Why This Hobby (And some others) Consume..Answer !!!!
thedutymon
Posts: 4,323 ✭
Afternoon,
Anatomy of a Collector:
From a piece I wrote a few years back, excerpted here by me the Author:
Having lived in numerous collecting worlds, I have over time come to some general categories that I like to put collectors in. Being involved for years in Comic Books, Non Sports and Sports Cards, 1st Edition Sci-Fi and Rare Hardback and Paperback books, I believe I have had some valid experiences: Of course everything is meant with a little dose of Humor, so if you recognize yourself in one of these descriptions..........................Oh Well !!!
So without further ado................................
Comic Book Collectors: Every Stereotype that you have heard is 100% For Real, I MEAN For Real, just attend the San Diego-ComicCon, Just Once, that's all it will take and I've been three times and to dozens of other major Comic Book Conventions/Trade shows !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I will be using the Male Gender to refer to the Collectors in this category...Cause lets face it, a Girl collecting Comic Books, Geeks have been having this Fantasy for Generations!!!)
Type #1: This is the Geek who has been reading Comic Books since he was 8, the more his Beer drinking factory working father dissed his hobby the more obsessed he became and collected to piss off his father. He usually is in his late 20's to early 30's, dresses like he is never going to be with a woman...........Cause face it..................He Ain't !! This is not your Clean Cut slightly nerdy portrayl on Big Bang Theory or Comic Book Men. These guys are gross and you don't even want them touching your stuff when your selling it to them. They stink, their disgusting and they have more cash and money tied up in Valuable Comics than you could shake a stick at !! They are mostly sad men who over their lifetime hoard 100's of thousands of dollars of Golden Age and Silver Age comics. And since this is the current generation and they don't as a Rule have kids...I mean seriously here, they Don't !!!!!, nobody knows what happens to their stuff !!!
Type #2: This is the guy who read Comics as a kid, was never obsessed, actually graduated from College and now Since the age old story "My Mom threw out my Comic Books", is now spending some coin to try and recpature some of their youth. They are somewhat successful; and occasionally have hooked up with a Woman. They have some tendency's towards Geekdom that peek through their facade and usually end up Divorced and out of the Hobby because of the Child Support!
Type #3: This guy was the smart guy about Comics, he held onto his stuff, boxed it up, sat down with Mom and explained..."You Are Not to Throw out those Boxes while I'm away!". Sometime in his late 20's to early 30's he meets the Right Girl who carefully explains in several different ways, but the Gist of it is "Either the Comic Books Go or I do!" We all know what happens to the Comic Books. He carts them to one of the local shows and several Dealers compete to give him a dime on the Dollar for his stuff! Later when he is in his 40's and has Divorced Ms Right, he comes back to recapture his Collection, he is a savvy collector and Buyer and can be one of your best customers!
Type #4 This Guy is the Collectors Collector, usually successful in another business or even in some form of Collectible. He will be your most difficult advesary, your competition, but at the same time you form bonds with these guys and they are your peers. They have successful relationships, they are Nice, they Brush their teeth, they Don't smell. They can carry on a conversation that doesn't include Spiderman or Batman or Iron man or the latest price of Action #14, or who just got a CCG 9.2 on a Amazing Fantasy #14.............................And that guy is 1 in 100 if your lucky!!!!! And sometimes a whole weekend will pass at your tables and never meet one!!!!!
Sports Card and Non Sports Card Guys: (Remember that the Sport Card Guys are collecting pieces of Cardboard with pictures of Men on them
Non Sports Card guys collect pictures of Events or happenings, or at least famous persons in History....So draw your own conclusions)
Type #1 This is the guy who collected Cards as kid and was encouraged or at least not dismissed by his Father. He has continued this pursuit as he has gone on to some form of a successful adult life. He has a Wife or Girlfriend, kids, is attempting to pass on his passions to his kids. There is nothing wrong with this type............................Except when it becomes an obsession....and it very often does. This type shares a common thread within most of the card collecting genre. Within that genre it manifests itself in many different ways: Here are Some:
Type #1A This is the guy who played a little sports growing up, found a love for a certain sport and then at some point in time went over the edge for some particular player in that sport. This can be an innocent admiration to out and out Man Love such as an irrational need to own 23,478 Emmitt Smith cards or start buying game used ..........Well you know, of that certain player (Jock Strap Swatch cards)
Usually can be found around the front driveway on warm summer nights, beer in hand, debating the Careers of their obsession with a couple neighbors!!
Type #1B This is the guy who has had his contact info sent to Hoarders by his Wife or Significant Other, numerous times. He doesnt just have a Man cave he has a Man Garage, Man Basement and when the Wife explains that the spare bedroom Will be used for the New Twins, not the Current Detroit Tiger Penant Display room, goes into a deep depression for weeks. Later in life most of his treasure will reside (What's left, most went in the Divorce), in a storage space, while he resides in a One bedroom apartment.
Type #1C This is the guy who is the Collector, but not really the collector, cause for this guy its not about the Having, its about the Getting. The mission, the hunt, the finding, the daily E-Bay searching, with the instant text messages, the ties to his I-phone, I-Pad, Cell Phone, he even figured out how to have his E-Bay search drop a relay that is tied to his Alarm Clock!!!! This is the obsessed guy. And then as soon as he has it, he holds it, he looks at it, he admires it, he drools over it, he mumbles Mine Mine, under his breath, ......................................for about 15 seconds...............then its on to whats next?????????? Eventually this guy burns out, just from the anxiety of the Hunt....he drops out and never collects again. This is the same guy who in life will have 3, 4, 5 Wives, lots of Girlfriends, ect. because in this, relationships, its the same, the Thrill of the Hunt is it!!! Once they've bagged the Trophy, its over !!!
Type # 1D This guy lives for Sports, likes collecting, but really deep down, not too much, just likes it because its an aspect of Sports. He has his boys playing Sports, because he never was very good, or had a bad injury, or just wasn't in that place in life at that time. He is generally somewhat successful. He will come and go in and out of the hobby most of his adult life. With long periods of nothing to do with it.
Their are a lot of types of Sports Card Collectors, but I think I've touched on some of the more common varieties, and as with anything (But Not So Much with Comic Book Collectors), there of course is oodles of diversity!
Rare and 1st Edition Book Collectors:
First off, you have to have travelled in their world to believe some of this stuff....But trust me I've been there! And there actually not too many categories of collectors who have this level of passion and pursuit that some of these guys do:
Type #1 This is the collector who has at some point in life determined that his worth WILL be judged by his possessions, ie: And this is a trait that runs rampant through this small niche collectors cadre. These are the collectors who have been to an Ivy league school, who flaunt it and Truly Believe that makes them better than the rest of us. They want to own something that Nobody Else has, and are willing to spend money on it. So that it can sit in their Library/Study in a Glass case for none to admire! This is not an exageration, been there, seen it! They are ususlly very well off, tenured, are in their late 50's-early 60's, and are still whispering stories of the 6 months of bliss and the conquest of their 24 year old Grad Student affair they had 15-20 years ago when they were in their 40's with the sly wink and nudge of the Elbow!!! These collectors are about 40-50% somehow connected to academia, as Alumni, Professors, Administration, or wannabbe's with money. I was at an auction where a One of a kind 1st Print Book with Dust Jacket, Mint Condition broght 10 times what any Mickey Mantle card would ever bring!
Type # 2 The other 50-60% are regular folks who also appreciate the Finest collectibles, the One of maybe 100 item, that can barely be reached monitarily. We collect the leavings at the table of the top tiered (By Money, not any other real designation). Over the last 20-25 years I have been fortunate to find several items that I managed to sell to them and a couple that are in my own collection which they will never get their hands on!!!
Enough for tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thoughts?
YeeHah
Neil
Anatomy of a Collector:
From a piece I wrote a few years back, excerpted here by me the Author:
Having lived in numerous collecting worlds, I have over time come to some general categories that I like to put collectors in. Being involved for years in Comic Books, Non Sports and Sports Cards, 1st Edition Sci-Fi and Rare Hardback and Paperback books, I believe I have had some valid experiences: Of course everything is meant with a little dose of Humor, so if you recognize yourself in one of these descriptions..........................Oh Well !!!
So without further ado................................
Comic Book Collectors: Every Stereotype that you have heard is 100% For Real, I MEAN For Real, just attend the San Diego-ComicCon, Just Once, that's all it will take and I've been three times and to dozens of other major Comic Book Conventions/Trade shows !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I will be using the Male Gender to refer to the Collectors in this category...Cause lets face it, a Girl collecting Comic Books, Geeks have been having this Fantasy for Generations!!!)
Type #1: This is the Geek who has been reading Comic Books since he was 8, the more his Beer drinking factory working father dissed his hobby the more obsessed he became and collected to piss off his father. He usually is in his late 20's to early 30's, dresses like he is never going to be with a woman...........Cause face it..................He Ain't !! This is not your Clean Cut slightly nerdy portrayl on Big Bang Theory or Comic Book Men. These guys are gross and you don't even want them touching your stuff when your selling it to them. They stink, their disgusting and they have more cash and money tied up in Valuable Comics than you could shake a stick at !! They are mostly sad men who over their lifetime hoard 100's of thousands of dollars of Golden Age and Silver Age comics. And since this is the current generation and they don't as a Rule have kids...I mean seriously here, they Don't !!!!!, nobody knows what happens to their stuff !!!
Type #2: This is the guy who read Comics as a kid, was never obsessed, actually graduated from College and now Since the age old story "My Mom threw out my Comic Books", is now spending some coin to try and recpature some of their youth. They are somewhat successful; and occasionally have hooked up with a Woman. They have some tendency's towards Geekdom that peek through their facade and usually end up Divorced and out of the Hobby because of the Child Support!
Type #3: This guy was the smart guy about Comics, he held onto his stuff, boxed it up, sat down with Mom and explained..."You Are Not to Throw out those Boxes while I'm away!". Sometime in his late 20's to early 30's he meets the Right Girl who carefully explains in several different ways, but the Gist of it is "Either the Comic Books Go or I do!" We all know what happens to the Comic Books. He carts them to one of the local shows and several Dealers compete to give him a dime on the Dollar for his stuff! Later when he is in his 40's and has Divorced Ms Right, he comes back to recapture his Collection, he is a savvy collector and Buyer and can be one of your best customers!
Type #4 This Guy is the Collectors Collector, usually successful in another business or even in some form of Collectible. He will be your most difficult advesary, your competition, but at the same time you form bonds with these guys and they are your peers. They have successful relationships, they are Nice, they Brush their teeth, they Don't smell. They can carry on a conversation that doesn't include Spiderman or Batman or Iron man or the latest price of Action #14, or who just got a CCG 9.2 on a Amazing Fantasy #14.............................And that guy is 1 in 100 if your lucky!!!!! And sometimes a whole weekend will pass at your tables and never meet one!!!!!
Sports Card and Non Sports Card Guys: (Remember that the Sport Card Guys are collecting pieces of Cardboard with pictures of Men on them
Non Sports Card guys collect pictures of Events or happenings, or at least famous persons in History....So draw your own conclusions)Type #1 This is the guy who collected Cards as kid and was encouraged or at least not dismissed by his Father. He has continued this pursuit as he has gone on to some form of a successful adult life. He has a Wife or Girlfriend, kids, is attempting to pass on his passions to his kids. There is nothing wrong with this type............................Except when it becomes an obsession....and it very often does. This type shares a common thread within most of the card collecting genre. Within that genre it manifests itself in many different ways: Here are Some:
Type #1A This is the guy who played a little sports growing up, found a love for a certain sport and then at some point in time went over the edge for some particular player in that sport. This can be an innocent admiration to out and out Man Love such as an irrational need to own 23,478 Emmitt Smith cards or start buying game used ..........Well you know, of that certain player (Jock Strap Swatch cards)
Usually can be found around the front driveway on warm summer nights, beer in hand, debating the Careers of their obsession with a couple neighbors!!Type #1B This is the guy who has had his contact info sent to Hoarders by his Wife or Significant Other, numerous times. He doesnt just have a Man cave he has a Man Garage, Man Basement and when the Wife explains that the spare bedroom Will be used for the New Twins, not the Current Detroit Tiger Penant Display room, goes into a deep depression for weeks. Later in life most of his treasure will reside (What's left, most went in the Divorce), in a storage space, while he resides in a One bedroom apartment.
Type #1C This is the guy who is the Collector, but not really the collector, cause for this guy its not about the Having, its about the Getting. The mission, the hunt, the finding, the daily E-Bay searching, with the instant text messages, the ties to his I-phone, I-Pad, Cell Phone, he even figured out how to have his E-Bay search drop a relay that is tied to his Alarm Clock!!!! This is the obsessed guy. And then as soon as he has it, he holds it, he looks at it, he admires it, he drools over it, he mumbles Mine Mine, under his breath, ......................................for about 15 seconds...............then its on to whats next?????????? Eventually this guy burns out, just from the anxiety of the Hunt....he drops out and never collects again. This is the same guy who in life will have 3, 4, 5 Wives, lots of Girlfriends, ect. because in this, relationships, its the same, the Thrill of the Hunt is it!!! Once they've bagged the Trophy, its over !!!
Type # 1D This guy lives for Sports, likes collecting, but really deep down, not too much, just likes it because its an aspect of Sports. He has his boys playing Sports, because he never was very good, or had a bad injury, or just wasn't in that place in life at that time. He is generally somewhat successful. He will come and go in and out of the hobby most of his adult life. With long periods of nothing to do with it.
Their are a lot of types of Sports Card Collectors, but I think I've touched on some of the more common varieties, and as with anything (But Not So Much with Comic Book Collectors), there of course is oodles of diversity!
Rare and 1st Edition Book Collectors:
First off, you have to have travelled in their world to believe some of this stuff....But trust me I've been there! And there actually not too many categories of collectors who have this level of passion and pursuit that some of these guys do:
Type #1 This is the collector who has at some point in life determined that his worth WILL be judged by his possessions, ie: And this is a trait that runs rampant through this small niche collectors cadre. These are the collectors who have been to an Ivy league school, who flaunt it and Truly Believe that makes them better than the rest of us. They want to own something that Nobody Else has, and are willing to spend money on it. So that it can sit in their Library/Study in a Glass case for none to admire! This is not an exageration, been there, seen it! They are ususlly very well off, tenured, are in their late 50's-early 60's, and are still whispering stories of the 6 months of bliss and the conquest of their 24 year old Grad Student affair they had 15-20 years ago when they were in their 40's with the sly wink and nudge of the Elbow!!! These collectors are about 40-50% somehow connected to academia, as Alumni, Professors, Administration, or wannabbe's with money. I was at an auction where a One of a kind 1st Print Book with Dust Jacket, Mint Condition broght 10 times what any Mickey Mantle card would ever bring!
Type # 2 The other 50-60% are regular folks who also appreciate the Finest collectibles, the One of maybe 100 item, that can barely be reached monitarily. We collect the leavings at the table of the top tiered (By Money, not any other real designation). Over the last 20-25 years I have been fortunate to find several items that I managed to sell to them and a couple that are in my own collection which they will never get their hands on!!!
Enough for tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thoughts?
YeeHah
Neil
Actually Collect Non Sport, but am just so full of myself I post all over the place !!!!!!!
0
Comments
<< <i>References please. >>
Crud....We gotta do this again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YeeHah!
Neil
<< <i>I'll be back to read this when I have the time. >>
I understand there are some multi-sylable words here, sorry to make it so complicated for you................when your interpreter comes by, I'll be more than willing to lend a hand!
Neil