While I don't have very many shows I watch on a regular basis, one regular on my television viewing docket is American Pickers on the History Channel.
The show has Mike and Frank traveling around the country to scavenge through people's junk piles to score valuable finds. With all of the places these guys go to, I'm consistently surprised by how much stuff/junk that people collect/hoard. One guy on last week's episode related that once he quit smoking cigarettes and drinking, he had all kinds of extra money to play with, so he began buying stuff he liked. From a snarky perspective based on what the guy had acquired over the years though, the dude might have been better off drinking.
What the fellas on the show are looking for, of course, are all manner of antiques, and in particular they tend to be smitten by interesting signs, vintage motorcycles, oil cans, old toys, and on and on and on. All that stuff apparently sells really well.
What I consider from time to time when watching the pickers do their thing is that I don't collect anything. I used to. I had comic books and baseball cards, but I sold those when I was hard up for money years ago. The fact I used to have the issue of The Amazing Spider-Man when Green Goblin gets defeated for the first time (pictured above) smites a little bit.
I guess I have some hickory stick golf clubs down in the basement, but they aren't all that valuable. And I haven't played golf in years. It's used to consume my life--practicing every day, competing in tournaments, playing for the varsity team in high school, dreams of a pro career--but I now tend to agree with Twain that the game is pretty much a "good walk spoiled." And, hell, some golf courses seem to make disincentives for people to walk the course anymore, which is ridiculous.
But with collecting stuff, I have little passion for encasing comic books in mylar or hanging up old golf clubs even though both can be kind of neat if you have the right items. I have lots of books, but that's maybe that's more of an occupational hazard with my profession. It's not like I'm collecting rare books or first editions.
I guess I don't have the passion for collecting although I'm entertained and interested in what people collect.
6 comments:
My version of your collection-less state of being is that I don't have any hobbies myself, but I am genuinely interested in other people's hobbies. I guess I just like people who are interested in things, whether they have eclectic interests or a laser-like focus.
Speaking of which, would it be fair to say that you collect music?
Yeh, I thought about the music angle, but with downloading I don't have anything physical to show for my collection. A person could troll through my iTunes, so I guess that is the closest thing I have to a collection.
"I don't have anything physical to show for my collection." This is an interesting development. People often display their collections, for their own enjoyment and/or to share with others. Yours is truly "a private collection." This thing you collect was never visual or concrete to begin with, but lots of people display what are, essentially, containers (books, CDs, DVDs).
I just can't sign on to the idea that a good action figure or comic is best left in the box...don't think I ever will.
I'm with Josh . That's investing, not collecting. I can't imagine collecting anything I didn't want to use. I like useful things to be beautiful or fun, and visa versa.
Upon further reflection, I stlll wish I had my original Star Wars action figures--Chewbacca, Han Solo, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Greedo, Hammerhead, et al.--along with the Death Star Station, Landspeeder, and Ice Planet (Hoth, I believe) scene because I would get to play with them again with my kids.
The whole idea of keeping stuff in the box is silly to me too. There's no point in buying it if you're not gonna play.
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