Wanted IBM 1401 Mainframe

[fat265]

Hello

I would like to purchase an IBM 1401 Mainframe Computer
No I am not joking.

Dead or alive.
In bits or just bits.

Complete or Incomplete.

This will be for my own personal collection.
It is NOT being used on some movie etc ( so it will be going to a good home )

[Alsilisk]

I don't think you quite understand what you are asking.

A 1401 is *massive* and is not easy to ship and nor are any for sale right now. How do I know? Well there is a website with all the known 1401s in the world and unless you find one in a random warehouse you will not get it. They are all either in museums or in the hands of very very dedicated collectors. If you want a bit of a 1401 so bad you can buy 1 or 2 SMS cards of eBay but that's about it. Bigger pieces are now museum territory. (anything up to a 360 is really museum territory these days)

the website is here: http://ibm-1401.info/WorldInventoryIBM1401.html

I don't mean to gatekeep if I am, but I have been trying to buy bits of 370 systems with limited luck so I doubt a 1401 will fare much better.

[VERAULT]

Might be easier to collect every year Corvette ever made.

[fat265]

Hello

I DO "understand what I am asking.

But without asking I do NOT know if any are for sale !

I have also seen this site http://ibm-1401.info/WorldInventoryIBM1401.html

The one is Rosedale Australia appears NOT to be in a Museum so the owner may wish to sell it one day.

From my limited research some over the years have moved around / sold / donated
I probably have more chance winning the lotto but still a chance hence my asking.

Yes they are massive* and is not easy to ship

I still want one.

[Denniske1976]

Hmmmm... come to think of it, I have a complete (or mostly complete) IBM 1401 series slideshow somewhere. Two boxes of slides in greyscale (photo's) that were used by sales BITD to show to potential customers. Must be worth way over 1.8m USD now then I should take it and digitize it sometime, there's some really nice photo's in there. Got them from someone who used to work at IBM in the 60ies/70ies.

Just came to mind reading the post title, I was like "IBM 1401, where have I heard that before"...

[g4ugm]

I don't think you quite understand what you are asking.

A 1401 is *massive* and is not easy to ship and nor are any for sale right now. How do I know? Well there is a website with all the known 1401s in the world and unless you find one in a random warehouse you will not get it. They are all either in museums or in the hands of very very dedicated collectors. If you want a bit of a 1401 so bad you can buy 1 or 2 SMS cards of eBay but that's about it. Bigger pieces are now museum territory. (anything up to a 360 is really museum territory these days)

the website is here: http://ibm-1401.info/WorldInventoryIBM1401.html

I don't mean to gatekeep if I am, but I have been trying to buy bits of 370 systems with limited luck so I doubt a 1401 will fare much better.

That list is out of date. At least one has been sold....

.. well Chatterley Whitfields museum is closed and the assets were sol.

https://chatterleywhitfieldfriends.o...ut/what-we-do/

[Alsilisk]

hi Dave,

yeah that list is out of date but it gives an idea of how many there are and the rest is correct as far as I know. The 360 website is certainly up to date at least as far as I know.

Another note IBM deliberately destroyed 1401s that came back due to them fearing 3rd party vendors holding back the 360 so the chances of any turning up in the wild are extraordinarily small.

[Chuck(G)]

The Model 20 was supposed to be the replacement for the ubiquitous 1401. The 1401 was very popular in 709x shops as a SPOOL driver. I wonder how many 1440s still exist.

[Alsilisk]

ok,

it should also be said that people with deep pockets will get into an auction of something like that so if you do manage to find an auction of one prepare to shell out. I am not even sure anyone on this forum owns a 1401. If there is someone on this forum with one I would love to have a chat with them.

Al