I am not a huge Facebook user, but I do know there are some Facebook groups dedicated to some aspect of retro computing and gaming. Some time ago I came across this Group :

Closed clubs or groups are not unusual, applications to join are vetted by mods to prevent spammers. Unlike every other Facebook group I know that is related to retro, this one requires proof of current ownership of the card in its title to join.

When I took that screenshot, there were only 87 members. Now it is up to 119 members. In order to join the club, you need to answer the following :

"Please link a foto that have to contain your 3dfx voodoo 5 5500 and a little note with you name, surname and today's date, this is needed to prove that you own one"

Other than the 1st individual to join the group outside of the creator, our own PhilsComputerLab, I could not recognize anyone.

Several years ago, I owned a Voodoo 5 5500 MAC PCI card and then could have claimed membership. Unfortunately that card became partially defective and I stupidly threw it away. Even if I still had it, in the words of Groucho Marx "I would never join any club that would have me as a member."

Do anyone know of other groups, inside or outside of Facebook, where current ownership of a particular piece of computing or console hardware is required for ownership? I know there is an Apple I Owners Club, but that one does not have any exclusivity or closed-off member participation other than the Apple I Registry. I know there is a Voodoo 5 6000 owners list. Owners lists, by their nature, require actual possession of the item, but recognition is all the benefit they typically convey.

So, what do you think about "collector's clubs" Egregious elitism, silly snobbery, the downfall of our hobby or the pinnacle of human achievement? In a case like this, I tend to see it as something like silly snobbery. There are pieces of PC hardware that are rarer than the Voodoo 5 5500. Moreover, I doubt this club is very active, so it is probably more like an owner's list. There isn't much secret information out there about a Voodoo 5 5500