About this objectBlack floppy disk. Label to one side reads "Disk 7 - 2021" and a label on the other side reads "Disk 8 - 2022".
This floppy disk was from the Amstrad computer system that was used to run the the Hitchin Festival ticket bookings from the 1990s to 2019. Despite the labels on this floppy disk, they were unlikely to have been used in 2021 and 2021, as the Hitchin Festival switched to a more modern system in 2020.
The system frequently attracted attention from festival goers due to its antique appearance. 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.”
Date Madecirca 1990s
Period20th Century (1901-2000)
Place MadeJapan
Medium and MaterialsMetal
Plastic
Inscription and MarksLabel to one side reads "Disk 7 - 2021" and a label on the other side reads "Disk 8 - 2022".
