NEW YORK – Roland Auctions NY will disperse the Tekserve Collection on Tuesday, Aug. 23, commencing at 11 a.m. Eastern. This nearly 500-lot auction celebrates the legacy of a nationally acclaimed and unique New York City institution. After almost 30 years on West 23rd Street, Tekserve is closing its retail store. Apple computer aficionados, technology collectors, and dedicated patrons alike will vie for some familiar (and many never before seen) items from the iconic store’s permanent collection.
Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.
The auction catalog offers a far-reaching array of 20th century technology and high precision equipment. A short list of merchandise to be sold includes early Apple and NeXt computers, vintage radios, cameras, microphones, telephones, typewriters, televisions, video and test equipment.
Among the highlights: the famous Tekserve 5-cent Coca-Cola machine, original “Think Different” posters, antique advertising signs, a Jens Risom executive desk, mid-century modern lighting, architectural elements, Uhuru Design work tables constructed from repurposed Coney Island boardwalk planks, a pair of chic glass doors from the Las Vegas Sands Hotel (demolished in 1996), Tekserve’s larger-than-life blue robot (a mainstay of many trade shows including Mac World), the renowned Tekserve Mac Museum and much more.
For many in the New York area Tekserve is the original Apple store. Begun in 1987, the nascent company provided support to a handful of early Mac enthusiasts and grew into the nation’s largest independent Apple reseller and service provider.
While Apple Computer Inc., and later Apple Inc., encouraged users to “Think Different,” Tekserve was a point of contact that nurtured the community and created the culture. When the first Macintosh computer debuted, founders Dick Demenus and David Lerner, were immediately drawn to this “friendly” device with a revolutionary intuitive interface. The Mac quickly became an indispensable tool for them, but when one broke down the price at the authorized repair center was shocking. They learned to fix it themselves, for half the going price, and Tekserve was born.
After the business became successful enough to move out of his loft, Demenus set to work making his business a home away from home. His overflowing collections of vintage radios, cameras, typewriters, microphones, and other items too numerous to mention, imbued Tekserve with its distinctive appearance and helped make it a unique destination that is visually appealing and intellectually engaging all at once.
The ever growing collection of objects that have occupied the company’s various public and private spaces over the years are a testament to Demenus’ constant curiosity. For him, each one is a link in a chain leading up to the Macintosh computer, which he considers a singular amalgam of the mechanical, technological and fine arts.
Roland Auctions NY, now in its fifth year is the Greenwich Village auction gallery owned and operated by Bill and Robert Roland.
For more information phone Roland auctions NY at 212-260-2000.
