IBM 7090 Mainframe up for auction with a value up to $60,000 — over 23,000 pounds of transformative transistorized milestone in computing

A transformative transistorized milestone in the history of computing could be yours, as an IBM 7090 Mainframe computer system has gone up for auction at Christie’s. Before the arrival of the IBM 7090, commercially available computers relied on valves rather than transistors, and this machine is said to have delivered a remarkable speed, efficiency, and reliability boost compared to its predecessor due to embracing the newest solid-state technology.

This auction lot is an extensive collection of IBM tech gear, cutting edge in 1959, and you would need a sizeable spare room or garage to house it all. Christie’s says the hardware on auction is from the Paul G. Allen (Microsoft co-founder) Collection, and he acquired it in 2017 from a ‘Weapons Research Establishment’ in South Australia. The mainframe is currently in Seattle, and the guide price is $40,000 - $60,000, with 19 days left of the auction period. Purchasing an IBM 7070 new, back in the 1950s, was a much bigger investment, at $813,000.

Despite the move away from vacuum tube technology, the IBM 7070 was still a hulking beast. Capable of processing about 229,000 instructions per second, the machine used approximately 14,000 Standard Modular System cards. These cards housed about 30,000 alloy-junction germanium transistors and 22,000 germanium diodes. Due to this bulk, an IBM 7070 system weighs over 23,000 pounds (10,430kg).

The mainframe system being sold by Christie’s includes many functional equipment and peripherals for the IBM 7070 user. According to the listing, the lucky auction winner will also end up owning:

• 1x IBM 7151 console control unit with IBM 7155 switch control console attached to side
• 1x IBM 711 card reader
• 2x IBM 7617 Data Channel Consoles
• 1x IBM 7608 power converter
• 13x IBM 729 magnetic tape units
• 1x IBM 1401 mainframe computer
• 1x IBM 7302 core storage
• 1x IBM 7606 multiplexer
• 1x IBM 7108 instruction processing unit
• 1x IBM 7109 arithmetic sequence unit
• 1x IBM 7607 I data channel
• 1x IBM 7607 II data channel
• 1x IBM 7618 power control
• 1x IBM 1403 printer
• 1x IBM 1402 card read punch
• 1x IBM 716 printer

The lot also includes a trolley of instruction manuals, many archival boxes of punched cards, three boxes of archival folders of user manuals, and twelve boxes of printouts.

What you would do with a hulking mainframe system like this in 2024 is harder to fathom. We mentioned that the IBM 7070 up for auction was used in some weapons research role. They were also positioned as useful for research fields spanning aerospace engineering, weather forecasting, and nuclear sciences.

(Image credit: Christie's)

(Image credit: Christie's)

(Image credit: Christie's)

(Image credit: Christie's)

(Image credit: Christie's)

(Image credit: Christie's)

(Image credit: Christie's)

However, in 2024, the smartphone in your pocket or a humble Raspberry Pi will comprehensively outgun this type of machine in terms of processing power. Thus, it is probably destined to be bought up by a museum, educational institution, or exhibition space. It might also be a good purchase for TV/Movie studios for some historical or retro-science scenes.

Even at the upper limit of the guide price, it would represent great value per pound. If you win this auction, please get in touch with us and tell us what you intend to do with it.