Task: Purchase a Storage Box for Your Atari 5 1/4″ Floppy Disks
Needed: Web browser
Time: 5-10 minutes
Introduction
One of my favorite things to do with the Atari 8-bit computers is to load software from floppy disks using floppy drives such as the Atari 810, Atari 1050, or Indus GT. I have previously posted about the joys of exploring floppy disk collections. Owning more than a few floppy disks raises the question of how to store them safely. Back in the day we used plastic storage boxes that could each hold about 40-50 disks. The photo below is one of my floppy boxes from the 1980s.
Also available at the time were smaller boxes that could hold about 8-10 disks. These often opened into a presentation position that allowed disks to be explored and accessed easily (see below). I also have several of these that I used back in the 1980s.
I have more than 1000 floppy disks today and keep most of them in file boxes. This is not a convenient solution for those I want to access more often. Fortunately, you can still buy floppy disk boxes of all sizes on eBay. I was able to find one that will hold 100 disks that was new in the box (see below).
I like this large box because it is new old stock and it holds 100 disks. A bonus is that it has a lock and key to keep those 1980s accounting spreadsheets secure!
It is worth noting that you can still buy new old stock floppy disks that come in packs of 10. Once they are all used you can use the cardboard box for storage as well. I have several I use for this purpose.
While exploring eBay to prepare for this post I ran across this lovely wooden storage box with rolltop cover! Never seen one of these before. There were several other wood varieties on eBay.
Instructions
Your best bet for finding floppy disk storage boxes is to navigate to eBay and do a search for floppy disk boxes. Here is a search that I did. Most options for sale are between $10 and $50 with some new old stock options. I like the NOS options because they are less likely to smell. Further, the NOS are likely to have labels for the dividers, so you don’t need to cut bigger ones to size.
Comments
I love my disk boxes and find them to be very convenient for accessing disks I use regularly. Good luck finding one or more that suits you!