The comments here continue to be interesting. I looked, Garvin, at your link and the comments within relating to the age profile of collectors, which I found to be of equal interest.

A good friend's son is 16 and recently bought a new HW97, with telescope. I showed him my early '20s BSA Standard, with open sights. As with so many youngsters, he will go to university and then to work but he might - like others - become a collector in middle age or later. This might account for the age profile of collectors. One thing the new springers do not have, of course, is the old leather washers and resulting dieseling habit, which is so traditional and peculiar to many of the collectors here.

Your wonderful galleries and posts, Garvin, are a great inspiration and do much to enthuse many newcomers and old collectors alike.

It would be pleasing to hear from Edbear; he is a most decent fellow and showed me great courtesy when I joined this site. His old collection of pre-War BSAs has reached near legendary status with some of us, I imagine. One could have spent a day looking at these magnificent items.