LGP-30
Spectacular find: grandson finds 66-year-old computer in his grandparents’ basement
There are said to have been only 45 of the devices in Europe (symbolic photo)
© Brian Cahn / Picture Alliance
Some treasures can be slumbering in the cellars and attics of some people. A Reddit user found a rare 1956 computer in his grandparents’ basement. A maximum of 45 copies were produced in Europe.
“I found an old computer in my grandparents’ basement,” the user “c-wizz” starts his post in the Reddit community – and publishes a photo of the device. And what may at first glance look like an old washing machine or other aging kitchen appliance turns out to be a spectacular find: It is an LGP-30 that came onto the market in 1956 and cost $47,000 at the time target. According to the user, his grandfather used it to make calculations for civil engineering in his private life.
digital art
These “photos” were completely generated by an artificial intelligence
Particularly rare model
A maximum of 45 copies of the model with the branding “Eurocomp” were produced in Europe. The LGP-30 is considered the forerunner of today’s home computer. Nowadays, such rarities can mainly be found in computer museums – for example in the computer museum of the University of Stuttgart.
The Reddit users who discovered and commented on this thread are delighted with the basement find and write: “Amazing find”, “Your grandparents are cooler than mine!” or “Wow, you’re sitting on a gold mine.” The author of the article is said to have already contacted a German museum, which is not known. His find is said to need an overhaul.
More rarities in the cellar
But that was not all. In addition to the almost unique piece, there was another computer steeped in history: several PDP-8/e are said to be there. These were the first mini calculators to be made in the 1960s. The devices were commercially very successful. Over 50,000 copies were produced and sold. Estimates even assume up to 300,000 copies, if compatible replicas are taken into account. The PDP-8 was the first computer that could be placed on a desk – like today’s PCs or personal computers.
Sources: Reddit“T-Online” “golem“