IBM PC Model 5150 & Epson MX-80 (IBM 5152)(1981-1987)

✅ IBM PC Model 5150

🥇First Commercially-Released Personal Computer Marketed Specifically to Businesses 

The IBM Personal Computer Model 5150, launched on August 12, 1981, was the landmark machine that transformed the "microcomputer" from a hobbyist curiosity into a global corporate standard. Developed in just one year by a secret team in Florida, the 5150 featured an "open architecture" that allowed outside companies to build compatible parts and upgrades for its internal slots. While the base model started at $1,565 with a basic cassette tape interface, most business users opted for configurations featuring dual 5.25-inch floppy drives and IBM's iconic monochrome green-screen monitor. Its most significant legacy was its software: IBM licensed its operating system from a then-small company called Microsoft, setting the stage for the massive "PC compatible" market that would dominate the industry for decades. With its heavy-duty, ultra-tactile keyboard and professional industrial design, the 5150 legitimized personal computers for major businesses and effectively standardized desktop computing.

✅ IBM 5152 (Epson MX-80) Dot-Matrix Printer 

🥇First Mass-Market Dot-Matrix Printer 

The IBM 5152 Graphics Printer, introduced in 1981 alongside the original IBM Personal Computer (Model 5150) for $755, was a legendary impact matrix printer that became the default printing standard for early business computing. Built directly on the bulletproof hardware of the popular Epson MX-80 dot matrix engine, the 5152 was customized specifically for IBM with a dark gray casing and a modified ROM chip that added support for the full IBM Extended ASCII character set, allowing it to print special line-drawing characters and block graphics. Operating at a noisy but speedy rate of 80 characters per second, the printer used a motorized 9-pin print head that forcefully slammed tiny metal pins against a black fabric ribbon to strike continuous tractor-feed fanfold paper, producing the instantly recognizable "buzzing" sound and pin-feed paper strips of 1980s offices. Thanks to its rock-solid mechanical construction and the universal "Epson escape code" control language it popularized, the IBM 5152 set the benchmark for computer printing compatibility and earned a reputation as an indestructible workhorse that could run for years without maintenance. 

Source: Estate Sale, Westport, CT