About this objectBlack floppy disk, model Maxell CF2. Label to one side reads "Backup JY 2019". The label to the other side reads "Backup 2019 from Sept!".
This floppy disk was from the Amstrad computer system that was used to run the Hitchin Festival ticket bookings from the 1990s to 2019. This floppy disk is marked with the date of the final year the system was used, 2019. The Amstrad set up frequently attracted attention due to its antique appearance but by 2020 the festival had moved to a new system.
The floppy disk is part of the donation 2022.33-39 which includes the Amstrad computer set and various notes on how to work the antiquated machine.
The computer made local headlines in July 2018 when Hitchin BID Manager Tom Hardy tweeted Lord Alan Sugar, founder of Amstrad, to say “Your Amstrad computer has been printing our Hitchin Festival tickets for 25 years! Still going strong with 50,000 tickets printed over the years. Is this a record?”. Lord Sugar replied “I can’t comment on the record but it must be close. Great machine. 0.00798p per ticket.”
MakerMaxell
Maker RoleManufacturer
Date Madec. 1990s
Period20th Century (1901-2000)
Medium and MaterialsPlastic
Metal
Inscription and MarksProduction label to both sides
Hand wirtten notes to one side "Back up JY 2019". On the other "Back up 2019 from Sept!"
