Author Topic: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection  (Read 17563 times)

Offline alyssa

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #15 on: April 19, 2016, 08:14:56 AM »
at the risk of incurring the mod's wrath for responding to an old topic,  i've been thinking a lot about collecting these days. 

Mulling the how to refine & choose what to collect to be more specific.  I'd like to hear from other folk who collect- and have decent collections- what is some of the criteria you use to
buy something new, 
add a new area to your collecting
manage your collections

^^^
feel free to add to the list- i'm just getting started ;)
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Offline epicaz

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #16 on: April 19, 2016, 10:55:54 AM »
Ugh, these tips speak to me

I got to a point in collecting years ago where I'd simply buy every variant related to the theme I collected. After a while there came a promotion where they were coming out with the character I collected in masses and I made the decision to cut down to only the things I thought I needed or that looked good, rather than any old ugly vintage of that character. Best decision I had made!

My problem now is that I lack display cases.. so most of my collection sits in boxes now

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Offline Mel

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #17 on: April 19, 2016, 11:41:29 AM »
I stick to, "only buy what I love" and "don't fall for variants unless they really bring a difference I love to the piece"

Result is that I have a large collection of things I love with no cohesive theme but one  that represents me. I have action figures, Pops, statues, artwork....spanning everything from classic cinema, TV, science fiction, comic, ect.

I'm most definitely NOT a completionist.

My biggest issue is space. Much is stored, but I have been considering rotating the "exhibits" in my home. I have a friend who does this and I love when she swaps out and I get to see new stuff.
Formerly cracksback

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Offline alyssa

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #18 on: April 19, 2016, 05:45:10 PM »
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My problem now is that I lack display cases.. so most of my collection sits in boxes now

that's where i'm at too.

i need to only collect certain things- like bronze age comics/sci fi 1st editions/mondo posters/exclusive hot wheels, lego & Pops
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Offline Chris

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #19 on: April 19, 2016, 09:07:45 PM »
From the article, I can't say that I agree that reflexive = hoarder, but that's just my opinion.

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Ugh, these tips speak to me

I got to a point in collecting years ago where I'd simply buy every variant related to the theme I collected. After a while there came a promotion where they were coming out with the character I collected in masses and I made the decision to cut down to only the things I thought I needed or that looked good, rather than any old ugly vintage of that character. Best decision I had made!

My problem now is that I lack display cases.. so most of my collection sits in boxes now

Variants are not my favorite.  Usually the art is better from the better artist bringing their A-game.  So they are not my favorite because with there being so many these days, I can't afford them. It does make it more fun when I find some in dollar bins.  :)

Offline mark

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The Zen of Collecting: Redux
« Reply #20 on: January 08, 2017, 04:26:44 PM »
There was an old "The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection" thread that I had thought about replying to a long while ago but never did. I've been spending a lot of the holiday break trying to organize my collections and I figured I'd make a post, but am starting a new thread since the old one is locked. I'll try to stay away from the overly general (buy what you love :) ) and the overly specific, (don't leave a valuable Walking Dead variant in a spot where it can fall into the guinea pig cage.)

I will take my motto from the movie Zero Effect:

"Now, a few words on looking for things. When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because of all the things in the world, you're sure to find some of them."

So have some themes, some specializations, but go outside them on a whim. If it's weird or beautiful and if I'm ok budget-wise, I'm buying it. I mainly collect books, so worst case I have another book, and all books are interesting. There is so much out there, too much to ever know entirely. I used to find this overwhelming but eventually realized that this is a wonderful thing, since you can't know everything, there are always new things to discover. I have some valuable things, but many of the items I cherish the most are often these total oddities, things I never could have looked for since I had no clue they even existed.

These days anything can be anywhere, so look everywhere and look at everything. Book stores, thrift shops, library sales are your friends. Not into history? Don't skip that section, that's where I found a misplaced World War Z first printing at a fill-a-bag-for-$5 sale. I once talked a furniture salesman into selling me one of the books they use to decorate items in the showroom while my wife pretended not to know me. Small towns are especially great, I love it when I get to go to out of the way places and have time to scour the stores. (I always thought it would be fun to write a "geek shopper" series.)

Get to know the selling side. With comics especially there are people who speculate for fun or as a way to make money. If nothing else, it's good to be aware of what's going on in the market since it may temporarily drive up prices on something you've been wanting or make things really hard to find. These days, small run independent comics can be in high demand, especially if there are rumors about a movie or TV series, and speculation can dominate the market. Stalking the preview lists and preordering is key for these. It's also good to check out what the author or artist has online, sometimes you can get signed items directly from a creator.

I don't sell much, but I occasionally come across something that I can make a few easy bucks off of. I don't have the the mindset it takes to do this in bulk but I have found that selling the occasional item helps me understand that side of the market better so I can be a more informed buyer. If you do sell, pay close attention to costs, shipping materials, postage, other fees. I find it really easy to BS myself. Learning about grading and printing identification is extremely important, even knowing what to look for when you are buying off the shelf.

Support and get to know the stores around you, many places price collectibles really high but sometimes stores have blind spots. One bookstore near where I live does a lot of online business for older texts, but doesn't pay much attention to scifi and fantasy, and I've been able to grab some things like first ASOIAF printings or highly collectible DAW paperbacks for really cheap. (The man who owns the store lives near me, and everytime we have a yard sale he swoops in and buys whole boxes of fiction which he then takes to his store and marks up, so I guess it works both ways.) For comics there are 6 different stores in my area that are different enough for me to visit regularly, one always has hot issues since they won't let anybody buy multiple copies on a Wednesday, one specializes in independents, one doesn't mark up variant covers, etc.

Use the web too of course, I like You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login for books, and you can sometimes find weird deals, like where it's cheaper to buy a book from Europe and have it shipped to the US than it would be to buy it in the states. It also can help you learn how certain sellers operate, you will sometimes see the exact same physical item being sold by different sellers at really different prices. Learn how to hack Amazon search to look for discounted items.

Make mistakes, sometimes you just need to go for it. The original post had a Bacon quote, and you can't have too much Bacon, so "Truth arises more readily from error than from confusion."

Don't underestimate personal value or nostalgia. There are things I have that look like junk, like an old Hunt for Red October paperback with the cover ripped off or a mudflap, but are a part of my story and I'm glad I held on to them, despite the occasional weird looks I get. Take motivation wherever you can, and if you see something you like don't let anyone talk you out of it.  So I guess I'm back to "buy what you love" after all. Just watch out for guinea pigs.

Finally, I hope I can be forgiven for one more quote, this time from Guillermo Del Toro. "It happens to all of us, our house is who we are. Even if people say not to judge a book by its cover, we are what we own. And I know the difference between collecting or accumulating is very, very, very small. A hoarder accumulates compulsively while the collector lives through their objects, every book, every object has a meaning."


Offline alyssa

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #21 on: December 03, 2017, 05:35:31 AM »
Yes, moderators, I am resurrecting a wicked old thread.....  >:D >:D I chose to do so due to the good information previously posted which i think newer folks may be interested in or is worth repeating.

I found an interesting site today called becoming minimalist. One of the articles by a guest author is on buying clothes - a subject near & dear.  The Story of Enough: Giving Up (new) Clothes for One Year. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

the parallels between clearing out unnecessary clothing items and refining our collections is striking.
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Offline Chris

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #22 on: December 03, 2017, 10:54:22 AM »
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Yes, moderators, I am resurrecting a wicked old thread.....  >:D >:D

Lazarus pit resurrection?  :)

Offline alyssa

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #23 on: December 03, 2017, 11:54:41 AM »
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Lazarus pit resurrection?  :)
adminy resurrection
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Offline cabler30

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #24 on: December 03, 2017, 06:53:41 PM »
Talk about collecting, i use to get comics alot years ago and stopped do to price hike and whatever else. but this past year or 2 got back into it and i never realy did do by get a whole series but have some series kinda from what i see at shops and remind what i might have stored away. now i just do by covers of character or who i like of art most and covers i like most because not a fan of all art so i just go by what is more appealing or of interest to me really since comic art changes do to every cover maker has a different art style to make a cover. and have chance collect special edition comics or like magazines based on people, movies and other like or learn from most. so a variety and by chance doubles can try sale later or donate or gift to others later maybe lol.

Offline Chris

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #25 on: December 04, 2017, 08:08:42 AM »
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Talk about collecting, i use to get comics alot years ago and stopped do to price hike and whatever else. but this past year or 2 got back into it and i never realy did do by get a whole series but have some series kinda from what i see at shops and remind what i might have stored away. now i just do by covers of character or who i like of art most and covers i like most because not a fan of all art so i just go by what is more appealing or of interest to me really since comic art changes do to every cover maker has a different art style to make a cover. and have chance collect special edition comics or like magazines based on people, movies and other like or learn from most. so a variety and by chance doubles can try sale later or donate or gift to others later maybe lol.

I've been collecting by artist for years.  It's a fun way to collect.  :)

Offline mark

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #26 on: December 08, 2017, 06:08:45 PM »
Lack of storage is becoming more of a problem for me, and I'm not at the point where I want to start getting rid of books and collectibles. (I did try that "Tidying Up" book but it just didn't work for me.) At some point I need to invest in some flat file storage for posters, something for really large books, and something to handle all the darn funko boxes.

What has been working well for me is churning. Picking a theme every 3 or 4 months or so and going through everything to find things that fit it. Right now I'm in the middle of going from a scary to a space theme so the cave is a total disaster area but it's fun. For example somewhere there's a long box that has the Space Ghost miniseries with the Alex Ross covers and while I'm looking for it I'll probably come across a dozen other cool things that I had forgotten about.


Offline Chris

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #27 on: December 09, 2017, 08:13:37 AM »
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Lack of storage is becoming more of a problem for me, and I'm not at the point where I want to start getting rid of books and collectibles.

I have storage space, but my collection has gotten too big so I have been thinning it out for some time now.  I went a little too haywire with buying for a while there.  :)

Offline alyssa

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #28 on: December 09, 2017, 11:48:14 AM »
i am thinking of moving to a small one bedroom.... so yeah- thining is a thing is a thing or collecting small or flat stuff (lego mini figs & comic art pages)
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Offline cabler30

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Re: The Zen of Collecting: 8 Tips for Building a Better Collection
« Reply #29 on: December 09, 2017, 02:23:00 PM »
Collecting is not a problem unless u run out of space and it becomes hoarding i guess, but i have learned over time and years people do try to sale or donate what they got if loose interest in collections for any reason and that creates space. i myself have different small collections, some may have value and some may not but just shows how times have changed over the past years.