You could be rich. All you have to do is buy a bunch of stuff, right?
According to a recent Rolling Stone piece, a rare Beatles’ 45 RPM record sold for $10,000. The song, “Love Me Do,” is a fine tune, but $10,000? That’s a lot of do-loving.
Ah, collecting. I’ve had lots of thoughts about this “hobby” recently. My board game collection has swelled over the years (yes, I’m a geek, but don’t be a hater). The Hard Rock Café beer glasses on my bar shelf had reached 18 before the Hard Rock stopped the madness by discontinuing the glass. I’ve been to 14 major league baseball parks. That’s a collection of experiences.
Collectibles or Junk?
But why? Do I think that one of my board games is going to be worth a ton of money someday? I have a copy of a game called Um Reifenbreite, a German bicycling game from 1979 that won the big prize for board games, called the Spiel Des Jahre. A warehouse caught fire, and most copies were lost. The game has never been reprinted, and I own one.
Would you buy it from me? What would you do with it?
But really, the bigger question is: how much money would I have saved by NOT collecting Um Reifenbreite? And those beer glasses? I was so freaked out about maybe breaking one that I didn’t even drink out of any of them. Here I have a shelf full of crap that I never use….and for what?
Are my kids going to collect it? I seriously doubt it. When I die, those will end up in a garage sale somewhere. It means something to nobody but one person: me.
…and if I take a minute and think about it, the collection doesn’t mean that much to me.
But it’s an investment!
Some collections truly are an investment. Jay Leno owns a huge car collection. Automobiles might have a shot of appreciating. Some of the biggest investors in the world are currently (and curiously) stocking up on art. These collections feel less like “collections” and more like investments.
How do you know if it’s an investment or a collection? First, an investment has a track record. With both art and autos, it’s a mixed bag, and not a place for amateurs to dabble. While I’m with you when you say that the Dogs Playing Poker print appears to be uber-awesome, apparently, according the people who know better than me, it’s worthless. I know. Color Me Shocked.
Instead, I guess art needs to look like this to be valuable:
Who knew, huh? Apparently dogs playing poker are a little too esoteric.
Other collections I don’t understand. At some point, you aren’t a collector anymore. You’re just a hoarder. For example, who’s going to sacrifice a bunch of Benjamins for a collection of airline vomit bags? How about this guy who collects navel lint?
…or this man who collects toilet seat art? Wouldn’t it be inspiring to decorate your throne in a different style every third or fourth day? Sit down and think about that for a moment. Who’s going to pay for that collection later? What trigger in your brain gets pulled when you ask yourself, “Why am I NOT collecting toilet seats?”
The Real Problem
Sadly, for many, collecting is just another form of consumerism gone wild. Products feed on this with a “collect all five” slogan. Collectible card games like Pokemon reign in kids when they’re young. Of course, Pokemon isn’t anything new. Richard Garfield became wealthy off of Magic, The Gathering. Hell, even “back in the day”, baseball cards sold you the lure of getting them all….one awful bubblegum strip at a time.
Even video games are cashing in on this need to collect. Activision sells Skylanders, a game where players collect action figures and place them on a pedestal, triggering in-game changes. While some figures are common, others are rare, and people pay big money for them on the secondary market. The game has been so successful that Disney’s betting heavy on a knock off called Disney Infinity.
The Truth
At some point, this is what collecting is:
Hoarding.
Listening to an organizational podcast a couple weeks ago, I had an epiphany: I only have two hands. Sometimes the most brilliant ideas are also the most obvious, aren’t they? With my “two hands” limit, there’s only so much stuff I can use at one time. Everything else I own sits on a shelf, waiting for me to use it in the future. How much of this stuff that’s waiting around actually is a “collectible” and becoming more valuable? Nearly none.
With my two hands, I’ve realized:
- I’m never going to play all these board games.
- I’m not going to drink out of 18 Hard Rock glasses anytime soon, even if I break them all in the next couple weeks.
- There’s no reason to collect items that will sit on a shelf and clutter my house.
So, this year I’m taking about 20 games to a convention to sell.
…and those Hard Rock glasses? Oh, yeah, baby! Game on.
Then again, I might take my time. I don’t want to be collecting liver transplants, either….
Your job, stacker: Go donate some stuff or sell it off. Use the proceeds to pay down some debt. Better yet, put it in savings to build your stack.
Photos: Flag, Westher; Hoarder, puuikibeach
Editor’s note: this was first published in June 2013 and has been dusted off, cleaned up, and published again for the 2015 crowd!
At one point I collected key chains. Now there’s a collectable that only a few dozen people in the world are interested in!
I’ll bet that’s another one that you wonder later: what am I actually going to do with all these!
Lol, love the junk pics. That’s what my parents garage looks like! I recently interviewed the person who wrote Garage Sale Millionaire and that’s one of the things he writes about – discovering hidden treasures at garage sales. I don’t think I would be very good at it….I mostly garage sale shop for baby clothes!
Every time I see pics like that I get a knot in my stomach. I feel so bad for those people!
Heh, I nearly always find “collectors” are completely broke! And much of what people collect really has no value. Unless you collect money, in which case, that’s cool. Love your sarcastic writing style!
Isn’t it sad? We get sucked into collecting something and what for? I think the older I get the more a crisp, zen lifestyle appeals to me. The only collection I don’t mind now is collecting travel adventures. I’ll keep doing that….
I wish I would’ve known as a teenager what I know now – that massive baseball card collection really is just a heap of cardboard crap. It really is sad to see how many that “collect” stuff have all their worth in whatever it is they’re amassing, sadly most of it is just junk.
I’m sure that Honus Wagner card wasn’t worth anything….
I use to collect baseball cards and hot wheels. My mom throw out my collection of baseball card because she thought I out grew playing with cards. All my rookie cards gone. I agree though a lot of the collecting just becomes hoarding and junk that people don’t want to throw away.
Thomas, that’s painful! Those rookie cards are like my board games….at least you could have gotten something for them!
What about people who invest in wine? My friend and her husband own a wine storage facility where people can pay $x a month to keep their wine at an optimal temperature. It blows my mind.
I had a client that owned over $1M in wine (and had the offsite facility and everything). They’d jet off vacation at wineries in France, Italy, Napa, and Chile. They had awesome parties. Better their collection than mine, though!
When I was a kid I used to have all kinds of collections. I really got into collecting anything with angels on it at one point. I think I probably had over 100 angles in my bedroom at one point. I ended up pitching most of them but kept all the ones I deemed to be “valuable.”
Does “valuable” mean sentimental value? I still have too many of those things. I’m trying to get over my sentimental feelings about some “stuff.” I still have this award I got from a magician/comedian called the “toilet paper of death” from his trick. Cheryl says I can let that go any day I want….
The only things I collect are watches. Could this be seen as an investment because it’s like buying gold (or other precious metals)?
Watches are another of those investments that gain in value…although with so many people now using their phone for time, is there as much of an appreciation for a great watch anymore?
I used to collect basketball cards…I’m still holding out hope that they are worth something. I don’t really collect anything nowadays though.
Basketball cards! That one surprises me.
In my family, we started each other on collections so that we would have something to buy the person as a gift. I have an Avon Perfume Bottle collection and a doll collection. I’ve looked on eBay, it would cost me more in time to unpack and photograph my collection than I could get from selling them. (Some of my dolls might be worth money, but they also have sentimental value.)
Also I can ask around. I might know some people interested in Um Reifenbreite
That’s the issue with some stuff. It just clogs space. That’s when I feel great about donating…if I can gift something sentimental that someone will have an appreciation for, I’m all over it.
Most collections are a waste of time for people who think they are making money or holding on to them as if they are assets.
Now, some things do have value. For example, a coin collection might have some value to others, as there are folks collecting them and they often have precious metal. On the other hand, a seashell collection is likely to collect dust and end up in a big pile in a garage sale…that nobody wants.
Of course, if people keep collections purely for fun and hold on to them for emotional reasons, I get that. Just keep the “it’s worth something” thought process in check! Because, that collection of vintage take out menus from the 1980’s might not fetch much 🙂
That sounds like it’s spoken like a guy who collects vintage take out menus!
My sister collected sea shells when I was growing up. They’d disappear from her room. I realized later my mom was chucking them. I think she thought my sister wouldn’t notice.
I’d love to see your collection of board games! I have a collection of money that I’ve been puttering around with. I figure it’s worth at least the price on the currency. I do have a stack of RMB that has been devalued that has appreciated in value recently.
Wow! There’s some value in that collection, I’ll bet.
My game collection is acceptable to my wife because I’m not so much a “collector” as I am someone who likes to play them with friends and at family events. However, I’m at the point now that I have too many to play in the next year….and that’s too many. The next time you’re in Texarkana, Brent, let me know and we’ll invite you to game night….now that you’re practically a neighbor!
If only my husband had kept his collection of original Star Wars characters……His Mom got rid of it. However,she did seem to keep her collection of rocks.Go figure. I don’t really collect anything except Pearl Jam fan club holiday singles. I’ll never part with those and my daughter can sell them in a garage sale someday if she wants.
I think with any of the stuff you mentioned, it’s a pretty poor idea to think of them as an investment. They might be worth something someday, but the chances are pretty low. I fully agree with you on the concept of getting rid of stuff too. We’re slowly in the process of doing so. When you really start looking at the things you have in your home, how often do you really use most of it? Getting rid of it frees up time, frees up space and can earn you money. A win all the way around.
A coach I worked with for awhile called them energy drainers, and it’s true. Looking at a bunch of stuff you aren’t using takes away from that single-minded focus you need to win at whatever your primary objective might be.
1st edition books are another one of those collections that I would consider an investment if you know what you’re doing.
The only thing I really collect is Christopher Radko Christmas ornaments. Some I received as gifts and ummm…. others I may have bought. 🙂 My husband does not like clutter, which is probably a good thing. Otherwise it is easy to get carried away whether it’s glass blown ornaments or beer glasses. Hmmm….I’m starting to rethink what I collect!
I tend to be a bit of a hoarder when it comes to my collectibles. I really enjoy collecting any sort of sports memorabilia. I am a sports fanatic, so I like pretty much anything to do with sports. I know this can get a bit out of control for me, but until my wife yells at me I think I’ll keep collecting!
Oh, I’ve always hated collecting. My mom was (is?) borderline hoarder and anything that said, “Collect them all!” she would. Drove me batty back then when I had to live wit it and I get claustrophobic when I go to their house these days.
I collected basketball cards, comics, stamps, shot glasses, and coins.
Sadly, don’t think any of them turned to gold. Do you keep track of
those garage sale treasure finds? Wasn’t there a five dollar chair that
turned to be a classic Herman Miller worth 5 to 6 figures? Fun post and nice shot of you downing your brewski!
I think you have to be collecting them for yourself. If you do think they’ll appreciate, take extra care with them. My husband is a comic book nerd, so we have a bunch of figurines around the house. One day, they might be worth more than we paid, but that’s not why he got them. He enjoys his collection, and it’s just a bonus if they appreciate.
The thing is, collectibles are worth less and less (except for really limited edition runs) because, thanks to eBay and the like, everyone’s now aware of just how valuable stuff can be. Which means there’s no scarcity and thus no increase in pricing.
I watched a video recently where someone pointed out that old comics are so valuable because they weren’t seen as collectibles. People’s moms threw them out, or they were mistreated. Now, a lot of fans keep them carefully stored. Meaning that there will be a lot of them available, meaning lower prices.
Great points, Abigail.
I saw a weird collecting show recently where a guy’s grandfather had owned a corner store early last century (1900s). He couldn’t sell baseball cards, so ended up storing them (still in wrappers) in the attic. Imagine the family’s surprise when they found all of these ultra-rare cards in mint condition in the attic. Worse? There were signs that at one point someone had started throwing bunches of them away….so there would have been more.
The family now has millions of dollars, but they have to sell the cards a few at a time so that they don’t flood the market with them.