If you were to collect something..

I've always fancied collecting classic Nautor's Swan yachts, particularly the Sparkman & Stephen designs from the late 60's and 70's - well, the 36 and 65 would do really, rather than the whole set.

Unfortunately I don't quite have the funds at the moment.
 
My vintage guitar, bass and tube amp collection is being securely stored at the homes of two great friends. When I downsized to move into Madhattan they completely filled a minivan and I had to find other storage for the spillover. If you are a "real" collector space, storage, security, and liabilities like insurance rapidly become a major concern. I kinda hit the saturation point with musical gear.

To me collecting is linked to acquiring wealth that I will keep as treasure, meaning being a tangible object that can be thought as a "hard asset," although I only buy what I intend to keep with little regard to ever selling. Basically I only buy what I intend on keeping for a long-long time.

Currently with cameras I'm at the same saturation point. What I currently own I intend to keep, but know that I had a cull down where I traded cameras for vintage Bruce Davidson prints from the Welsh Miner series. Some art dealer hounded me for some of my cameras for his wife. Because of condition and rarity the cameras appreciated so in a way this unintended trade not only got rid of un-needed surplus gear it created a profit. Also know that I have begun collecting prints from photographers that are friends whose work I admire.

I like old stuff for rarity, but only if in remarkable condition for the added value. With any collectable this is very important. Also know that because of space/storage considerations eventually if you are a serious collector the small physical size and high dollar amount for fewer items that comprise your collection will evolve and diversify. Consider gold coins, watches and antique jewelry as models for high dollar value and small size.

Also know that safe deposit boxes are not safe.

Cal
 
I have quite a few interests, just not sure I can say I collect them. Due to budget limitations and not liking clutter, I will generally only have one or two items from these interests at any time. I will keep these until I would like to try something new at which point out with the old and in with the new. These interests include antique cameras, mechanical watches, and, to a lesser extent, fountain pens. Items usually get traded every 6 months to a year. This way I get to experience new things while not breaking the bank or having them collect dust.
 
You know the joke: Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish, and you get rid of him for the whole weekend.
 
Why the use of the subjunctive here?

Cameras almost by definition are a form of collecting.

C'mon people, 'fess up :)
 
I used to collect snapshots from garage sales. There are some weird and unexplainable images that people kept. Its fun to pare them down to a good dozen or so then rearrange them to tell someone's story. The chicken man and aerospace engineer are two of my favorite sets. I'll need to scan and upload them one day.
 
the older i get the less 'stuff' i want.
turning my entire cd collection into one ipod classic was a revelation for me.
my huge speaker set up into a boom box type player was another.

i live in a 3 bedroom condo but would love to live in one really big room...
 
xia_ke said:
I have quite a few interests, just not sure I can say I collect them. Due to budget limitations and not liking clutter, I will generally only have one or two items from these interests at any time. I will keep these until I would like to try something new at which point out with the old and in with the new. These interests include antique cameras, mechanical watches, and, to a lesser extent, fountain pens. Items usually get traded every 6 months to a year. This way I get to experience new things while not breaking the bank or having them collect dust.
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That's a lot like me, but I tend not to get rid of anything. I have cabinets full of HO scale locomotives and cars. I have shelves of vintage cameras and related items. I have three air-cooled VW's and a curio cabinet of VW models and toys. I have vintage automotive related signs and cans. My tool chest has one drawer devoted to my grandfather's old tools from the 40's-60's, plus some I've added. I have vintage soda bottles, medicine bottles, and some miscellaneous glass. I have six bicycles ranging from my dad's 1979 Raleigh Roadster, to a 80's vintage Trek, to my 2005 Specialized Allez Elite.

Some things are items I've had since childhood and added to as an adult. I still own my first LP, Led Zeppelin II, plus another 800 or so. I even have my first train set (Marx) and my HO scale model motoring set (Aurora).

The great thing is...these all become props for people and still life portraits.
 
I'm collecting currency for my son's education. He's only 4 now. Any denomination, any currency, big, small, etc.. PM me for my address or paypal address.
 
sazerac said:
I used to collect snapshots from garage sales. There are some weird and unexplainable images that people kept. Its fun to pare them down to a good dozen or so then rearrange them to tell someone's story. The chicken man and aerospace engineer are two of my favorite sets. I'll need to scan and upload them one day.
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I think I would like to see that. Re-purposed art is something I find that can be very interesting.
 
kbg32 said:
I'm collecting currency for my son's education. He's only 4 now. Any denomination, any currency, big, small, etc.. PM me for my address or paypal address.
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Keith,

Save your pennies and nickels especially. It only takes 154 pennies to have a pound of copper (zinc alloy is a bonus) and already a penny is worth more than double as a raw commodity (Pre-1982 pennies). The problem is that current U.S. prohibits destruction of currency, and recent laws limit the amounts of coins one can transport legally at this time.

Follow the smart money and hoard pennies like some hedge funds are doing. Strange, but true, some hedge funds are stockpiling pennies and paying for storage. Their logic is that the penny will eventually be eliminated as a currency, and then all those pennies will more than double, perhaps triple in value, when suddenly the pennies will be worth more as a raw commodity. Know that copper had a spot market price of around $4.50 a pound when the market was peaking. When the penny is eliminated as a currency the pennies will be suddenly worth more as a commodity.

What is true for copper is also true for nickels. It's been a while but old nickels were worth about 7 1/2 cents for their nickel content.

Just imagine that you could go back in time and saved all those silver dimes and quarters that were pre-1965.

I forgot that I hoard pennies and nickels, but know that storage eventually can be a problem.

Cal
 
When I got into rangefinders it began to feel like I was collecting them, trying out different makes and models I picked up on the cheap--sometimes too cheap to bother going through the hassle of selling. Now I have one Barnack and 2 Ms that I use regularly. The nice thing about Leica is that I'm too poor to collect them.

My wife is convinced I collect books. She may have a point there. But it's more that I tend to hang onto a book after I read it. It's inadvertent collecting, at best.
 
anjoca76 said:
When I got into rangefinders it began to feel like I was collecting them, trying out different makes and models I picked up on the cheap--sometimes too cheap to bother going through the hassle of selling. Now I have one Barnack and 2 Ms that I use regularly. The nice thing about Leica is that I'm too poor to collect them.

My wife is convinced I collect books. She may have a point there. But it's more that I tend to hang onto a book after I read it. It's inadvertent collecting, at best.
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I forgot about books. LOL. I work on the Upper East Side and nearby is Ronald McDonald House. On the sidewalk they sell books: one dollar for a hard cover and 50 cents for a paperback. Over the years I kinda "loaded the truck" as they say on Wall Street, but books are both bulky and heavy and I basically donated the books to a neighbor in Queens who set up a private library upstate when I moved into Madhattan. Found a first edition "Bambi" with book jacket and a first American edition of "Animal Farm." Bought both for a dollar a piece.

Cal
 
More of a squirrel than a collector. I collect books in the sense that I buy them to read, think "books do furnish a room", and keep them 'just in case I want to look something up'. I once started a collection of Weston meters: I bought the first because I realised I could readily afford what was a luxury item in my childhood, then the next because it was in better condition, and then the next to see the difference between a model IV and model V etc...
Lately I seem to have started a collection of binoculars. I have bought four pairs in as many months, its not something I really need. I don't think it is collecting really: I enjoy doing the research before buying, the actual acquisition is just verification.
 
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