In an idle moment I went back to the first BBS collectables page (February 2007) and was amazed to see there were 998 pages altogether!
The total was 24,899 threads and 179,385 posts, with 40 people viewing this section at the time (1.45pm on a Wednesday).
Amazing.
Vintage Airguns Gallery
..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.
I'm new to the hobby but for collectable airguns this seems the place to be. I really know of no others that compete? There are ones that don't take new members. There are some with really poor formats (Yellow Forum). The American forums seem really poor in the vintage area? Maybe I've missed something?
In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.
I can't imagine how you ever earned this tag. 😁
Do love the section though. You never know what you may learn or even find for sale.
I'm a vintage airgun anorak and proud of it.
The American Vintage Airguns forum is still a fine site with some wonderful members, although currently hit rather hard by the Photobucket fiasco and looking a bit neglected. I've been trying to get hold of the owner, without success. I hope he's OK...
The airgunforum dot co dot UK has an impressive vintage airguns section.
But you're right, this is easily the best and fastest moving forum, by virtue of its large and varied membership. There's nothing known about vintage airguns that can't be obtained through this section, if you're willing to be patient.
Vintage Airguns Gallery
..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.
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Done my bit for the BBS: http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....-being-a-mod-… now I’m a game-keeper turned poacher.
In the words of one of my esteemed collector friends on here: Every day is a school day.
Ive been collecting for 40+ years and know a little bit about the subject of air guns but the amount of knowledge on here by my fellow members never ceases to amaze me. Its also the 'Gentlemans Section' were I am tolerated with my comments against the, to some, Holy Grail of air pistols, the 'Wobbly'.
Its the first section I visit in a morning and where Ive snaffled several bargains.
Long may it continue.
Founder & ex secretary of Rivington Riflemen.
www.rivington-riflemen.uk
Shame that. I suppose the owner, Dave B, has either lost interest, become unable to upkeep the site, or - God forbid - died.
It wouldn't be the first 'zombie' Network 54 site, since plenty of them are still going years after anyone last posted and kept going by funding from ads, like a ghostly echo of the past!
I'm pretty sure most, or maybe all, of the airgun collectors who post on the AVA are also visitors/posters on here, so they will have somewhere to go if it does wither and die. In some ways it would be a shame if the special character of the AVA were to be subsumed in BBS Collectables, but fortunately they do share the same 'gentlemanly ethos'.
The Photobucket debacle has sharpened focus on this 'legacy' aspect of the internet. Site owners really need to engage in 'succession planning' to ensure these valuable entities continue on into the future.
I've had to think about this a lot recently with the vintage gallery - a collective endeavour which has grown into something that should probably be preserved indefinitely, if that's digitally possible!
By buying a dedicated web domain and hosting the images myself (generously paid for by multiple donors), I'm hoping this will give it life after I'm long gone - although someone will have to pay to keep it alive, I suppose.
I'm thinking I will need to distribute the 'keys' to the gallery as widely as possible between trusted individuals when the time comes, so as to avoid it becoming frozen in time.
Vintage Airguns Gallery
..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.
_______________________________________________
Done my bit for the BBS: http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread....-being-a-mod-… now I’m a game-keeper turned poacher.
Yes, this is a truly magnificent forum for Collectables.....The knowledge and support is immense and members respond very promptly with a wealth of knowledge and long may it continue....As an apprentice to this forum and the black art of dabbling in collecting, mantaining and restoring and also buying from members, never to dissappoint, I have benefitted enormously and it encourages the interest - Just curious though, why the fettish for Relum's, I can understand BSF's and the like, but why Relums? Remember, I am just an apprentice, maybe the world of Relums become reality when one receives that special handshake?
Best regards to all and a big thumbs up for the "Gentleman's" Section......
Really is a new world, how do you preserve the digital? With books they go on in time, but digital material? Who is there 50 years from now? Lots of information could just vanish for lack of a keeper with the keys? It's a marvelous age for sharing but a little perilous for preserving. I have wonderful pics of my grandchildren but I bet when they grow up they will never be able to find them?
Those are exactly the questions, yes. I have a feeling part of the answer may be wide distribution, so that even if the original preserver of the information dies etc, there are enough other people out there who have access to it to 'keep it alive'.
So I would encourage as many people as possible to save pics, forum threads etc, that interest you as soon as you see them, so that if they've disappeared some years from now, you have a copy.
If anyone's interested in becoming a friend or 'keeper' of the vintage gallery (preferably someone aged under 50!) then please let me know.
Vintage Airguns Gallery
..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.
Founder & ex secretary of Rivington Riflemen.
www.rivington-riflemen.uk