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johnb · (This post was last modified: 07-02-2023 05:35 PM by johnb.)

(08-30-2022 10:54 AM)BillBee Wrote:
(08-29-2022 07:39 PM)Steve Simpkin Wrote: Yes I can hear my wife now...

My greatest fear is that when I die my wife will sell my calculators for what I told her I paid for them.

At least your wife will sell them for something, mine said the HPs are going to the trash. I gave her a "timeout" at that point.

I would consider myself a quasi-collector as I have been enjoying the different models while still actively using and learning them.

My faves: 15c, 41s and 42s

-Bill

I have made my wife promise that she will consult with my friends and let them help her sell off the calculators, watches, engineering paraphernalia, and Science Fiction stuff (lobby posters, stills, opening day books, etc.)

When she expressed doubt, I showed her a lobby poster for "Dr. Strangelove" and asked her yard sale price. She answered $1... maybe down to $0.25 if she couldn't sell it. I said "Nope, try $100."

"100 dollars. YOU spent ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS on... THAT?"

"Nope. I spent $10. Then Peter Sellars died and the value rose tenfold. Most of the stuff I've bought has appreciated that way. You wanna sell 100 pieces of my 'old junk' for $25-100 total? Or sell them for at least $1000 and probably quite a bit more? And live a little more comfortably with less junk and more money?"

johnb · (This post was last modified: 08-31-2022 10:41 PM by johnb.)

PS: @BillBee, I believe that -- with the exception of rare and/or delicate items that really should stay safely protected "under glass" -- a collector OUGHT to use some of the pieces in their collection whenever possible.

To my way of thinking, the whole point of having a collection is to give the collector (and others) great joy. If you don't run a museum -- real or virtual -- where others are looking at everything under glass, merely having an item just isn't the same as having an item to use.

BillBee · 08-31-2022, 11:03 AM

(08-30-2022 08:31 PM)johnb Wrote:
(08-30-2022 10:54 AM)BillBee Wrote: At least your wife will sell them for something, mine said the HPs are going to the trash. I gave her a "timeout" at that point.

I would consider myself a quasi-collector as I have been enjoying the different models while still actively using and learning them.

My faves: 15c, 41s and 42s

-Bill

I have made my wife promise that she will consult with my friends and let them help her sell off the calculators, watches, engineering paraphernalia, and Science Fiction stuff (lobby posters, stills, opening day books, etc.)

When she expressed doubt, I showed her something and asked her yard sale price. She answered $1... maybe down to $0.25 if she couldn't sell it. I said "Nope, try $100."

"100 dollars. YOU spent ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS on... THAT?"

"Nope. I spent $10. Then Peter Sellars died and the value rose tenfold. Most of the stuff I've bought has appreciated that way. You wanna sell 100 pieces of my 'old junk' for $25-100 total? Or sell them for at least $1000 and probably quite a bit more? And live a little more comfortably with less junk and more money?"

I hear you John.

I've been playing guitar since the early 80's and still have most of my gear. Some has appreciated to the point of not being used at practice/gigs. That can be dangerous. Ironically, I have a hard time thinking of the stuff as vintage.

A lot of my calcs I use on rotation. Currently at work - 28s, 35s and 48g. Usually there is a 41 but there are some sticky fingered people so those go home at night. Sad

-Bill

johnb · (This post was last modified: 09-15-2022 02:12 AM by johnb.)

(08-31-2022 11:03 AM)BillBee Wrote: I hear you John.

I've been playing guitar since the early 80's and still have most of my gear. Some has appreciated to the point of not being used at practice/gigs. That can be dangerous. Ironically, I have a hard time thinking of the stuff as vintage.

Whups. Don't get me going down the "antique musical instruments" discussion thread.

I play -- and help restore -- antique Theatre Organs. The only thing that has saved me from trying to do what some others have done, that is, to install a pipe organ (meant for a 600-2000 seat theatre) in my residence, is that they are WAY outside my price range.

On the other hand, there's my practice instrument. It's a Thomas Palace III Deluxe, one of only 100 built. I bought it from the estate of a good friend and fellow organist. He had TWO of these: a battle-scarred one that made the nightclub rounds in Atlanta from the 1960's to the 2010's, and a beautifully kept one that stayed at his residence. It's the nicer one that I now own. Small, compared to a Theatre Organ, and lots less expensive. But bigger than most home instruments.

BTW, know the definition of a GOOD friend? One who, when one's wife says "you can keep the piano but that organ is too obnoxiously large," says to his friend, "hey, John, you can keep it in the music room in my house and play alongside my brother-in-law on his Steinway!"

(08-31-2022 11:03 AM)BillBee Wrote: A lot of my calcs I use on rotation. Currently at work - 28s, 35s and 48g. Usually there is a 41 but there are some sticky fingered people so those go home at night.

Nice set! I keep my 48g upstairs and my 28s downstairs; always have an RPL machine handy in case I need one.

Funny, but even though the 35s is probably the most generally practical of my non-RPL workhorses, I find I use the 32sII more often (I just like the layout). I tend to carry the 11c when I need one with me because it's the most portable, and sometimes I just enjoy it more than either the 35 or the 32sII just because it's cool. Same with the 41cx: it's just cool.

BTW, you might be an HP calculator fanatic if.... you have a SECOND HP-32sII, old and beat-up but otherwise fully functional, designated as the "Camper's Emergency Calculator."

But I digress...

BillBee · 09-01-2022, 03:20 PM

(08-31-2022 10:37 PM)johnb Wrote:
(08-31-2022 11:03 AM)BillBee Wrote: I hear you John.

I've been playing guitar since the early 80's and still have most of my gear. Some has appreciated to the point of not being used at practice/gigs. That can be dangerous. Ironically, I have a hard time thinking of the stuff as vintage.

Whups. Don't get me going down the "antique musical instruments" discussion thread.

<snip>

BTW, know the definition of a GOOD friend? One who, when one's wife says "you can keep the piano but that organ is too obnoxiously large," says to his friend, "hey, John, you can keep it in the music room in my house and play alongside my brother-in-law on his Steinway!"

(08-31-2022 11:03 AM)BillBee Wrote: A lot of my calcs I use on rotation. Currently at work - 28s, 35s and 48g. Usually there is a 41 but there are some sticky fingered people so those go home at night.

Nice set! I keep my 48g upstairs and my 28s downstairs; always have an RPL machine handy in case I need one.

Funny, but even though the 35s is probably the most generally practical of my non-graphing workhorses, I find I use the 32sII almost as often (I just like the layout). I tend to carry the 11c when I need one with me because it's the most portable, but sometimes I just enjoy it more than either the 35 or the 32sII just because it's cool. Same with the 41cx: it's just cool.

BTW, you might be an HP calculator fanatic if.... you have a SECOND HP-32sII, old and beat-up but otherwise fully functional, designated as the "Camper's Emergency Calculator."

But I digress...

An old 32sII (that was actually chewed on by a dog - teeth marks all over) is in the truck to kill time when the wife is shopping.

To pay for college my 2nd job was on a carpet crew. We had to move a few of those beasts of yours and it was always a bad time to be the young guy.

-Bill

johanw · 09-02-2022, 12:09 PM

(08-30-2022 08:31 PM)johnb Wrote: I have made my wife promise that she will consult with my friends and let them help her sell off the calculators, watches, engineering paraphernalia, and Science Fiction stuff (lobby posters, stills, opening day books, etc.)

Assuming you go first. My GF was an even bigger collector than I am, so I wasn't worried about that. Unfortunately she didn't survive covid, while I got away with only 5 weeks ill and not even in hospital.

Now my stuff will probably go to my brothers, or the youngest ones children when I go. No idea if they appreciate calculators, probably not much. I might suggest they sell the Swissmicro's on the local eBay.

polbit · (This post was last modified: 09-18-2022 10:49 AM by polbit.)

I am definitely a calculator collector, have every handheld HP, amongst a sea of other brands. I do spend time to learn them and play/program with them, but I went through high school and college using 28/48-series, so those remain my main drivers. Also have an unexplained affection for 71b.

With that said, I really have to go out of my way to actually use a calculator for work/something practical these days. Let's face it, the era of a calculator is over. Outside of education sector, there are just not that useful.

agarza · 09-18-2022, 04:49 AM

(09-18-2022 01:25 AM)polbit Wrote: With that said, I really have to go out of my way to actually use a calculator for work/something practical these days. Let's face it, the area of a calculator is over. Outside of education sector, there are just not that useful.

I mostly agree, but... I don't program or do real math on a calculator anymore, I use a PC for that. But for day to day math, I still prefer to do it on a real calculator keypad than on a PC or an iPhone.

johnb · 09-19-2022, 08:45 PM

(09-18-2022 04:49 AM)agarza Wrote:
(09-18-2022 01:25 AM)polbit Wrote: With that said, I really have to go out of my way to actually use a calculator for work/something practical these days. Let's face it, the area of a calculator is over. Outside of education sector, there are just not that useful.

I mostly agree, but... I don't program or do real math on a calculator anymore, I use a PC for that. But for day to day math, I still prefer to do it on a real calculator keypad than on a PC or an iPhone.

Same here. All of my calculators are now WAY overpowered for what I use them for! With the narrow exception of the programmables, which are all set up to do "dice rolls" and common calculations for my once-a-month all-day-Saturday roleplaying game (RPG) -- ROTFL!

Plus, I've forgotten probably 5-10 times the amount of math that I use on a daily basis, which is nothing harder than algebra and trig. Maybe once a year I have to do something with distributions, or statistics, or calculus... OUT come the textbooks and a dusty old copy of MATLAB or Mathematica!

But I agree. One wants tactile feedback! My PC keyboards gives a subtle and nearly silent but clearly discernable "click!" My calculators should, too.

Phone-based calculators are only for math emergencies when caught out in public!

johnb · 09-19-2022, 08:57 PM

(08-30-2022 09:04 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:
(08-30-2022 07:52 AM)EdS2 Wrote: I don't think I'd call myself a collector - perhaps an enthusiast.

- I might buy a non-working calculator
- I'm excited to see a calculator for sale in a junk shop, charity shop, radio rally
- I know which HP models I own (and which I don't)
- I very rarely use the ones I do have
- I rather want to keep the ones I do have

But I only have four HP calculators.

Yes! I told my family that I was not the only person on earth that was “enthusiastic” about calculators and this proves it. I bet they won’t be making fun of me ever again.

Sorry to go so far back in time, but I just have to respond...

#1 - @EdS2, in my humble opinion, you're qualified to call yourself a collector if you want to. Or an enthusiast. (I draw the line at "Grand High Emperor of the Galaxy," however.) This based on your willingness to buy something that's broken, and the fact you've got an eye out for them when out "junking / antiquing."

#2 - @Steve Simpkin, LOL, don't count on it!! Because that's what I thought as well... :-O

NPHighview · 10-05-2022, 03:26 AM

My wife also looks askance at my collection of HP (and now SwissMicro) calculators. Then I point to her collections of various stuff, and the conversation tails off :-)
I still have my HP35, its original packaging, manuals, charger, etc. and the purchase receipt. With that, I consider myself a collector. I also have a new-in-box, unopened HP15C "Limited Edition" (I bought a bunch when they first came out and handed them out at work as appreciations for jobs well done in my Engineering team). Plenty of other non-financial calculators. Somehow I've misplaced my HP100 hand-held DOS machine.
I'd love to get my hands on a functioning HP98x5 desktop - my first encounter with HP gear as a physics undergrad was on an early one, and I had an HP9845 in one of my first jobs.
When I was just out of high school, I dated a girl whose mother was an engineer at Friden in Chicago; we (the mother and I) had lots of fascinating conversations about the differences between electromechanical and electronic calculator algorithms, that is, until the girl dumped me for paying her mother more attention than I paid her.