The thin line between hoarding and collecting

[godwulf]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

since i have been in japan for the past 3 years, both times i've visited home i've felt the need to inventory my stuff. i'd forget that i had certain items too. ive got a lot of boxes of stuff that i would never have bought if i could go back in time. lots of money would have been saved right there. i feel like i wont be able to re-sale those items because there is no demand for the stupid crap ive got. ive pretty much got to either store it away and forget about it or shamfully display it and make the most of a bad decision.

I know exactly what you mean. I spent the first seven or eight years of the DBacks' history buying anything and everything with the name or logo on it, and now I've got these huge plastic storage bins taking up half a walk-in closet. I could probably lose those things today, and not be able to tell you a single thing that was in any of them tomorrow.

How is the Baseball collecting in Japan, by the way? I've read 'You Gotta Have Wa' and some other things on the sport as played there, and I know that the fans there are pretty devoted, to say the least - I'd imagine that game-used stuff is fabulously rare and expensive. It's probably just another aspect of the collecting/hoarding malady being discussed here, but I've often thought that it would be cool to travel around to the various stadiums and collect, maybe, a pennant and one of those stuffed mascots from each team, something like that, and make a display. (Yeah, or fill another box in the closet. )

[murfsteve25]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

...if moving your stuff, worrying about your stuff, trying to keep track of your stuff, is detracting from your quality and enjoyment of life, then it's a problem.

since i have been in japan for the past 3 years, both times i've visited home i've felt the need to inventory my stuff. i'd forget that i had certain items too. ive got a lot of boxes of stuff that i would never have bought if i could go back in time. lots of money would have been saved right there. i feel like i wont be able to re-sale those items because there is no demand for the stupid crap ive got. ive pretty much got to either store it away and forget about it or shamfully display it and make the most of a bad decision.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

Not sure if that makes me hoarder but for some reason I just can't throw the stuff out yet. Some of it has sentimental value in the sense that it represents a fun time in my childhood when I really began to love sports.

Childhood memories are a bitch.

The quick fix cure if you think you're becoming a hoarder is a storage unit!

That's another show.

As with most other addictive behaviors, I believe that one major criterion to consider, before labeling what you do "hoarding", is whether or not it creates problems for you or others. If your living space is severely limited by the presence of your stuff, or if you routinely can't find the things you need because they're buried under your stuff...if moving your stuff, worrying about your stuff, trying to keep track of your stuff, is detracting from your quality and enjoyment of life, then it's a problem. On the other hand, if it's all securely tucked away in a storage room or basement, and not in anyone's way, okay, technically it may be hoarding, but who is it hurting?

Totally agree. If you have the space and keep everything sealed in those rubbermaid containers, you're just a passionate collector. If you have roaches, rats or dead cats under those wax packs, then...

[yankees506]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

I started to feel i was hoarding a while back, i mean i looked at some of the things i had purchased and just shook my head. I got that feeling so i thought the only way to make it right was to sell. I trimed down somewhat and now i focus on items that fit in the majority of my collection (yankee stars of the past 10 or so years). It is a very thin line, i think having multiples of one item is a serious sign of hoarding, but in this case its do as i say, not as i do

[godwulf]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

As with most other addictive behaviors, I believe that one major criterion to consider, before labeling what you do "hoarding", is whether or not it creates problems for you or others. If your living space is severely limited by the presence of your stuff, or if you routinely can't find the things you need because they're buried under your stuff...if moving your stuff, worrying about your stuff, trying to keep track of your stuff, is detracting from your quality and enjoyment of life, then it's a problem. On the other hand, if it's all securely tucked away in a storage room or basement, and not in anyone's way, okay, technically it may be hoarding, but who is it hurting?

[jake33]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

The easiest way to prevent against this is set parameters and stick to them. I only collect rays or buccaneers game used items. To me anything that is retail is junk with manufactured scarcity.

I would never get an autographed authentic jersey or a autogrpahed mini helmet. The only retail sports items I own are a high end sweatshirt, 59/50 on-field cap, and MAYBE a high end T-shirt ($40 range), and 10 2008 world series baseballs that I get signed in person myself by rays players.

I will not collect any other teams or a player I liked from my team. For example, I like Eric Hinske but items of his from the Yankees, red sox, jays, do not fit my collection etc.... something like that opens the can of worms and you will be filling the never ending hole of consumerism.

I always tell myself, what I really want is always around the corner, so it is better to hold off. Plus how would a collection of all rays game used items and a random yankees batting helmet fit in my collect?

I say always stick to a player or team for collecting. Stay narrowed and specific you will be happier in the long run. I budget every year for the rays throwback game used auction and figure out who will be on the roster that I would want, that keeps the waiting better too.

[Dewey2007]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

Warren, I agree with you on how it's easy to have hoarding tendencies as a collector. I have lots of GS Warriors game programs, SI's, Sporting News magazines and sports books from when I was a kid. Held onto pretty much everything. Not sure if that makes me hoarder but for some reason I just can't throw the stuff out yet. Some of it has sentimental value in the sense that it represents a fun time in my childhood when I really began to love sports but other then that if I could sell it I would. Now one reason I justify holding onto it because it's good for future research and photomatch possibilites!!

The quick fix cure if you think you're becoming a hoarder is a storage unit!

It's easy to have hoarding tendencies, when you are a collector. If there is no sentimental value or no monetary value; then you might be a hoarder. Newspapers and magazines are the worst. Just because I saved some worthless crap 25 years ago, doesn't equate to "sentimental value". I used to have a hoarding problem with Super 8 and 8mm film cameras. I have saved some of the top-of-the-line models, but many are basically worthless. You can't even buy Super 8 film in Hollywood.

[frikativ54]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

This is a great topic. I used to be a hoarder. I'd hold onto unopen packs of cards thinking one day they might be worth something

I know the feeling. Sorting through the possessions in my room, I've come to realize that I saved so much just thinking that it would be valuable some day. In reality, some of those stadium giveaways aren't worth the space they take up. And just to think, I used to imagine how much dinero I would cash in on those items in the future. Boy, was I wrong!

I've been a lot more smart this year (which happened to be my new year's resolution) and I only bought stuff that I really wanted. Justice jersey's and Dragons items.

That's cool that you are able to limit yourself. For me, finances are what limit my spending the most. If I had tons of cash, I would probably collect more players. But I have to limit myself, because finances are always tight.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

This is a great topic. I used to be a hoarder. I'd hold onto unopen packs of cards thinking one day they might be worth something. I've spent so much money on dozens of MLB balls to go get signed. A lot of these balls are signed by a bunch of nobody's, so there pretty much worthless. I've got a bunch of stupid crap like street signs that have the sports theme, McFarlanes, game programs, little replica stadiums, posters, and game used SOCKS.

I've been a lot more smart this year (which happened to be my new year's resolution) and I only bought stuff that I really wanted. Justice jersey's and Dragons items.

It's easy to have hoarding tendencies, when you are a collector. If there is no sentimental value or no monetary value; then you might be a hoarder. Newspapers and magazines are the worst. Just because I saved some worthless crap 25 years ago, doesn't equate to "sentimental value". I used to have a hoarding problem with Super 8 and 8mm film cameras. I have saved some of the top-of-the-line models, but many are basically worthless. You can't even buy Super 8 film in Hollywood.

[murfsteve25]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

This is a great topic. I used to be a hoarder. I'd hold onto unopen packs of cards thinking one day they might be worth something. I've spent so much money on dozens of MLB balls to go get signed. A lot of these balls are signed by a bunch of nobody's, so there pretty much worthless. I've got a bunch of stupid crap like street signs that have the sports theme, McFarlanes, game programs, little replica stadiums, posters, and game used SOCKS.

I've been a lot more smart this year (which happened to be my new year's resolution) and I only bought stuff that I really wanted. Justice jersey's and Dragons items.

[godwulf]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

I've actually read quite a bit about the Collyer brothers. I also bought the recent E. L. Doctorow novel, 'Homer and Langley', based on their story, but haven't had time to read it, yet. I've heard that, to this day, some police departments use "Collyer house" as radio code for an extreme hoarding situation.

Fun to think of inheriting that kind of problem, if there really were a lot of valuable sports-related items tucked away amid the debris. Unfortunately, from watching shows like 'Hoarders' and 'Hoarding: Buried Alive', we learn that most real life hoarders are much more apt to have accumulated twenty or thirty years of empty soda cans, liquor bottles, styrofoam meat trays and newspapers.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

Is it just me, or does that picture look photo-shopped?

Very photo-shopped. It's a Corbis photo of the Collyer Brother's apartment. Fascinating story. When you finish reading about these dudes, you'll be motivated to vacuum something.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collyer_brothers

[godwulf]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

Is it just me, or does that picture look photo-shopped?

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

[godwulf]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

Do you ever look through your sports page collection? Or do you just keep them in a box as storage?

I sometimes think it would be nice to go back and read about a particularly memorable game, but - to be honest - I never have. Right now, half the boxes are in a closet, under other stuff, and the others are under a desk, hidden behind a couple of dozen bats and other stuff, so they're not what you'd call accessable.