Complete vintage IBM workstation, consisting of an IBM Personal Computer AT Model 5170, IBM 5153 color monitor, period IBM mechanical keyboard, and IBM 5152 dot matrix printer.

A particularly appealing set for retrocomputing collectors, enthusiasts of computing history, exhibitions, and museum collections, especially thanks to the presence of the original IBM system unit together with matching IBM peripherals.

IBM Personal Computer AT – Model 5170

At the heart of the lot is the IBM Personal Computer AT (Advanced Technology), Model 5170, one of the most significant computers in the history of personal computing. Introduced by IBM in 1984, the PC/AT marked the transition to the Intel 80286 generation and helped establish the AT architecture, which would influence the PC-compatible world for many years.

Innovations associated with the platform included the 16-bit ISA bus and support for high-capacity 1.2 MB floppy disks. The rear label identifies this example as an IBM Model 5170, manufactured in Greenock, Scotland, with the European 220–240 V, 50/60 Hz electrical configuration. Cosmetically, the unit retains the distinctive IBM appearance of the period, with its substantial desktop case, front ventilation grille, indicator lights, and characteristic front security key lock.

The front panel also carries a “Gruppo Euromagant Assistenza” service sticker, an interesting detail documenting the machine’s history of use in Italy. Rather than being merely a cosmetic element, it contributes to the historical provenance of this particular example.

IBM 5153 Color Display

The workstation is complemented by the sought-after IBM 5153 Color Display, a color CRT monitor designed by IBM for its Personal Computers and associated with the CGA graphics standard.

The rear label confirms its identification as Model 5153. It retains the characteristic IBM design, including the recognizable front badge with its red, green, and blue elements, as well as the front adjustment controls.

The presence of the correct IBM monitor is an important feature from a collector’s perspective, as many surviving PC/AT systems are found without their original monitor or have subsequently been paired with non-IBM displays.

IBM Mechanical Keyboard

The lot also includes an original period IBM keyboard with Italian layout, IBM’s typically robust construction, and its characteristic coiled cable. IBM keyboards of this generation are particularly appreciated by enthusiasts for their renowned buckling-spring mechanical system, exceptional build quality, and distinctive typing feel, which have made them collectible items even independently of the computers with which they were originally used. The exact keyboard variant/model should be verified from the label on the underside.

IBM 5152 Printer

Also included is an IBM 5152 Graphics/Dot Matrix Printer, a dot matrix printer designed for IBM PC workstations of the period. The label identifies the unit as Model No. 5152004, Made in Japan. The printer retains important elements of its original configuration, including the tractor-feed mechanism for continuous fanfold paper and the transparent upper cover over the printing area.

The IBM 5152 is a particularly evocative addition to the workstation, allowing the recreation not merely of the computer itself, but of a complete IBM working environment from the 1980s.

Documentation and Historical Details

The lot also includes IBM documentation, including “Benvenuti – IBM PS/ValuePoint” material preserved in its corresponding envelope.

Although this documentation belongs to a later IBM generation than the PC/AT, it provides an interesting record of the workstation’s continued use and history over the years.

The main strength of this lot is its completeness. This is not simply an isolated IBM 5170, but a workstation comprising several original IBM components: IBM Personal Computer AT Model 5170 IBM 5153 Color Display CGA IBM mechanical keyboard with Italian layout IBM 5152 Dot Matrix Printer IBM documentation and period service/provenance details The opportunity to acquire the computer, monitor, keyboard, and printer together in a single IBM configuration makes this lot particularly attractive to anyone wishing to recreate a historically coherent IBM workstation, complete a retrocomputing collection, or create an exhibition dedicated to the history of the Personal Computer.

The IBM PC/AT 5170 represents a major milestone in the evolution of the PC: a machine that helped define hardware standards upon which a significant part of personal computing would develop in the years that followed.

Condition and Operation

The cosmetic condition is documented in detail in the photographs, which form an integral part of the description. Any information regarding operational status, internal hardware configuration, drive capacities, and specifications of installed components should be considered confirmed only where explicitly shown or specifically stated in the lot description.

A complete and highly evocative vintage IBM workstation of considerable historical interest, increasingly difficult to find still assembled with matching IBM peripherals and particularly well suited to discerning collectors, retrocomputing enthusiasts, and exhibitions dedicated to the history of computing.

Shipping costs, to be borne by the buyer, can only be finalized after the auction has ended, based on the buyer’s country of residence, due to the overall size of the lot.

Shipping costs, to be borne by the buyer, can only be finalized after the auction has ended, based on the buyer’s country of residence, due to the overall size of the lot.

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