ordicio

Collecting guide

How to Collect Vintage Technology and Machines

Computers, calculators, radios and audio equipment, telephones, televisions, typewriters, office machines and sewing machines.

Old machines show how people computed, listened, called and wrote. A home computer from the 1980s, a tube radio from the 1950s or a typewriter from the 1920s is a piece of design and engineering history

Getting Started

Cameras, game consoles, clocks and scientific instruments have their own sections. Collect a brand, a type, a period or a technology - the first transistor radios, the 8-bit home computers, the portable typewriters.

What to Record

Condition

Describe function and appearance separately: a machine can look perfect and not work, or work perfectly with a yellowed case. Note cracks, missing keys or knobs, corrosion from leaking batteries, and smells of smoke or damp.

Care and Storage

Take the batteries out - leaking batteries destroy circuit boards and contacts. Do not switch on an old tube radio or television that has stood for years before an expert has checked it: old capacitors can fail and cause damage or fire. Keep machines dry and dust-free, and store floppy disks and tapes away from magnetic fields.

Mistakes to Avoid

Kinds of Technology & Machines

The Data Sheet for Technology & Machines

The 25 fields worth recording for technology & machines, grouped as in the ordicio app.

Identification

Brand Text
Brand or manufacturer under which the object was sold.
Model Text
Model or product name given by the manufacturer.
Reference number Text
Manufacturer's model, reference or article number.
Serial number Text
Individual serial number of this object, as marked on it.
Year Year
Year of making, issue or publication when known exactly.
Date / period Text
When the object was made, as precise as known, e.g. 1876, c. 1890, 1920s, 2nd century AD.
Country Text
Country of origin or issue, by its usual English name (historic states as named at the time, e.g. Kingdom of Bavaria).
Reference link Link
Web page about this object or its reference entry (catalogue, database, sale).

Condition

Function and appearance, described separately.

Working order Choice
Whether the mechanism or device works.
  • Working
  • Working with faults
  • Not tested
  • Not working
  • Restored to working order
Condition Choice
Overall condition in plain terms; domains with an established grading scale use that scale instead.
  • Mint / as new
  • Excellent
  • Very good
  • Good
  • Fair
  • Poor
Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Restoration & repairs Text
Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.

Completeness

Completeness Text
Parts, accessories, inserts and instructions present or missing.
Original packaging Choice
Original box, case, manual, certificate or warranty card that came with the object.
  • Original box and documents
  • Original box only
  • Documents only
  • None

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
  • Purchase
  • Auction
  • Gift
  • Inheritance
  • Exchange / trade
  • Self-collected / found
  • Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
  • Own estimate
  • Recent sales / auction results
  • Dealer offer
  • Catalogue value
  • Professional appraisal
  • Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.

Standards and References

The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:

Updated October 24, 2026