@nixiefreqq, I confess my sins looking absolution, if it's any consolation, I do have 3 other HP items that I have no intention of parting with, they are 2 x 3466A and 3478A. As for the Nixie, well I think its gone to a good home where it will be treated like a lord.
The 1740A was too large and heavy for my small bench area which is better suited to a smaller size of scope, which my other 3 are. I know it was not all that long ago that I nursed it back to health after it had been sorely neglected by its previous owner and I do know that it has gone a lover of vintage HP gear and will his jewel in the crown, so all's well that ends well.
I suppose it can be looked at as being similar to fostering kittens. You get them healthy and strong, then let them move on to good homes. I'm no good at that, which is why I don't foster kittens - I'd have more of them than I currently do test gear. It's good that some among us can occasionally be dispassionate enough to have the strength to let things move on to new homes when it's appropriate.
-Pat
That's a nice way of looking at it, I like to think of it this way that I'm using my skills to source poorly looked after but salvageable items of TE and restore them back to a condition where they can become a usable and valuable piece of TE in someones collection. Helping to keep good items from becoming landfill in very similar vein to bd139 with his Tek scopes, clean them up, renovate what needs doing, recapping etc, using on the bench for a while and then after proving themselves moving them on again, usually for a reasonable profit or at least covering costs. This in turn releases money for even more TE in need of TLC and so the cycle repeats. Problem is though at the moment there is drought on in all the usual channels.
Just like your kittens, there are those items that have become stickies, 3478A, 3466A, TF930, 8840A, TGP110, XJW01, IG-4005, PM3390B, SS5710, V525 and V-7AU along with numerous others