The Rise and Fall of Matchbox's Toy-Car Empire

Years ago, with the help of eBay, I built a "dream" small collection of Matchbox cars that I would've liked in childhood, and that would've practically been impossible to find amongst brick&mortar stores then.

Sorry, I'll admit I unboxed the ones still boxed, since I think toys are meant to be out and played with, not pumped collectible investments.

(I no longer have them, though. I was selling my Concept 2 erg, in preparation for moving house, and the buyer noticed my Matchbox dream collection in a tray on the table, and remarked that her nephew/grandson would love those. She'd just given me several hundred dollars for the rowing machine, and I was moving, so I threw in the Matchbox cars.)

How odd, I have a collection of Hot Wheels though for my entire life I've preferred the feel of Matchbox, and I have an erg at which I suffer for hours a week.

I don't intend to sell my erg but I'm currently in the process of selling my Hot Wheels collection...I wonder if the buyer will notice my erg and remark how much they too love torturing themselves and would I perhaps sell it to them.

"erg"?

That is an obsolete unit of energy to me:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erg

Erg in this case refers to a kind of rowing machine used for exercise.

Good heavens. How were we meant to know that?

I googled it. I got the unit, European Research Group, Employee Resource Groups, and the Eastern Research Group Inc... whoever they are.

[Update]

I kept digging. Second entry under here:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/erg

Never knew that and never heard of them before.