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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on October 9, 2019 at 7:16pm

Good question. I thought it was going to be about adding things! I have a hard time adding things of like quality, strength and all for an even appearance/cohesion. Some things are very rare and thus not pop contrast by nature (album page signed running out of a specific show for example), others the opposite. The more I collect the harder/more $ it is to maintain quality. Being an obsessive nut for quality (in my budget) doesn't help!

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on October 9, 2019 at 7:19pm

To answer your question I suppose "yes" in a few ways; the closest I have come to your scenario has ended with me upgrading.

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Permalink Reply by James on October 9, 2019 at 7:52pm

Now that would appear the way you go!   Continually upgrading ,if and when possible, is fun and helps to keep one’s interest alive.  

I’ve meant to comment that I think the way you built your Honeymooners collection was incredible...the true definition of a collection in fact...really a “hobby” unto itself.  

Most people, I would say, probably try to acquire the main cast of a show, either with individual pieces or one cast-signed photo.  But your collection goes above-and-beyond.  To systematically, hunt for and acquire all those smaller pieces that helped produce the show is pretty amazing...and I’m sure quite rare.  While it may have taken years, I’m sure the hunt was quite fun...and perhaps frustrating at times.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on October 9, 2019 at 7:58pm

Thank you, James. That means a lot to me. It was great fun and I got to learn a lot and talk to some interesting people too. And the collecting was very helpful in learning what was acceptable re condition with the very rare. Fortunately the worst was a big crease! I also was fortunate to enjoy helping several members here obtain Gleason's along the way :) 

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Permalink Reply by Adam Halloran on October 10, 2019 at 6:11am

This is an interesting topic. I think I have a share of auographs in my collection that I could say is my favorite. There are a few that if I ONLY owned that one and nothing else, I would still be happy. There are big names or years I wish I owned an example of, but I am only 36 years old and don't intend to give up this hobby. So I look at it more as a slow and steady race, only aquire a few "big" autographs to my collection a year. 

The only thing that worries me is inflation since most of the autographs I wish to add are from those musicians that are sadly aging and may not be around much longer (or have already passed) 

I want to collect vintage 60's autographs in most cases, or of some slightly historical context, as the stories of when, where  how, and for whom are important to me. 

The other issue being the technology to reproduce autographs and the better forgers tend to get. Which with dilligence and a great commmunity like this here helps a lot. So long story short, I don't think of it as a house of cards, but I haven't felt burned bad enough as I try to buy from reputable sources and do my research, I can fall in love with one piece for awhile...Take a step back, look at the rest of my collection and feel fortunate to what I do have now, while waiting to add the next. 

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Permalink Reply by James on October 11, 2019 at 7:09pm

I can say that if I lost everything but still had my Babe Ruth and JFKs, I would still feel satisfied.  I agree, Autograph collecting is a marathon not a sprint.  It can take a lot of time to build a great collection unless one has deep pockets.  But since about 99% of us are in the bottom 99%, it takes time and patience.  Actually, however, even if your pockets are deep, getting what you want can take time because some celebs are harder to collect than others.  For example, a nice Prince or Jimi Hendrix can be a difficult challenge to find available in the marketplace or to be available long enough for you to find it.

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Permalink Reply by Joe W. on October 10, 2019 at 7:17am

Collectors collect. It's being Indiana Jones and there's always something to new to pursue. Active collections are always growing and evolving. Most collectors cannot afford to keep adding without ever letting go of something to build the best possible collection.

Is it a house of cards? Not as long as a person still values their collection. 

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Permalink Reply by James on October 11, 2019 at 6:59pm

That’s a good point, Joe.  There is indeed always something new to collect and/or pursue.  One piece I parted with which was not very easy to do so was my Lou Gehrig signed baseball signed on the sweetspot.  I was in hot pursuit of a John Lennon signed book, and I found a nice one.  But I knew it would be gone soon if I didn’t act quickly.  So I decided it all came down to whom I wanted more in my collection, Lou Gehrig or John Lennon.  It was a hard choice to make.  But since I had a Babe Ruth, I convinced myself that somehow the spirit of Gehrig was alive in my Ruth.  Sounds crazy, but it worked for me.  So I sold my Gehrig and got my Lennon.  But really what it came down to was that I decided having a John Lennon was a little more important to me than having a Lou Gehrig, although I wish I had both.

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