This thread has raised some good questions. I found particularly interesting the responses of Flint45 and erichtfisherman in this respect, whilst cinedux has told us something about his experiences in NZ.

What is the situation, for instance, with this website? Is the readership rising, falling or remaining roughly stable? How many new contributors arrive each year, to replace those who fade away? Is the traffic rising or falling? I wonder if the Moderators, here, know the answer to some of these questions.

When the PCPs appeared, I rather expected springers to fade away but, happily, that has not been the case. As someone remarked here, springers have a soul. There are many, moreover, who have returned to collect springers, perhaps for nostalgic reasons, well into middle age and beyond.

Clearly, airgun fairs and the internet have enabled collectors to share views and opinions and both facilities have acted as rallying points for those who collect, whilst their presence has also allowed new people to discover more about the subject.

If airgun values are to be maintained, then it is essential to attract new collectors. However, over and beyond that, it would be pleasing to know that our hobby is at least stable and possibly expanding - perhaps because of the internet. Collectors keep alive the past, whether in cars, canals, antiques, clocks, old records, all manner of things and, not least, shooting.