Vintage Rare 1996 AOL V3.0 PC World CD-ROM, New Factory-Sealed & BEAUTIFUL!

Back in the waning days of the 20th Century and the early days of the 21st, America Online was the dominant Internet web portal and online service provider in the United States. Launched in 1983 as PlayNET, then Q-Link in 1985, and finally renamed America Online in 1989, AOL grew to become the largest online service, edging out older competitors such as CompuServe, Prodigy, GEnie, and The Source. One of the reasons for this was AOL’s innovative marketing technique. Promoting itself as the dial-up service for computer newbies (as opposed to CompuServe’s computer-savvy members), AOL performed incredible advertising outreach to the country at large. Beginning with 5½″ floppy discs(!) included with 1st-generation modems, progressing to loose 3½″ floppy discs, and finally shrink-wrapped floppies on colorful card stock (and, ultimately, superseded by CD-ROM disks in beautifully illustrated packaging), AOL distributed its installation software — along with offers of hundreds of FREE HOURS of user time — via unconventional outlets far beyond computer stores. At one point, 50% of all CDs manufactured were made for AOL.

In a year when most AOL installation discs were still 3½″ floppies, this jam-packed AOL CD-ROM with a copyright date of 1996 is factory sealed, unopened, and in New condition (part number R03129S) (at least, that’s what’s on the sealed paper-sleeve envelope — I can’t see the number on the disc inside). I believe it came in an issue of PC World. It offered the user 50 HOURS FREE for joining, as well as 1996 tax forms, free shareware, online banking, and software such as ZILCH, Solved!, and EZ Loan Manager. The variety offered on this disc can be appreciated by referring to the photos in this listing. Registration number & password have been redacted in the images because… well, I don’t know why, but I redacted them just in case. If you buy it, they’re all yours.

Did you and your loved one meet on AOL? One of our customers bought a disc as an anniversary gift because the copyright year of the disc matched the year that they met on AOL!

How about a Birthday? Wedding Anniversary? First year that you ______? (Fill in the blank.)

If you have fond memories of the AOL discs that you turned into drink coasters, mini-Frisbees, or skeet targets, or if you’re too young to know anything but streaming and downloads, you can own this pristine example of physical mass-advertising from a vanished era.

Postage: Computer discs qualify for USPS Media Mail rates. Yay! (I can’t send them 1st Class Letter rate because they are rigid.)

Dimensions of carded disc are:

• Height: 5″
• Width: 5″
• Weight: 0.9 oz.

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