Virtual 1 will have to second this, but I think he once posted that you can call Apple and get versions of OS X that you can't get on line despite the fact that they really want everybody to be up to date.
(I dunno what's up with the App Store; I've d/l'ed Sierra while logged in, and it didn't turn up in my "Purchased" tab.)
I believe I've read elsewhere they will only do that if your Mac is too old to take the latest version of OS X and you can convince them of that. I didn't think to have my friend try that tactic, but it's just as easy to give him the file now that we're going that route.
