I have that Zaks' Programming 6502, bought during my college days.
I wish I had my original Zaks but am very glad to have a paper copy again. I am also working on something about Compute!'s books since they were a goto for me back in the day
It's like looking into the my future. My collection is nicely organized. I fix keep sell etc.But I'm still in my 40s. I'm sure as I age it will become more difficult to stay on top of the things we love. Much love and respect to the gentleman no longer with us that saved all this wonderful stuff for the rest of us still here to enjoy.
Rest in peace Mr. Karl Stone. I salute you, sir, for taking on these beloved items and saving them from a horrible fate. What an incredible haul. Sincerely, A Fellow Commodore Fan Since 1983
@@RavenWolfRetroTech Got my first C64 for Christmas 1983, and for a couple years I hooked it up to a 9 inch B&W portable television. I had to save my pennies to get a Datasette the next year. Eventually I was able to get a 1541-II drive and 1802 monitor, which was great, until the computer went into a coma around 1987, which wasn't so great. That machine was replaced with a 64C (that came in the pack with GEOS which I loved), and around 1992 both 64s were put into storage once I got an Amiga 500. I still have those two C64s, the 64C is still working like a champ after I pulled it out of storage in 2016, and I managed to fix the original breadbin (had to replace the PLA). These days I have quite a few more Commodore machines, drives, accessories, etc. in order to explore all of the stuff I couldn't afford as a teenager.
@LeftoverBeefCake Sorry for the slow response, YT is hiding conversations I have already made a response to again... It sounds like you had a very similar experience to me. If you are interested in sharing your 1983 story in a video I am making for next year (About getting a first computer in 1983) please email me. There is contact info on the Channel about page.
This has got to be one of the most impressive collection of Commodore hardware and softwear I have ever seen - truly impressive. The time it will take to catalogue all of it must seem daunting, and I hope you have help, as I dread to think the sheer number of hours this will take.
I should have some help in the near future. In the meantime that's why I am doing live streams. There is just no way to do this testing and unboxing in edited videos.
I'm very happy to see your respectful approach. I had recently heard of a similar situation and by the time I arrived, you couldn't walk into the room anymore. If you did, you were standing 2 feet up on software boxes, disks, magazines... I mean, this was someone's life and it needs to be respected.
Thanks, A couple people have had issues with using the word hoarder but that is what the family felt was the best way to describe it. It was just a part of who he was and they don't see it as a negative. I'm excited to spend a few years of my life bringing it back to life. BTW everything in this video was as he left it over 20 years ago. In a future video I'll look at the efforts to organize and move everything.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech What I left out of my post was that there were many "commodore pickers" before me that trashed the place as they searched through it.
It really tripped me out that it was Chucks SX-64. I have been trying to locate him for a couple months with no luck. Sorry to hear about the pirates disk. When I have an original die I just write a fresh one and keep the copy in the same sleeve.
Wow - it really is an "Aladdin's Cave" of Commodore Delights. The owner was clearly very passionate about his collection - although the number of 1541s he had was unbelievable. Did they all fail? It makes you wonder if the collections of all of us other Commodore aficionados will end up the same way. Regardless, great, great video.
I know, right? The final tally (Estimated) was about 65 1541s and 25 1571s. I suspect that most came from the school district where he worked when they were taken out of service but who knows. There are also a lot of things with garage sale prices on them that were never removed.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech one of the very very few occasions I am a little bit sad I am nowhere near where you live and will never end up there. I would love to sift through this and help you restore it.
He loved his Commodore/Amiga stuff and it is obvious he treasured them, like we treasure our own hardware, as we Amigans are a breed apart IMHO, great respectable video of a wonderful guy.
What a haul, looking forward to you documenting this out. Are you also going to memorize Karl Stone and families history along with the collection, that would cool to hear his/their stories.😀
Bill, the family just sent me some scans of some photos of Bill and Sindy with the computers from the late 80s or early 90s. They want to sit down for some more story telling but are a bit camera shy so we'll have to see how that goes. I don't want them to feel pressured or uncomfortable.
Will do! It may take a week or so to sort all the footage I shot but I have a ton to share plus the family is involved and want to share more about Karl.
Dayum, someone just scored the haul of a lifetime. It must take months just to process all that just happened and then years to twiddle with everything. I don't know or care to know what you paid for it but I'm glad you got it! :)
Great video! OMG I was in the Ohio Nation Guard 11th and 12th grade. Did Basic summer of 11th and AIT summer of 12th grade. I went to one semester of computer science at Kent State and did not want to do more school, so I went active. I went to Fort Dix to get shots and uniforms and was in West Germany 10 days after I went active. They told me, which I later found out was a lie that I had to stay my MOS from the Guard. I was sent to Bamberg in the 2nd of the 2nd A.C.R. G troop as a 19D. I was there from July 86 to July 88. During my time there I did the Bradly transition from the M113's at Vilsec next to Graphinver. Went to Graphinver "Graph" at least 4 times to qualify on our Bradleys. Also, five times during my 2 years we went over to Camp Hof for 30 days of border guard duty each time. I figure out of my 2 years in Bamberg West Germany, around 10 months was away in the field or at Camp Hof and 14 months we were in Bamberg. I left my Xmas 1983 C64 at my mom's house when I went active. Soon after getting to Bamberg, I bought my 1st SX-64 from a guy getting ready to P.C.S. back to the states. I can't wait to see you go through all this stuff!!! TY for the content.
Thanks Charlie, I was in the 13th Infantry in Baumholder (8th Infantry Division) driving an M113 by day and coding assembly for the C64 on my C126 by night... at least until the Amiga came, then the programming stopped. While I was waiting for my Amiga to come we spent 2-3 weeks in Graph for quals and 2-3 weeks in Hoenfells for exercises. I am pretty sure that picture was taken at Graph.
My amiga died decades ago but I still have the midi interface thingy hoping one day I will get back into using Tracker equivalent to making/playing music again.
NICE - I had a garage find two years ago, the guy was moving and just wanted it all gone, I paid him $40 and it took three trips with my truck to clear out, it was so much work.
That sounds Awesome Steve. I wish this had been $40! On second thought, not really, that would have left me feeling guilty. Funny thing is that one family member was having it hauled to the dump and another intervened and got them to agree to wait a day for a craigslist ad.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech YES - you had a 'connection to this and I didn't on the one I cleaned out - I was more like free labor I think. I am SO GLAD you where able to save from the dumb, that is how I got my SX-64, one person wanted to toss in the dump and the other contacted me.
I know what you mean Arulux, I spent soooo many hours playing Elite. I love having that copy although the disk is bad. Fortunately I can get a disk off the interwebs!
This collection is AMAZING !!! Mentioning - sending it to the DUMP,... I got sick for a sec. Thanks for keeping it alive !!! I am subscribing and eagerly waiting your next video. All the best !!!
Thanks Marin. I expect the next video will be ready middle of next week. I'd be faster but there's a lot of footage to sort and the wife and I throw a giant family party on the first Saturday in July each year so that is keeping me busy this week.
Jeez. Good luck with that lot, all the best! So glad it was saved but please don't let it overcome you. It is only "stuff" after all. Be careful. I got hold of a Sinclair Spectrum hoard similar to this earlier this year, I have farmed a lot of it out to friends and colleagues. Things like this can swiftly overtake your life, remember what's really important to you. Are you based in Oregon? Beautiful place that we visited a few years ago. I live on the Isle of Man, in the UK, so hoards like this just do not come up. Good luck!
Collezione meravigliosa,hai una collezione di valore inestimabile!.il tuo A500 e' un rev.3,perché e' l'unica revisione ad avere il logo commodore fuso nel case.grande commodore !!
Love it. Subscribed, and can’t wait for you to dig into his awesome collection. My C=128 setup doesn’t compare! I’m in Portland, and sure do need [to purchase] some drives & an 80column compatible monitor. ;)
Paul, I have been considering going to the meetups in Portland. Do you attend (and if so, are they going again after COVID?). I will also be at the Retro Game Fest this Fall
Fantastic find!!!!! Congrats!!!!! I had many of those books, like the 128 Programmers guide. In addition complete run of magazines like, Computes gazette, , Commodore magazine, Power Play, Amiga World, Amiga Format, RUN, INFO, Ahoy, Amazing, Transactor, et al. And that just the Commodore related magazines! Padron me........logging off..... Im feeling ill...........😭
I will keep an eye out. I lived in Albany for a while in the 80s and was offered a job doing phone support for Supra in the late 80s. (I passed because phone support)
Chuck, Did you have Commodores in the classroom at that time? A huge number of these are school district machines! I was Class of 82 in Corvallis and ours were all Apple IIs.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech We had about 12 PETs when I started in 1980 and several model 43 teleprinters connected to OTIS. During the 1983/84 Christmas break we got a classroom full of C64s with monitors and 1541s.
A lot of good stuff! Hope you get it all sorted and produce some good videos about it :) I think I saw a pretty large stack of compute magazines there at the entrance as well. Feeling a bit envious :)
Thanks RetroAndGaming, Its all moved and so I am thinking the next step will be to finish cataloging. I was thinking there were about a dozen monitors alone, it ended up being 2-3 dozen 😬 There are a ton of Compute's Gazette which I was psyched about since that was my GoTo magazine back in the day
I was a member of LCCUG and knew Karl, I haven't talked to any members in probably 20 years. Sad to hear. Now I wonder which members are still around. Could I connect with you and see if you have any contact information?
If you find fatal motherboard failures and have enough spares. Adrian's Digital Basement is always looking for Commodore unique parts and may take some units off your hands if he doesn't have enough examples already.
Oh nice, thank you for planning to take the time to archive those disks, while there are LOTS of PAL c64 collections, the number of pure, working/known good for NTSC compatible machines disk collections of disk images is shockingly lacking .. All those disks are likely fully NTSC compatible and the images will greatly help the NTSC 64 community.
Eric, that is good to know. It sounds like I am going to have my hands full for years with identifying disks that need archived. I hope that most of them still work.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech Lets hope there are a few rare gems in that collection.. I strongly suspect there are likely a few "only known" copies of things .. one of the more rare things are "demos" or "demoscene" demos .. since the c64 faded out in the US long before europe, the American/NTSC demoscene didn't gain the same momentum as it did over seas, so its rare to find demos/cracktros made by north American /NTSC demo creators.. If you happen on those then by all means archive those ASAP..
this is an amazing collection. you might singlehandedly save the entire c64/128 community! where are you located? if I'm nearby I may offer some assistance with organizing and sorting.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech Oregon is way too far away for me, too bad. I meant helping figure out all the bits and stuff you are not familiar with. For instance, the enhancer 2000 is a mostly compatible chinon 1541 clone.
@@SuperVstech Its funny, I had never heard of it when I shot this but a week later Adrian had a video about it. I will certainly start looking for help on IDing things soon, especially what software to archive. I am leaning towards creating a Discord for it.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech yeah, 8bit guy did a review of a ton of drives, including that one, a few months ago, and I happen to own one. I scoured all the computer mags since the early 80’s and worked with a ton of systems through the 2010’s
@@SuperVstech There are quite a few drives to look into here. That should be interesting. Off the top of my head - FD-4000, Acellerator, Excellerator, FSD-1, 1540, 1541, 1571, 1581 and more
New Subscriber here! By chance would that Star Printer by the door be the wide SG-15? I could only see part of it. I have multiple SG-10's, but am still trying to replace my wide Star SG-15 i had as a kid
Conrad, I don't remember seeing any SG-15s. There were a few NX-1000s and a smattering of other things. I will keep an eye out. Welcome to the channel!
I was trying to buy a copy for a couple years and it was always about $100 for a good looking copy. This one is probably worth half that but it was amazing to be able to re-read it adn use it regularly again.
All I can say is invest in some plastic bins. Though after having them for more than 20 years, I have realized that there are some bad ones and good ones. Atleast they saved my old ibm stuff from water, but after I started moving them they started cracking fast. I wish you luck. Ask med 5 years ago, I would of gladly taken or stored some of it, but god damn. When you grow up and have spare money, you just buy your childhood and I got way to much computer stuff now:P
I did buy a bunch of good plastic bins and everything else is in new cardboard in a secure dry place for future unboxings. Even I don't know what's in most of the boxes because there was not enough time to catalog everything as we went and many boxes were packed by others
Lots o' Vic 20 stuff. I will figure out the whole selling part once I get things organized and start restorations. Ill post a video at the time and share info on Twitter as well.
If you ever come across some kind of demo, with a half face on it and some music, blueish, send me a e-mail ;) I am after the music, maybe it was rubicon but I am not sure.
Absolutely. All are saved as D64s and I burned that to a new disk for daily use. edit: I thought this was regarding DDM. The Stone collection disks are about 80% bad and they contaminate the drive heads in a matter of seconds. I test original disks occasionally when I have the patience to be cleaning drive heads every 5 minutes!
I agree 100%. I am currently focusing on original disks but, since the media is so broken down that it contaminates the drive heads immediately I have to clean each disk with a swab and alcohol first then test the ones that are still OK looking. Some have the iron oxide coating come off immediately and, if you clean both sides, you are left with a perfectly transparent section...
I am hoping but I would think that if there was one it would have been on his machine with the RAM Link and CMD Drives.. Still there is hope, I did find a second RAMLink that someone else boxed up without me seeing it!
The LCCUG that Karl was president of is not but I should be able to get everything archived. If our area was bigger I would restart a group but I don't think this area is big enough to support it.
I would like to buy a SX-64 and a hollow IBM desktop, if possible. But you're in the US and I am in Denmark, what's the chance? But you did a very good video, thanks.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech I really like how you show respect to the stuff that he assembled and yes I understand that you need time to work things out. Thank you :-)
holy shit, I love old computers, but this is so overwhelming. You will basically just work with whatever is here for the rest of your life, if you really pay attention to all items, especially the software (please do pay attention and archive the software! get some people to help you if you must)
@@RavenWolfRetroTech I am always interested in the preservation of music and music-related software. There's a LOT missing and lost. If you do find any of that, and I can help in any way, let me know!
What stories there would be behind this collection. These items were old 20 years ago, strange, its like he stopped collecting technology through the 90's, 00's and 10's, this begs whats the first and last devices added to the collection
There is a sad story behind this that I will share if the family want me to. They are going to meet up with me soon for some interviews and have pictures. Watch the channel for more videos.
David, I would guess that the Amiga 1000 in the doorway was the last added. The family wants to honor their Dad and are planning on doing some interviews over the next couple weeks. Depending on how that goes, I may do a video on them or use the clips throughout the Karl Stone Collection videos. Based on accessories and manuals found there were pets at some point but none now so the first item would be impossible to identify. If I had to guess I'd say one of the VIC-20s
@@RavenWolfRetroTech What a wonderful idea to honour him in this way. You can see the enthusiasm he had for his Commodore equipment in this collection, definitely interesting stories behind each of those machines, its like a snapshot in time.
I'd commit murder for a 128. It was my first pc back in 1988 or so, a hand me down when I begged my dad for a computer. I don't even remember what happened to it, but it was my deep love for years, including running a BBS back in 1991. now, they are so rare that even if i find one, i can't justify the astronomical price. What i really want sometime is to find a nom working one and restoring it, because I simply love repairing things. But alas, that is a white whale i'm unlikely to ever see. I look forward to this series very much!
This is the families words and they felt this was the best description of him (You should see the house). Karl kept everything, even an entire box of empty mailers for magazine monthly disks. They are going to be telling stories of Karl's loves and tragedies over the next few months and don't want to present a "fake" Karl, just the very real man that they loved and miss.
I will start by organizing and cataloging it. My plan is to restore it over time with duplicate items being sold in a manner to be decided later. When I know about that part Ill post it on UA-cam and Twitter at least. There are some other plans as well that will be announced when they are firm
More than I should have and less than I could have. It ended up being at the limit I promised my wife I would not go over. Anything more than that will depend on whether I deicide to do a Sone Collection Numbers Episode down the line.
@@jamessm4401 Lets just say I promised the wife I would not go over a certain limit. I did not go over it... or under it... It was a lot for me on a fixed income but very fair for what we ended up finding
I can tell you truly do respect the guy from comments during the video, but it would probably be a little more respectful if you didn't call him a hoarder. No rotting food...no rotting garbage bags...no dead animals...no insect infestations. While a bit cluttered and cobwebbed, this all seems to be in pretty good condition and has some semblance of organization. I don't know what other people think, but to me "hoarder" invokes images of people with mental issues, tragedy, depression, anxiety, family trauma, etc. Even if that's the case, it's not any of our business and I don't think you intended that when you titled this video.
Actually I was reluctant to use that word but was encouraged by the family because that was his way. Karl truly kept everything. There was a box full of empty mailers for magazine monthly disks! edit: His hoarding started after a tragedy in the mid-late 90s so everything was organized around the edges and the center was a massive pile.
This collection was never going to the dump. Karl's family listed it on the local Craigslist and since I regularly troll all of Oregon, I found the add and replied. Probably like many others. The next day I got a call from a wonderful gentleman who said the collection went to a great home locally. That is you, and I can tell it all ended up in the right place.
The Craigslist pics didn't do the collection justice. Your video is amazing. I showed if to my wife, and she would have killed me if I showed up at home with it all. Enjoy the journey and the memories...
Rob, thank you for the kind words! The gentleman who listed it told me that one of Karl children was sending it to the dump. He intervened and got her to agree to let him list it on Craigslist first. He it truly awesome to work with and I expect that our families are going to be great friends. Karls Grandson helped me with the packing and moving because all my usual helpers had COVID that week (Ugh). I am going to walk the young man through fixing a commodore 64 or 128 for him to keep.
You are 100% right about the craigslist ad, it only showed about half of it. I did not expect to be buying the lot but went out there to see it and help them understand exactly what it was they had. When I walked through the door my jaw dropped.
I am really looking forward to restoring and sharing this incredible collection with the world. My wife has been amazingly supportive, especially given how hard we have worked to make space and clear clutter around here. A good portion is in her she shed for the summer as I get it cataloged and sorted.
Condolences to the family! No doubt this is going to be cherished for a long time. All those newsletters for the club are priceless!
This is really emotional and astonishing. Wow, I really feel what you're going through. There's such a treasure there. I hope a lot of it can be preserved.
This was shot on day 1, a couple weeks ago. It was held until everything was moved. Its is all secure now and I am TOTALLY EXHAUSTED!! I shot as much video as I could on location but time and access was limited due to other work being done on the estate. I will be looking for a way to list everything that I should be looking for on the floppies so, if there is something that you are looking for that is not available on Archive.org, then comment below for me to add to the list. Keep an eye on the channel for many more videos about this collection, and restorations of the machines, for many years to some! THANK YOU to everyone who helped with this move! From backs to some awesome boxes you saved my butt when so many friends and family were sick with the Rhona'
Hello, is it possible to buy some stuff from you? Amazing collection BTW. 😊
Looking forward to this series
What an amazing collection. A gold mine of goodies. What a dream to score that awesome collection!!!!
What a cavern full of treasure! Commodores everywhere!
That guy LOVED C=. Wow, what a find. He worked to love Commodore.
3:55 I love that model! THat is the one with a tiny screen built in. I drooled as a kid in the 80's to even touch it.
it is a pretty sweet machine. I was blown away to fine one that belonged to an old friend I've been looking for...
Man, that man was into disk drives! 😮Sounds like a great plan to make an archive...
I did a rescue like this back in 1990.... I was as exhausted as you....and I was 20 at the time... I had to rent a 17" box truck to get it all out of the guy's garage from Virginia...I lived on Long Island in New York at the time. Now I live in Florida... I had to move all of the stuff down with me in 2004. I sold half of it a few years later and stored the other half which I am still going through today! .....No lie...I just started taking it out of my shed last year... I know exactly how you feel! Tony K. ;)
It is good to know I'm not alone...
It was great meeting with you at the Retro Gaming Expo this past week. Me and my podcasting partner, Nate, spoke with you about Amigas and the collection you’re talking about in this video. Keep up the good work!
Hey, it was great to meet you. I was listening to one of your podcasts earlier today.
Those disks are pure gold! Keep me in mind when you start looking to dump those disks as I would be more than happy to help. Like others have stated, there is stuff in there that has been lost to time when it comes to NTSC based releases. I have a Kryoflux, Supercard Pro, Zoomfloopy and my prized IECHost which does an exceptional job on hard to read disks. I also have 3 other people around the US and 1 in Canada that are ready to help if you need it. I don't know what you paid for it all but god bless you for saving it all from the dump!
I will certainly keep you in mind. My flux dumping experience started last month with the Greaseweazle for the TV station Amiga disks. That's about all I know but I learn fast.
The next time someone tells me I have too much Commodore stuff hangin' around... I'm sending 'em this!
What a treasure trove!
RIP. So sad. And so wonderful. Apparently he really loved the C64/C128. One of us has passed. An other get to continue it forward.
All I can say is WOW!!. That is amazing but some serious work that would be awesome. Going through all the floppies and imaging would be my thing for sure. Nice that you can carry on the legacy of someone you knew. That Amiga 500 is an early model, you can tell by the keyboard as it has the Commodore logo in place of the left Amiga key. Probably a rev 3. Great channel, subbed. Keep up the good work.
Thanks Racer X, My back went out during the move and ALL my usual family and friend helpers had COVID in their households. Thanks to Karl's Grandson, Stone and his Dad Bobby, I made it through and, and my Sister and Brother in Law saved my arse yesterday (That was the big move).
@7:20, hidden gems, while the focus on on Zakes I noticed Compute! "Tool Kit Kernal" and "Tool Kit Basic" both by Dan Heeb. It was only in the past year that Robin of 8-Bit Show & Tell has done a feature on them and that took years of seaching for the books. BTW I have that Zaks' Programming 6502, bought during my college days.
I wish I had my original Zaks but am very glad to have a paper copy again. I am also working on something about Compute!'s books since they were a goto for me back in the day
It's like looking into the my future. My collection is nicely organized. I fix keep sell etc.But I'm still in my 40s. I'm sure as I age it will become more difficult to stay on top of the things we love. Much love and respect to the gentleman no longer with us that saved all this wonderful stuff for the rest of us still here to enjoy.
Rest in peace Mr. Karl Stone. I salute you, sir, for taking on these beloved items and saving them from a horrible fate. What an incredible haul.
Sincerely,
A Fellow Commodore Fan Since 1983
Thank you, 1983 seems like a pivotal year for computer ownership... What was your 1983 story?
@@RavenWolfRetroTech Got my first C64 for Christmas 1983, and for a couple years I hooked it up to a 9 inch B&W portable television. I had to save my pennies to get a Datasette the next year. Eventually I was able to get a 1541-II drive and 1802 monitor, which was great, until the computer went into a coma around 1987, which wasn't so great. That machine was replaced with a 64C (that came in the pack with GEOS which I loved), and around 1992 both 64s were put into storage once I got an Amiga 500. I still have those two C64s, the 64C is still working like a champ after I pulled it out of storage in 2016, and I managed to fix the original breadbin (had to replace the PLA). These days I have quite a few more Commodore machines, drives, accessories, etc. in order to explore all of the stuff I couldn't afford as a teenager.
@@LeftoverBeefcake Wow, so nice you got to keep your original systems!
@LeftoverBeefCake Sorry for the slow response, YT is hiding conversations I have already made a response to again...
It sounds like you had a very similar experience to me. If you are interested in sharing your 1983 story in a video I am making for next year (About getting a first computer in 1983) please email me. There is contact info on the Channel about page.
Wow, this is amazing. So glad the collection is in good hands. Excited to follow along the adventure!
Thanks Justin! I'm looking forward to figuring out how to manage it all.
WOW, this is going to take a while. There is a fortune in SX's, C128's, C64's, 1581's and books. Congratulations!
Thanks Doug, Don't forget 100's of hours of restoration fun!
This has got to be one of the most impressive collection of Commodore hardware and softwear I have ever seen - truly impressive. The time it will take to catalogue all of it must seem daunting, and I hope you have help, as I dread to think the sheer number of hours this will take.
I should have some help in the near future. In the meantime that's why I am doing live streams. There is just no way to do this testing and unboxing in edited videos.
Fantastic Collection! It's in the right hands.
Thanks Gus
I'm very happy to see your respectful approach. I had recently heard of a similar situation and by the time I arrived, you couldn't walk into the room anymore. If you did, you were standing 2 feet up on software boxes, disks, magazines... I mean, this was someone's life and it needs to be respected.
Thanks, A couple people have had issues with using the word hoarder but that is what the family felt was the best way to describe it. It was just a part of who he was and they don't see it as a negative. I'm excited to spend a few years of my life bringing it back to life. BTW everything in this video was as he left it over 20 years ago. In a future video I'll look at the efforts to organize and move everything.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech What I left out of my post was that there were many "commodore pickers" before me that trashed the place as they searched through it.
That is a LOT of stuff! WOW!
Thanks Kevin. It will keep me busy for years, that's for sure...
Wow, that SX64 brings back memories. My venerable Pirates! (Sid Meier) disk just died, cheapest on Evil Bay is $79 used.
It really tripped me out that it was Chucks SX-64. I have been trying to locate him for a couple months with no luck. Sorry to hear about the pirates disk. When I have an original die I just write a fresh one and keep the copy in the same sleeve.
Wow - it really is an "Aladdin's Cave" of Commodore Delights. The owner was clearly very passionate about his collection - although the number of 1541s he had was unbelievable. Did they all fail? It makes you wonder if the collections of all of us other Commodore aficionados will end up the same way. Regardless, great, great video.
I know, right? The final tally (Estimated) was about 65 1541s and 25 1571s. I suspect that most came from the school district where he worked when they were taken out of service but who knows. There are also a lot of things with garage sale prices on them that were never removed.
Wow. Just... wow, wow, wow.
You read my mind Lorne
Wow! Came from the FB group and am lost for words. This is absolutely massive.
Thanks Oliver, It is certainly going to take a while to wrap my mind around it!
@@RavenWolfRetroTech one of the very very few occasions I am a little bit sad I am nowhere near where you live and will never end up there. I would love to sift through this and help you restore it.
He loved his Commodore/Amiga stuff and it is obvious he treasured them, like we treasure our own hardware, as we Amigans are a breed apart IMHO, great respectable video of a wonderful guy.
Atari is better
What a haul, looking forward to you documenting this out. Are you also going to memorize Karl Stone and families history along with the collection, that would cool to hear his/their stories.😀
Bill, the family just sent me some scans of some photos of Bill and Sindy with the computers from the late 80s or early 90s. They want to sit down for some more story telling but are a bit camera shy so we'll have to see how that goes. I don't want them to feel pressured or uncomfortable.
Keep the videos coming!
Will do! It may take a week or so to sort all the footage I shot but I have a ton to share plus the family is involved and want to share more about Karl.
Dayum, someone just scored the haul of a lifetime. It must take months just to process all that just happened and then years to twiddle with everything.
I don't know or care to know what you paid for it but I'm glad you got it! :)
5:26 WOW!!! I owned that model of wooden floppy holder! Too bad they do not sell them anymore. Would be great to use to hold lots of thumb drives.
Me too Inachu, I still have my old 3.5" one so I was very happy to be able to restore a 5.25" matching one to its rightful place!
HOLY WOW!
amazing treasure island.
Great video! OMG I was in the Ohio Nation Guard 11th and 12th grade. Did Basic summer of 11th and AIT summer of 12th grade. I went to one semester of computer science at Kent State and did not want to do more school, so I went active. I went to Fort Dix to get shots and uniforms and was in West Germany 10 days after I went active. They told me, which I later found out was a lie that I had to stay my MOS from the Guard. I was sent to Bamberg in the 2nd of the 2nd A.C.R. G troop as a 19D. I was there from July 86 to July 88. During my time there I did the Bradly transition from the M113's at Vilsec next to Graphinver. Went to Graphinver "Graph" at least 4 times to qualify on our Bradleys. Also, five times during my 2 years we went over to Camp Hof for 30 days of border guard duty each time. I figure out of my 2 years in Bamberg West Germany, around 10 months was away in the field or at Camp Hof and 14 months we were in Bamberg. I left my Xmas 1983 C64 at my mom's house when I went active. Soon after getting to Bamberg, I bought my 1st SX-64 from a guy getting ready to P.C.S. back to the states. I can't wait to see you go through all this stuff!!! TY for the content.
Thanks Charlie, I was in the 13th Infantry in Baumholder (8th Infantry Division) driving an M113 by day and coding assembly for the C64 on my C126 by night... at least until the Amiga came, then the programming stopped. While I was waiting for my Amiga to come we spent 2-3 weeks in Graph for quals and 2-3 weeks in Hoenfells for exercises. I am pretty sure that picture was taken at Graph.
My amiga died decades ago but I still have the midi interface thingy hoping one day I will get back into using Tracker equivalent to making/playing music again.
NICE - I had a garage find two years ago, the guy was moving and just wanted it all gone, I paid him $40 and it took three trips with my truck to clear out, it was so much work.
That sounds Awesome Steve. I wish this had been $40! On second thought, not really, that would have left me feeling guilty. Funny thing is that one family member was having it hauled to the dump and another intervened and got them to agree to wait a day for a craigslist ad.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech YES - you had a 'connection to this and I didn't on the one I cleaned out - I was more like free labor I think. I am SO GLAD you where able to save from the dumb, that is how I got my SX-64, one person wanted to toss in the dump and the other contacted me.
Almost at the first picture i see old ELITE game, which took many hours a day away from me when i was young.
I know what you mean Arulux, I spent soooo many hours playing Elite. I love having that copy although the disk is bad. Fortunately I can get a disk off the interwebs!
Wow... what a treasure! Just fell half of it and complaints that Commodore computers have become unobtainable will be over for the forseeable future.
This collection is AMAZING !!!
Mentioning - sending it to the DUMP,... I got sick for a sec.
Thanks for keeping it alive !!!
I am subscribing and eagerly waiting your next video.
All the best !!!
Thanks Marin. I expect the next video will be ready middle of next week. I'd be faster but there's a lot of footage to sort and the wife and I throw a giant family party on the first Saturday in July each year so that is keeping me busy this week.
Oooo-huhuhu... I got chills on my spine. What a collection! Immediately subscribed so I can see where this is going.
Thank You, I wish chills was all that my spine is feeling after packing and moving all this 😬
Wow amazing!
Looks like heaven
Jeez. Good luck with that lot, all the best! So glad it was saved but please don't let it overcome you. It is only "stuff" after all. Be careful.
I got hold of a Sinclair Spectrum hoard similar to this earlier this year, I have farmed a lot of it out to friends and colleagues.
Things like this can swiftly overtake your life, remember what's really important to you. Are you based in Oregon? Beautiful place that we visited a few years ago. I live on the Isle of Man, in the UK, so hoards like this just do not come up. Good luck!
I'll keep that in mind Nick. We are in the southern Willamette valley. I'm hoping to visit the UK one day.
This needs to be the pilot for a Netflix SciFi show. Episodic converging stories evolving into a massive large main story revolving around "The Room"
I'd be happy to take one full floppy disk holder
Wow, that is some serious collection :) Lots of work (and fun) to come :)
Heaven on The Earth!
Collezione meravigliosa,hai una collezione di valore inestimabile!.il tuo A500 e' un rev.3,perché e' l'unica revisione ad avere il logo commodore fuso nel case.grande commodore !!
Grazie!
Love it. Subscribed, and can’t wait for you to dig into his awesome collection. My C=128 setup doesn’t compare! I’m in Portland, and sure do need [to purchase] some drives & an 80column compatible monitor. ;)
Paul, I have been considering going to the meetups in Portland. Do you attend (and if so, are they going again after COVID?). I will also be at the Retro Game Fest this Fall
Wow
It's like one of my dreams
i love cheesy nostalgic!
Fantastic find!!!!! Congrats!!!!! I had many of those books, like the 128 Programmers guide. In addition complete run of magazines like, Computes gazette, , Commodore magazine, Power Play, Amiga World, Amiga Format, RUN, INFO, Ahoy, Amazing, Transactor, et al. And that just the Commodore related magazines! Padron me........logging off..... Im feeling ill...........😭
I was so thrilled to realize that all the programming books I loved seem to be there.... old friends have returned
This would make the 8bit guy blush! Holy Moly!
I was ASC for Commodore from 1982 - 1992 in Albany. If you run across any that have a "Pacific Electronics" sticker on them, that was me.
I will keep an eye out. I lived in Albany for a while in the 80s and was offered a job doing phone support for Supra in the late 80s. (I passed because phone support)
New subscriber. I'm also from Eugene/Springfield but haven't been back there for a long time. Thurston High School, class of '84.
Chuck, Did you have Commodores in the classroom at that time? A huge number of these are school district machines! I was Class of 82 in Corvallis and ours were all Apple IIs.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech We had about 12 PETs when I started in 1980 and several model 43 teleprinters connected to OTIS.
During the 1983/84 Christmas break we got a classroom full of C64s with monitors and 1541s.
@@HutchCA That is awesome. I will keep an eye out for a Thurston H.S. Machine!
Amazing collection.
A lot of good stuff! Hope you get it all sorted and produce some good videos about it :) I think I saw a pretty large stack of compute magazines there at the entrance as well. Feeling a bit envious :)
Thanks RetroAndGaming, Its all moved and so I am thinking the next step will be to finish cataloging. I was thinking there were about a dozen monitors alone, it ended up being 2-3 dozen 😬
There are a ton of Compute's Gazette which I was psyched about since that was my GoTo magazine back in the day
Amazing! ❤
You’re doing the Lord’s work. Bless you.
Fantastic!
Thank You Winston.
I was a member of LCCUG and knew Karl, I haven't talked to any members in probably 20 years. Sad to hear. Now I wonder which members are still around. Could I connect with you and see if you have any contact information?
Ryan, I would love to talk to you. There is contact info on the about page of the UA-cam channel.
Nice collection. Hope you have space to make room for it all. :) - Collecting C64 games myself but is having a hard time to find room for it all.
Me: "I'll find a way". The wife "You had better find a way!" She has been very supportive in this but its freaking her out a bit. I guess I have Toh
So much treasure 🙂👍
If you find fatal motherboard failures and have enough spares. Adrian's Digital Basement is always looking for Commodore unique parts and may take some units off your hands if he doesn't have enough examples already.
I am definitely on the lookout for uncommon spares.
Oh nice, thank you for planning to take the time to archive those disks, while there are LOTS of PAL c64 collections, the number of pure, working/known good for NTSC compatible machines disk collections of disk images is shockingly lacking .. All those disks are likely fully NTSC compatible and the images will greatly help the NTSC 64 community.
Eric, that is good to know. It sounds like I am going to have my hands full for years with identifying disks that need archived. I hope that most of them still work.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech Lets hope there are a few rare gems in that collection.. I strongly suspect there are likely a few "only known" copies of things .. one of the more rare things are "demos" or "demoscene" demos .. since the c64 faded out in the US long before europe, the American/NTSC demoscene didn't gain the same momentum as it did over seas, so its rare to find demos/cracktros made by north American /NTSC demo creators.. If you happen on those then by all means archive those ASAP..
this is an amazing collection.
you might singlehandedly save the entire c64/128 community!
where are you located? if I'm nearby I may offer some assistance with organizing and sorting.
I am in Oregon but I think I have plenty of helpers at the moment. I appreciate the offer though!
@@RavenWolfRetroTech Oregon is way too far away for me, too bad. I meant helping figure out all the bits and stuff you are not familiar with.
For instance, the enhancer 2000 is a mostly compatible chinon 1541 clone.
@@SuperVstech Its funny, I had never heard of it when I shot this but a week later Adrian had a video about it. I will certainly start looking for help on IDing things soon, especially what software to archive. I am leaning towards creating a Discord for it.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech yeah, 8bit guy did a review of a ton of drives, including that one, a few months ago, and I happen to own one. I scoured all the computer mags since the early 80’s and worked with a ton of systems through the 2010’s
@@SuperVstech There are quite a few drives to look into here. That should be interesting. Off the top of my head - FD-4000, Acellerator, Excellerator, FSD-1, 1540, 1541, 1571, 1581 and more
unbelieverable!
Nice collection.
On 4:56 there is a floppy on the right side of a C128. What model is that?
I was VERY excited about that, its an A570 CD ROM for the A500 that turns it into a CD-32. I always wanted to check out the CD-32!
@@RavenWolfRetroTech thanks for answer then I will try to get one 🙂🙂
@@RavenWolfRetroTech it turned it into the cdtv, not the cd32.
cd32 was the C1200 version.
@@SuperVstech Thank you! That makes a lot more sense.
This is my fantasy.
The monopoly game says it all: "He wanted to own it all !" =D
New Subscriber here! By chance would that Star Printer by the door be the wide SG-15? I could only see part of it. I have multiple SG-10's, but am still trying to replace my wide Star SG-15 i had as a kid
Conrad, I don't remember seeing any SG-15s. There were a few NX-1000s and a smattering of other things. I will keep an eye out. Welcome to the channel!
@@RavenWolfRetroTech thank you, I've been searching for one for a decade now lol
jfc what a stash
A treasure 🎉👍🍀
Wait, "Programming the 6502" has value? Hmm. Had no idea.
I was trying to buy a copy for a couple years and it was always about $100 for a good looking copy. This one is probably worth half that but it was amazing to be able to re-read it adn use it regularly again.
All I can say is invest in some plastic bins. Though after having them for more than 20 years, I have realized that there are some bad ones and good ones. Atleast they saved my old ibm stuff from water, but after I started moving them they started cracking fast.
I wish you luck. Ask med 5 years ago, I would of gladly taken or stored some of it, but god damn. When you grow up and have spare money, you just buy your childhood and I got way to much computer stuff now:P
I did buy a bunch of good plastic bins and everything else is in new cardboard in a secure dry place for future unboxings. Even I don't know what's in most of the boxes because there was not enough time to catalog everything as we went and many boxes were packed by others
Wow its treasure everywhere.... any Vic 20 stuff ... if you ever need funding and sell any of it ... in in Kingston Ontario Canada
Lots o' Vic 20 stuff. I will figure out the whole selling part once I get things organized and start restorations. Ill post a video at the time and share info on Twitter as well.
If you ever come across some kind of demo, with a half face on it and some music, blueish, send me a e-mail ;) I am after the music, maybe it was rubicon but I am not sure.
Are the disks archived already?
Absolutely. All are saved as D64s and I burned that to a new disk for daily use.
edit: I thought this was regarding DDM. The Stone collection disks are about 80% bad and they contaminate the drive heads in a matter of seconds. I test original disks occasionally when I have the patience to be cleaning drive heads every 5 minutes!
@@RavenWolfRetroTech 80% of the disks are bad..? I love to see what is on the remaining 20%.
Archiving is very important for the future generations.
I agree 100%. I am currently focusing on original disks but, since the media is so broken down that it contaminates the drive heads immediately I have to clean each disk with a swab and alcohol first then test the ones that are still OK looking. Some have the iron oxide coating come off immediately and, if you clean both sides, you are left with a perfectly transparent section...
@@RavenWolfRetroTech Beyond repair.. such a shame.. who knows what unique software was on there. Gone forever.. 💔
There’s got to be a couple super CPU’s in there. Crazy haul I’m salivating 🥲
I am hoping but I would think that if there was one it would have been on his machine with the RAM Link and CMD Drives.. Still there is hope, I did find a second RAMLink that someone else boxed up without me seeing it!
If you were on the east coast DC MD
The LCCUG that Karl was president of is not but I should be able to get everything archived. If our area was bigger I would restart a group but I don't think this area is big enough to support it.
I would like to buy a SX-64 and a hollow IBM desktop, if possible. But you're in the US and I am in Denmark, what's the chance? But you did a very good video, thanks.
Louise, right now I'm not even thinking about how I'm going to sell things. I'll post something here and on Twitter once I work things out...
@@RavenWolfRetroTech I really like how you show respect to the stuff that he assembled and yes I understand that you need time to work things out. Thank you :-)
Great Collection!! 👍🏻 Can I get a C128??🤣 This is the Commodore Heaven🤩 Is this a A500 Rev 3??
Ralf, I'm not sure if the board is rev 3 but I suspect it will be.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech I like the Rev3 because of the Hi-Tek Keyboard👍🏻 Thank You for this Video✌🏻
holy shit, I love old computers, but this is so overwhelming. You will basically just work with whatever is here for the rest of your life, if you really pay attention to all items, especially the software (please do pay attention and archive the software! get some people to help you if you must)
Absolutely, I have reached out to a few people for advice on the archival process. At least I know what I will be doing for my retirement!
@@RavenWolfRetroTech I am always interested in the preservation of music and music-related software. There's a LOT missing and lost. If you do find any of that, and I can help in any way, let me know!
@@kikencorp I will keep my eye out. There is a lot of everything...
I'd buy thar for a dollar! 😍
What stories there would be behind this collection. These items were old 20 years ago, strange, its like he stopped collecting technology through the 90's, 00's and 10's, this begs whats the first and last devices added to the collection
There is a sad story behind this that I will share if the family want me to. They are going to meet up with me soon for some interviews and have pictures. Watch the channel for more videos.
David, I would guess that the Amiga 1000 in the doorway was the last added. The family wants to honor their Dad and are planning on doing some interviews over the next couple weeks. Depending on how that goes, I may do a video on them or use the clips throughout the Karl Stone Collection videos. Based on accessories and manuals found there were pets at some point but none now so the first item would be impossible to identify. If I had to guess I'd say one of the VIC-20s
@@RavenWolfRetroTech What a wonderful idea to honour him in this way. You can see the enthusiasm he had for his Commodore equipment in this collection, definitely interesting stories behind each of those machines, its like a snapshot in time.
I'd commit murder for a 128. It was my first pc back in 1988 or so, a hand me down when I begged my dad for a computer. I don't even remember what happened to it, but it was my deep love for years, including running a BBS back in 1991. now, they are so rare that even if i find one, i can't justify the astronomical price. What i really want sometime is to find a nom working one and restoring it, because I simply love repairing things. But alas, that is a white whale i'm unlikely to ever see.
I look forward to this series very much!
Did I get COVID to avoid helping you haul all this to your shop? No. Am I really upset I missed out on the fun??? Now that’s another story.
I'm glad you are feeling better. You were to be tasked with puppy sitting so, if you are feeling left out then come on down, you know they love you!
Idea is to do a respectf.... i will just titled it HOARDERS massive collection
This is the families words and they felt this was the best description of him (You should see the house). Karl kept everything, even an entire box of empty mailers for magazine monthly disks. They are going to be telling stories of Karl's loves and tragedies over the next few months and don't want to present a "fake" Karl, just the very real man that they loved and miss.
lets be honest its our childhood its memorys from our time.
The first computer I owned was a Commodore 64 in 1983. I was 19 so I guess that's childhood adjacent.
I just want a Amiga 500........ :-(
"Open Sesame"
what are going to do with all of that
I will start by organizing and cataloging it. My plan is to restore it over time with duplicate items being sold in a manner to be decided later. When I know about that part Ill post it on UA-cam and Twitter at least. There are some other plans as well that will be announced when they are firm
what did you pay for it all
More than I should have and less than I could have. It ended up being at the limit I promised my wife I would not go over. Anything more than that will depend on whether I deicide to do a Sone Collection Numbers Episode down the line.
@@RavenWolfRetroTech looks a great haul , hopefully you got loads or original games and less copies 😉
It looks like loads of both. While there are a lot of games, the collection is also pretty education heave since Karl worked for the school district.
You mean a collector?
😩😩😩
😬🤓😎
@@RavenWolfRetroTech I may have missed it, how much did you pay for this treasure trove?
@@jamessm4401 Lets just say I promised the wife I would not go over a certain limit. I did not go over it... or under it... It was a lot for me on a fixed income but very fair for what we ended up finding
Holy! I quit.
I can tell you truly do respect the guy from comments during the video, but it would probably be a little more respectful if you didn't call him a hoarder. No rotting food...no rotting garbage bags...no dead animals...no insect infestations. While a bit cluttered and cobwebbed, this all seems to be in pretty good condition and has some semblance of organization.
I don't know what other people think, but to me "hoarder" invokes images of people with mental issues, tragedy, depression, anxiety, family trauma, etc. Even if that's the case, it's not any of our business and I don't think you intended that when you titled this video.
Actually I was reluctant to use that word but was encouraged by the family because that was his way. Karl truly kept everything. There was a box full of empty mailers for magazine monthly disks! edit: His hoarding started after a tragedy in the mid-late 90s so everything was organized around the edges and the center was a massive pile.