Through a tragic series of event’s, Sellam Ismail has lost the part of his vintage computer collection that was in a storage facility. Apparently Sellam was unable to pay his rent or remove his property from this facility. After some months, the proprietor took possession of the goods and has contracted with someone who is selling it off on ebay.

Though I haven’t met or spoken with him, by all accounts, Sellam is a nice person, and certainly an asset to the vintage computer community. It is unfortunate that he didn’t find a way to relocate the collection or pay his bills on time. I wonder if he had taken the simple expedient of selling off a few valuable items when money got tight, he might have been able to maintain the bulk of his collection. Certainly this isn’t unprecedented, as the Huston brothers decided to part with some of their valued items, when money became tight for them.

The breakup of this collection should be taken as a warning to those people in our community who pursue collecting at unreasonable financial risk. I often receive email from folks who would love to have a Mimeo, but can’t afford it, or from people that don’t have much experience with vintage computers and want to start out with a Mimeo. I frequently advise people in this category that there are many ways to enjoy vintage computers, without spending a lot of money and incurring a lot of financial risk.

I generally don’t like to editorialize on my website or blog, but in this case, I think a little word of warning to those that might spend beyond their means is appropriate.