Mine is with retro hardware that every reasonable person threw out long ago
So you're calling me
unreasonable?
I too have a love for old computer hardware. But you're right, a lot of people binned computers long ago which are actually quite valuable and becoming rarer. Back then, it was just "obsolete" and probably not worth anything. Even if they haven't thrown it out and it's sitting in storage somewhere, you can bet there is a NiCad battery in it corroding away at the components.
That said, it's pretty much only the brand name stuff (to a certain degree) that has any value. Any generic white box computer is almost worthless. Some components might be worth rescuing.
I would LOVE to get my hands on a Roland MT-32 MIDI device as I used to play a lot of games that could take advantage of it but they are few and far between on ebay (and usually asking too much). (If someone has one they are willing to part with, send me a PM
)
Other components like the original Creative SoundBlaster cards are quite worth while keeping and old PCI 3D accelerators as well, like the 3DFX Voodoo and Voodoo II cards.
I have entire boxes full of both 8-bit and 16-bit PCI cards as well (mostly video cards, EGA, CGA and controllers) as you never know what kind of machine you decide to pick up next and what parts it might need.