World’s Largest Private Collection of 1,100 Macs Is in Danger

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If you ever wanted to own a collection of over a thousand old and rare Apple computers, now might be your chance.

Roland Borsky, an Austrian IT repairman and collector, first started accumulating Mac computers when he worked for a Mac repair company in the 1980s. After decades of collecting, Borsky has what is believed to be the largest collection of Apple computers in existence.

“Just as others collect cars and live in a little box to afford them, so it is with me,” Borsky told Reuters in a recent interview.

The collection, which Borsky stores in a rented warehouse outside of Vienna, is nearly double that of the 472 items at the Apple Museum in Prague, which claims to have the largest private collection.

But now, Borsky says the entire collection may be in jeopardy unless someone can take them off his hands.

For years, Borsky made a living repairing Apple computers. But after the opening of the first Apple Store in Vienna, the repairman has seen a significant drop in customers seeking third-party repairs. Newer Apple products are also much tougher to repair.

So, Borsky made the decision to shutter his business.

As a result, the repairman can no longer afford to pay for the warehouse where his prized Apple collection is stored.

Borsky is now searching for a new owner. He told Reuters that he would prefer to sell the entire hardware archive to a single owner who might keep the collection intact — and so he can pay off his debt of 20,000 to 30,000 euros ($23,000 to $35,000).

While the archive of Apple products has been put on public display in small exhibitions in and around Vienna before, Borsky hopes that someone could give it a more permanent home.

“I would be pleased if it is simply put on display anywhere … so people can see it,” Borsky said.

Unfortunately, if no one steps forward to purchase the collection, Borsky says he’ll have no choice but to destroy it.

“This is what bothers me the most because I can’t currently rent a storage space I can afford,” he said of the possibility for the collection to be scrapped.

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