Unhappy Wives

[skyking26]

I have a good thread going right now regarding the price of skyrocketing autographs, and it is getting nice response. Here is another topic:

UNHAPPY WIVES

We have all had them. Question is, how do we deal with them and our hobby. My wife has never been a problem with the few hundred dollar purchase here and there. Bat shaped boxes arriving on the door step always draws attention and irritation. A sure fire way to get a bad mood going. As some collector friends of mine know, in the past I have adopted a system to deceive that, while I am not proud of it, saves me from my wife's wrath. That system being using a bank check to pay for bats, jerseys, etc., and even going as far as sending the items to our business to disguise the transaction. Well, Bob just got caught. I did a 4 digit transaction on a Thome jersey a month ago and withdrew the amount from the account into a bank check. The idiots wrote it up that way on our bank statement!! I arrived home from jogging Friday night to a very angry and shaking wife who thought the bank had made a mistake. I had to fess up to several hours of not so fun argument. I could only say that I was not decieving as I would not be dumb enough to do this and have it appear on the statement and the seller did not know me and requested a bank check and yada yada yada...

Question here, what do you guys do. What stories are there? This was my first time at getting caught!!!

[godwulf]

It's tough to keep those bat-shaped boxes from the door, isn't it? Even if it weren't, it's hard keeping your hobby on the QT when you've got nearly 700 bats and over a hundred jerseys in the house.

Encourage your wife to develop an expensive hobby. Mine has recently gotten herself and our two teenagers involved in scuba diving, and they do things like drive down to Mexico with other members of their club in order to go diving. Next year, I think they're going to Bermuda. It's really tough for her to object to my acquisitions, and the attendant expense, when she's doing stuff like that.

If your collection is extensive enough to warrant it, have it professionally appraised, and add a special rider to your insurance policy covering it. This will not only create the illusion that you're being financially responsible it will further make it appear that you're collecting "as an investment". Chicks dig that.

[skyking26]

She has already complained about the insurance not being present - and I need to take care of it. Anyone with suggestions on where to start would be appreciated. I have State Farm...

[harpt]

Luckily, my wife understands the idea that--with most of the stuff I buy--if we were ever in a pinch I could sell it for (at least) what I payed. It;s not like we're spending that money on hot dogs that are gone once consumed. She has been pretty good about it, though I must admit, my collection would be MUCH bigger if I were single.

My wife--similar to an example above--sometimes LIKES when I buy something, because it gives her a sort of "permission" to then spend that same amount on something she wants (fancy handbages or shoes). As long as we are not having difficulty paying the mortgage, or contributing to kid's college funds, etc...she is pretty good.

[godwulf]

She has already complained about the insurance not being present - and I need to take care of it. Anyone with suggestions on where to start would be appreciated. I have State Farm...

I'll confess that I haven't actually done the insurance thing, myself...though she does mention it every so often, and I keep assuring her that I will. We have State Farm for the house and vehicles, too, so I'm sure I'll be going through them when I finally get around to doing it.

[jonincleve]

state farm has a personal articles policy. you just list what you have. what you payed and what you believe it is worth within reason. $1.00 per year for every $1,000 worth of coverage. higher the deductible the lower the rate. so $60,000 insured without a deductible would be $600 a year.
baseball cards are easy do to price guides. game used is harder. example i paid a couple hundred for a 1993 jim thome jersey back in 1996/7. what is it worth? i have it insured for around $2000.00. the reason is his early jerseys sold at auction have gone in the $1200-1500 range when they come up. mine is a 1993 and i have seen 1 or 2 earlier.
how does anybody else value their game worn stuff?

thank you
john

jonincleve@sbcglobal.net

[kylehess10]

I have the same problem with my girlfriend. She keeps telling me to sell everything so I'll become "rich" and sometimes I'll purposly tell her things to make her mad just to get a laugh out of it. I told that I have a helmet worth $1500 that I've had many people interested in, but I refuse to sell, and she just looks at me like I'm crazy. But I came up with a solution........JUST DON'T TELL! She thinks the last thing I bought was a few months ago but what she doesn't know is that I've been going on a little shopping spree this week, buying 4 bats and 1 armband so far, and there are some pants and a hat on eBay which I plan on getting later in the week. shhhhhhhhhh don't tell

[godwulf]

$1.00 per year for every $1,000 worth of coverage. higher the deductible the lower the rate. so $60,000 insured without a deductible would be $600 a year.

So, are you saying that without a deductible, it's actually $10 per thousand, per year?

[Yankwood]

This is how I deal with my wife when she is naughty.

[3arod13]

This is how I deal with my wife when she is naughty.

Funny! I'm dying! Good one! Hey, that's my sister (lol)