Do people think you're crazy for collecting?

[Sotystl]

Re: Do people think you're crazy for collecting?

Im lucky to have a wife that loves the stuff i collect. It was HER idea for me to have a room (which is in progress).

Havent got too much "your crazy", then again most dont know what ive paid for some of my stuff haha.

[godwulf]

Re: Do people think you're crazy for collecting?

I believe there are really two questions being posed here: Do non-GU collectors think you're crazy for collecting, period...and do other GU collectors think you're crazy for wasting your time collecting stuff they don't think is worth the effort.

I'd have to say that I've gotten negative feedback from both groups.

My own collection of 1200+ bats ranges from, at the objective monetary value high end, a gamer cracked by a future Hall-of-Famer in a World Series game, to, at the other end, some bats given to me by independent league players who will never spend a day in affiliated Baseball. If I had to rank my bats as to how much I actually like or value them, the WS bat probably wouldn't make the top hundred...'cause lots of others have good memories attached to them, or were used by players I happen to like a heck of a lot more.

I also routinely shell out 10-20 bucks on bats used by players in the low minors, and I've had other collectors suggest that I was wasting my time and money doing so. If anything, some of my fellow collectors seem to think less of my collecting that stuff than people who don't collect GU at all, which is kind of odd.

Last year, at an independent league game, there was some old guy (I know...look who's talking) at the gate, asking the folks taking tickets if the games were "worth watching". He was griping about the cost of the ticket (five bucks). And when I happened to mention to him that I was collecting foul and home run balls from these games, getting them signed and displaying them, he looked at me like I was some kind of idiot. "They're never going to be worth anything!" he said. "Yeah", I said, "but they don't cost a dime and I enjoy it." Needless to add, I didn't convert him to my way of thinking, and he went on his way. His loss.

[mbrieve]

Re: Do people think you're crazy for collecting?

Collect what you love and love what you collect. Let's face it, the vast majority of collectors have at least some limitation on what they can spend on their collection. Just like anything in life, you have to pick and choose what you can and cannot have. My bank account doesn't currently provide me with the ability to collect the current all star players from my favorite team, but my patients has paid off by collecting some of the former all star players from my favorite team once the prices come back to earth.

Additionally, I may have no interest personally in what others collect, but I can appreciate the meaning to them. My one bit of advise to most collectors starting out would be to by quality over quantity. Again, I know that collecting style isn't for everybody, but as I get older I realize there is a finite amount of space to display my collection. Therefore, I have had to liquidate things that would otherwise never be displayed and I have in turn reinvested that money into better pieces.

Just my .02

[UTeric3232]

Re: Do people think you're crazy for collecting?

People get really creeped out by my mannequins....lol

[xpress34]

Re: Do people think you're crazy for collecting?

People get really creeped out by my mannequins....lol

My wife doesn't want to go in the basement if I'm not home because of my Mannequins!

[jmeekins33]

Re: Do people think you're crazy for collecting?

My wife thinks I'm a little crazy. She's very supportive but I don't think she fully understands why I'm so into it. It's a hobby. You have to have something in life even if it doesn't make sense to anyone but you.

I can't stand negative comments from people. There in no reason for them to crap on something you care about. Maybe they are just unhappy people.

[3arod13]

Re: Do people think you're crazy for collecting?

My wife thinks I'm a little crazy. She's very supportive but I don't think she fully understands why I'm so into it. It's a hobby. You have to have something in life even if it doesn't make sense to anyone but you.

I can't stand negative comments from people. There in no reason for them to crap on something you care about. Maybe they are just unhappy people.

People collect different things. Unless you are a collector, I don't think you can fully understand it. I saw on TV this morning, someone wanted to buy a Andy Warhol Soup Can Dress for $3,500. Even as a collector myself, I think they're crazy.