I was, anyway. I probably dropped two or three grand on these over the couple of decades beginning in 1987. I still have many of these original purchases on 3.5" floppies, although most have since been backed up onto more durable media. Back when I used to do freelance work at the bottom-end of the trade, much of my work involved me in recreating graphic identities that had been originally designed in analog media, and for these projects I’d frequently have to identify and acquire the typeface employed. On one occasion, “Bank Gothic” not being then available in digital form, I had to draw the characters (for a regional chamber ensemble) in Illustrator.

A couple of decades ago you could show me a font and I could either identify it immediately or, with recourse to my reference materials, within a minute or two. Those chops are long gone—but then, I’m retired.

cordially,