Size of the HP Community

[johnb]

These are all good questions and comments.

I plan on batching up a summary of our thread here and using that as a response to my friends.

Personally, I'd say an "HP collector" is "one who self-identifies as an HP collector."
How's THAT for a tautology, LOL!

But seriously... I'm a pipsqueak compared to Maximillian: I have "only" about two dozen HP calculators and maybe that many more units of other brands, including old pocket-computer-type-things. My wife certainly considers me a calc-o-holic, as I insist on stopping at every yard sale, thrift shop, and antiques stall just to see if I can find a good buy for my collection.

I don't even have a Prime. Nor a Curta. (Though I will donate my right arm and 3 quarts of blood for one in lieu of the grand or more of $$$ that one would cost. Fortunately I'm left-handed.)

And yet I certainly consider myself to be a collector, which I define in general (i.e. not just in an HP calc context) as being "someone who knows 'more than the average bear' about a particular thing, and who owns more instances of that thing than a normal person would consider needed or reasonable, and who takes great delight in doing so."

[BTW, I can commiserate with those who cannot afford to travel to a conference. I am well paid and I certainly cannot justify it to my wife.]