Re: How do you sell your HP calculators? Message #78 Posted by Philippe Lasnier on 16 Oct 2009, 3:36 a.m., in response to message #77 by R.J. Soto
In my case the story goes back to the (late 70's and) early 80's. At that time, while in high school (US meaning) in the scientific classes, I managed to acquire an HP-41C. I don't remember how exactly; I think it was second-hand. Before that, I had been using a TI-57. The TI was a great machine to learn on, and it taught me things that I've been using ever since; but the HP was a 'wow' moment. It was simply brilliant, and it got used extensively. At that time, TI and HP were at war, and the top calculators doing battle were the TI-59 and the HP-41. Frankly, I admired the TI-59 too, but the HP-41 was better ;-)
The accessories for the HP were too expensive, and I didn't have any, so when a few years later I needed something more practical, I sold the HP-41 and bought a Casio PB-700 with printer and cassette storage. I always regretted selling the HP-41 (although I know it got to someone who put it to good use, like I had), but a cash-poor student has little choice. Don't get me wrong, the Casio was very good, and it got used nearly every day until the early 90's.
Forward many years, and I thought that I must have enough money now to buy an HP-41 again, this time with accessories - mostly for nostalgia; but I wondered if there were still any out there. Boy, was I surprised! So I got one, then two (you need a backup, right?), got the tape reader for it, then wondered what else from HP was worth looking for (I had seen HP-67s in my youth...). I spare you the details, but I turned into a collector without really realising it. I went through a magpie phase (I'm better now, thanks). It's not just HPs (I've got TIs, Casios, Sharps...), but HPs are the bulk of my collection.
In short, in my case it was nostalgia that made me look again for *the* machine of my youth, and it went on from there :-)
Philippe
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