An interesting overview. Do other people think collecting runs in families ? I know that Robert Opie said that his parents were collectors so when he saw that the design of a Sweet wrapper had changed, and he decided to start saving the old ones, it seemed a natural thing to do. A few decades later he had a Museum of Packaging and had written numerous books on the subject. http://www.museumofbrands.com/ My late Father was an avid collector of coins, then toys (both old and modern). I suspect one year he bought every single trainset in the Tomy Catalogue ! I have mentioned before how some of the discussions and articles on here about the exact details of a particular boombox or Walkman remind me of his research into toy manufacturers. He used to write articles for https://traincollectors.co.uk/ Other factors are Nostalgia and in many cases plummeting prices. Having paid over a weeks wages in 1978 fro a calculator I still can't resist buying them, when I see what would have been a prize possession for pennies at a car boot sale. Back in the 1970s a schoolfriend had a Commodore Calculator which so expensive that he wasn't allowed to take it to school, and I remember being invited to go and see it. I have joked about people picking up Ipads for the price of a coffee at car boots in the 2040s. The latest thing that seems to be accumulating here is Digital cameras. My first one, bought in 2002, cost me £400. In the last week I have picked up three more, all usable and better spec than my original for a total of £3 ! Of course the opposite can happen. Before I was on the internet I threw away a Commodore Computer which would now be worth £100s, although at the time I think I only paid a couple of £ for it; just like the Sinclair Spectrum I still have. I think the resurgence of Vinyl is not much to do with sound quality (although the poor quality of some MP3s probably helped), but more to do with actually having something physical (with an attractive cover) to show for the money you pay. The fact that Sony is releasing a Playstation 1 mini also shows there is a big market for nostalgia. It was interesting to read comments, with some people saying it was pointless and others saying "That is what my 30 year old son, who loved is PS1" is getting for Christmas. Finally the satisfaction of restoring something back to its former glory must be a factor. A colleague has two 1980s Motorbikes which he has restored to better than new condition. When I asked if he had owned that type of bike as a Teenager, he said "No, I would have loved to but couldn't afford them". He also likes to tell the story of how he tracked down and got a particular almost unobtainium part from Peru ! The only downside I can see is finding space to store things. I am now having to rent space in a storage unit in an effort to keep the house reasonably presentable.
For me it was stamps, coins, matchbooks, bottlecaps, beer cans, rocks, comic books, and Hot Wheels cars. I suspect my tendency to "see the trees instead of the forest" is one of the reasons behind it.
One of the items I have in storage is a Hot Wheels Train Set (similar to the one in the link and mint in box) my Father bought for his collection. https://www.ebay.com/p/Hot-Wheels-I...ess-Train-Set-Circa-2001-Collector/1810138025 He couldn't resist unusual sets like that. Proving that collecting doesn't have to be expensive here is a picture of a 25p calculator taken with a 50p Camera.
I think a lot of collections are born out of nostalgia, finally having the money and time to buy all those things we longed-for as a kid but never got or we did own and then it got broken or misplaced. That's certainly the case for myself with a high percentage of the things I collect, but also having an interest in the thing I'm collecting has made me want to find the unobtainuim so to speak. I've always been fascinated with most things electronic and I have a lot of passion for music, so hi-fi gear in general has always been on my interest lists, so walkman, cd players and boomboxes are all in my scope! Same with RC cars, I love cars so combining the two (electronics and cars/mechanical) was a no-brainer for me to 'get' in to. I also have a very inquisitive mind and I like to know how things work, so again, all of my hobbies reflect this. I am a member of a family that likes to collect though, my brother has amassed a huge collection of toys from the 80's, having somewhere in the region of 600+ Transformers amongst other stuff! My mum was an avid collector of Beanie Babies, but she also collects teddy bears and antiques, my dad says he doesn't collect much, but does have quite a few model cars!
I think I agree with you on that one. My mum collected china, but I can't remember anyone else in my family collecting anything. I personally don’t collect anything, if I get into anything I just go out and buy the best of that thing I can afford rather than buying loads of mediocre of that thing. Having a million substandard things is not my idea of fun, I’d rather just have 1 good unit. In my case with Hi-Fi as soon as I upgrade to better the old stuff goes. With personal stereos I kept a few due to parts availability. Again when I got better units the lower spec ones go, hence I don’t have Sony DD33’s anymore just working units of D6C, DC2 and DD9.
according to this video my right frontal cortex was damaged at age 7 or 8 I started collecting matchboxes at age 7 then changed the hobby to stamp collection ..then cassette tapes and later to banknotes. I have a huge collection of banknotes and stamps so i guess the damage on my frontal cortex was really massive .
knowing that I got this gene from my dad, I am trying to contain myself: after all, how many copies of DSOTM, Wish You Were Here, or Tubular Bells indicate that you are losing your marbles? Whoever put together those "luxury" Pink Floyd boxes had a sense of humor: a few marbles are included
No, you don't, and not a single Jethro Tull either... I lost count on how many readings of Schubert's "Unfinished" I have, but maybe collecting software is not really "collecting"? My collection of plastic model jets is more like keeping my Idle Hands busy, and I cannot "let them go" because who else needs them to take 'em off my hands, even for free With my Discmans collection, I still fool myself into thinking that one day I will write a review on different DACs, but who am I kidding!?! It is as relevant today as plastic toy jets... But my original idea is still with me!
Interesting video. To me collecting is a mix of preserving something for the future generations, joy of playing with them and investing in something.
There is a TV Programme "The Antiques Roadshow" in which people can take in their Antiques to find out more about them and to get valuations. The UK version has been running for 40 years and there are versions in the USA and Canada. At the Amateur Radio Club I belong to it was a recurring "joke" that in the future one of our members would be on it giving his expert opinion on pieces of 20th century electronics. Items like Apple 1 computers are already worth significantly more than your average Antique (see the Collectors Item section here) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_I
Audiogon has a real nifty option where you can put photos of your stereo linked to your username, at Tapeheads some folks list their possessions as the "signature" line. Unfortunately, not many users post their stereos, but it is very useful when discussing which format sounds the best. Wish we had such an option here: I want to see @TooCooL4 system! You have an awesome collection of LPs, some even for my fav recent tunes I thought available as digital-only! Is feeling envy yet another path to collecting? Investment is an obvious reason, but does not work for me. My case, I think, is lowly-clinical: envy and some damage to prefrontal cortex of being hit on the head one time too many!
Hi Jorge, I am sure you have seen my system before? My system is very modest, for me it’s all about the music and sound quality never about the kit. You can see my system here and here, check out the first post in both threads. I think only 2 things have changed since that picture was taken. I have changed the cartridge and added a mains power conditioner.
How funny, browsing through your collection of LPs I visualized exactly That system! Yes, we discussed its zip-tights some time ago, but without a direct link from username/avatar I was not sure. My music collection is more bombastic, so I use small two-way floorstanders at half the price of your modest monitors
