Historic hard disks

+ Bryant 39" and a 14" + 3.5" © Achim Baqué Bryant 39" and a 14" + 3.5"

+ Librascope 48" hard disk from 1965 (largest in the world) © Achim Baqué Librascope 48" hard disk from 1965 (largest in the world)

+ Complete IBM 3380 AD/AE © Achim Baqué Complete IBM 3380 AD/AE

My collection includes countless hard disks, from 0.8 inch up to 48 inches (yes, 48").

For more than forty years I have been collecting hard drives. In the beginning, I focused on contemporary models, but from the 2010s onwards my interest shifted to the large, historic systems. At first, finding a 14-inch disk felt extraordinary. Then came a 24-inch IBM RAMAC platter. The ultimate prize, however, was always the gigantic 39-inch Bryant hard disk platter, which finally entered my collection in 2021.

In 2025, I travelled to Salt Lake City and Provo and spoke with four pioneers, each with remarkable stories to share. One afternoon we sat for hours in a garden, listening to fascinating tales from the dawn of computing. At some point I mentioned my hard disk collection. We went down to the basement, and there it was, a 48-inch hard disk platter that is now also part of my collection.

The Librascope Disk File 48-inch hard disk is the largest ever made. For me, it is one of the crown jewels of my collection, truly the mother of all hard disks.
The 48-inch platter measures 47.5 x 0.46 inches (120.65 x 1.16 cm) and weighs about 100 lbs (45 kg). Each Librascope L-1500 drive contained six platters, giving roughly 18.3 MB per platter and a total capacity of 110 MB.
Only four or five are known to survive worldwide. The other known 48-inch disk platters are owned by Stanford University, the Computer History Museum and the scientist Lester Earnest, who uses one as a coffee table.

I also own several CDC 31-inch hard disk platters. One of the greatest recent additions was a complete, massive IBM 3380 AD/AE with two IBM 3380 E drives inside.