The thin line between hoarding and collecting

[frikativ54]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

Hey, I only used the bathroom for storage for a couple of days, during a reorganization I was doing awhile back.



And, as you can see, I posted a guard to watch out for termites.

LOL! I love it. We have two guards, who would chew on my memorabilia if they could.

[mook03005]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

I was probably a level 2 hoarder at my worst, albeit all my appliances still worked, and I still could navigate around the house, but after getting married I had to put everything aside …as for the collecting/hoarding analogy there is no real difference. One has an organized mess, the other has a disorganized mess. And yes I still have alot of baseball cards wrappers from 1988 fleer

[jppopma]

Re: The thin line between hoarding and collecting

The difference is all in the eye of the beholder. While I consider myself a collector, my wife would totally put me in the category of a hoarder.

[godwulf]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

If you still have a functioning kitchen and bathroom...

Hey, I only used the bathroom for storage for a couple of days, during a reorganization I was doing awhile back.



And, as you can see, I posted a guard to watch out for termites.

[bigtime59]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

If you still have a functioning kitchen and bathroom and you don't have to navigate over and between piles of stuff to get from point a to point b in your residence, you're a collector.
If not...

[yankees506]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

The way i feel is simple: what's the point of collecting? to collect right? so what if i have 1 or 100, if the item is one that i think would be cool to own it really shouldnt matter how many i have? Its the same as telling someone they shouldnt buy any more bats period because they have "too many". I dont get the whole "leave some for me" this isnt the last slice of a pizza pie, its a hobby.

[mad87man]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

I think the difference is people who collect, collect for fun and their love of something. I think Hoarding is people who collect stuff b/c of an obsession or memory of something. They will keep a tissue b/c it reminds them when they fell 5 years ago and cut their knee for example. That is the difference ot me anyway.

[bdeol4]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

To me, if I cannot display it and have to put it in storage or in a box, I don't want it. I hate clutter and have mountains of stuff makes it looks like a joke. All i get is game used. I don't buy retail memorabilia. To me game used is the only way to go, everything else is junk. But I know many sports fans & collectors view it the other way around.

The best thing to do i pre-set parameters and stick to those no matter what. Every month, I can say i find items that are out of my collection scope. All I have toa sk myself is , "Wow, this Bengals jersey would look awful next to the $6,000 in buccaneers game used items I have." It doesn't make sense to have items out of the main concept of your collection. Stick to what your scope is, make a "dream" want list, then a realistic want list and actually plan on where and how you would display it.

I always am amazed how people jsut want to collect "game used jerseys" from any team or league or year. Then you are filling the never ending bottomless pit of hoarding and you will never be satisfied.

Agreed!

[camarokids]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

I think a hoarder would apply more to someone who collects (hoards) precious metals in bullion form. They don't really collect, but are saving them for their value and or investment. Even then if you have 10,000 ounces of gold or 10,000 silver dollars you may save them cause you enjoy collecting them.

I have ten bats of a players and like 5 or 6 pf many others. I think it is cool to have many bats of a player. It helps to show their use traits or like some players, their different use traits. Like Canseco, some bats have tape, some don't. Some have his written on the ends some don't.......

[Danny899]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

Oh yeah, I'm a hoarder!! I always go after just about any Henderson jersey I can find!! But it is quite fun though!

Dan

[xpress34]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

Yes - I have known of people who hoard stuff of players I collect. To give you an example, there was this guy on eBay several years back who would hoard Bagwell items, especially cards. Every time I got a high bid, he would summarily outbid me. He needed several duplicates of every card, even if they were rare inserts. The only hope of winning stuff was through BIN/BO auctions where I could make an outright higher offer. The interesting thing is that while he is still on eBay today, he doesn't bid nearly as much on Bagwell stuff. The hobby has probably gotten tiresome for him. Would it have hurt him to let those duplicate inserts go? Did he need to make it very difficult for me to collect what I love? At a certain point, I had to lose out just because of some psychological need within him that caused him to buy everything he saw.

Les -

Just curious. Did you ever have contact with this person? Do you know for a fact that they went out of their way just to keep YOU from getting an item? (When you say that 'he' would 'summarily outbid' you, it's sounds like you believe it was personal)

Maybe they were collecting for other people as well - their kids for example. I have a friend here who has three boys and when it comes to cards - even inserts and parallels - he buys 4. I for his collection and one for each of the boys.

Unless there was some type of contact (eMail, phone, etc) between you and this person, you don't know their story anymore than they know yours.

Just a different perspective on your example.

- Smitty

[godwulf]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

The only time would be perhaps if their house resembled that of those profiled on the show "Hoarders: Buried Alive" and replace the "stuff" with game used items. When you have so much you have to walk on top of it to get around, then yeah you're a hoarder.

When I hear the term "hoarder", this is what I think of, as well (maybe because I regularly watch that show). Also, what cliff mentioned - about spending so much on GU that you can't pay your utility bill. Some "quality of life" issue that has been created by the sheer mass of what you've accumulated, in other words.

I think it's plain that frik is using the term "hoarder" in an entirely different sense, however; it doesn't seem to matter to her (and, Les, please correct me if I'm wrong) whether the collector/hoarder in question is stumbling over piles of bats and eating dogfood, or living in a mansion with everything neatly displayed in a room the size of Vermont. She's using the word in a very negative, judgmental sense, to describe somebody whom she feels has more of something than he or she "needs".

[frikativ54]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

If you don't mind me asking, has this happened to you? Is there some collector hoarding Bagwell stuff? You just seem to have a very personal response and I am wondering of it is coming from personal experience and if so, I understand exactly why you feel this way. You don't have to answer, just wondering.

Yes - I have known of people who hoard stuff of players I collect. To give you an example, there was this guy on eBay several years back who would hoard Bagwell items, especially cards. Every time I got a high bid, he would summarily outbid me. He needed several duplicates of every card, even if they were rare inserts. The only hope of winning stuff was through BIN/BO auctions where I could make an outright higher offer. The interesting thing is that while he is still on eBay today, he doesn't bid nearly as much on Bagwell stuff. The hobby has probably gotten tiresome for him. Would it have hurt him to let those duplicate inserts go? Did he need to make it very difficult for me to collect what I love? At a certain point, I had to lose out just because of some psychological need within him that caused him to buy everything he saw.

[eGameUsed]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

Not really sure what the point of this thread is or what relevance it has on game used memorabiliai. Sounds like it is intended to start an argument and cause problems.

People can and should do (collect) what they want, for any reason, without being questioned. Everyone has a special reason why they collect a certain team or player, and that is OK. Whether it be an experience, potential investment, or just something that peaks your interest.

Part of this forum is sharing those passions and showing off what we each collect and obtain. I have acquired countless items from other forum members that see that I collect a certain player or team and offer those items that might not fit in their collection. This is what collecting is all about.

This "equal distribution and everyone gets a fair share" mentality sounds very political. Not the point of this board.

My 2 Cents.

[Texstros]

Re: Difference between hoarding & collecting

I think its a stretch to call someone who buys of 10 of any one thing a "hoarder". I was buying Chris Johnson Astros bats long before anyone else even noticed them sitting at the kiosk at minute maid park. Once he became "Hot" everyone started to get frisky & started buying them. By then I was getting phone calls from people to who wanted to sell me his bats & now that hes not so hot im still getting phone calls. I think of the bats like shoes, everyone of them is a little different & each has its own character.
Now my wife thinks of it as hoarding but she does not understand, LOL