My IBM System 360

November 19, 2014

I recently purchased the name plate from an IBM System 360, which is one of my favorite machines. There are only around 30 known systems remaining, so I was happy to at least find a name plate.

One interesting note about this purchase… I ran across a mention in Resurrection (a computer history magazine) about a huge warehouse of System 360 machines in Texas. The IBM Hursley Museum was in touch with the owner, but he stopped talking to them.

My name plate was shipped from Texas, and the seller said he was parting out full systems from a warehouse, so it had to be the same person. I gave the museum any contact information I had, and hopefully they will get in touch again. These are very rare machines that need to be saved.

Here’s a photo of a colorful IBM System 360 installation. Note the name plate above the console in the upper left.