The art of apathy - question for longtime art collectors

[jjonahjameson1]

Was talking to a friend recently about his comic art collection and he really wasn't engaged in the conversation. He's a long-time collector having seen tens of thousands of pages since his first purchase back in 1979 and he simply told me that he feels as though he's become numb to it all.

 

When I asked him to clarify, he mentioned that after collecting for so many years, the thrill is gone. Nothing really wows him like it used to during the first dozen years of collecting...its all become one big blur. He's got a wide array of artwork - lots of artists, characters, B&W, Paintings, Gold/Silver/Bronze/Modern art, but I was shocked at his recent lack of interest in it and was wondering if other collectors have ever felt this way?

[comicparadox]

He apparently has developed anhedonia. I recommend psychotherapy and SSRIs.

 

Or better yet, a twelve step program, in which eleven of the first steps involve giving away his early SA OA, preferably to me.

[sborock]

I have been "collecting" even before I knew that I was. If that makes any sense.

 

I fall in and out of love with some OA pieces, comic books story arcs, or some comic memorabilia, but I can never imagine being bored with this hobby as I will always find cool stuff to enjoy!

[irchooker]

I was wondering if other collectors have ever felt this way?

 

Every other day.

[jjonahjameson1]

Myself, I started collecting in 2001 and started buying whatever McSpidey pages I could find/afford. I had amassed 10 of them, but got bored with the pieces after a while. Sold all but one (it sits in my closet). Then I decided to pursue a McSpidey cover and the hunt was on! After a bit of wheeling and dealing, I got the cover. It sits in my closet and hasn't seen the light of day in about a year.

 

I've only been collecting for 7 years, but already I've gone through art collecting 'phases': McSpidey, Marshall Rogers, Romita Jr, Spidey art in general, Batman Animated art, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, Kevin Maguire, etc.

 

Now I look at artwork by these aforementioned and I don't have the same impulse to hit the bank machine like I used to. Mebbe I'm getting old.

[Solar]

I get bored with collecting every 6 months or so and start collecting something new for a while. Comcs, comic art, non-comic art, sports stuff occasionally, whatever. I just make it a point to hang on to the best stuff I acquire in each collecting genre.

[delekkerste]

I rarely get bored with the actual material - I always enjoy curling up with a good TPB or checking out someone's OA collection (especially in person). I love and appreciate the medium.

 

I do, however, get bored with *collecting*. Flipping through the same old binders at every convention, scouring eBay and dealer websites, hearing all the b.s. stories about what goes on in the hobby. After a while, I do get bored of it all. Also, I suffer from diminishing marginal utility - after my collection reached a critical mass I was happy with, subsequent purchases brought me less and less enjoyment per dollar spent.

 

At first, I compensated by spending more dollars, but I have recently reached a point whereby it's probably only going to make me happy to acquire pieces which truly enhance my existing collection (i.e., grails and near-grails). I didn't feel like my last round of purchases earlier this year really added much to my collecting satisfaction. I've gotten a bit numbed out (which is fine, especially with the wack-job prices we're seeing nowadays) and have been spending my dollars elsewhere of late (like on my burgeoning watch collection) where I feel I get more utility/enjoyment out of each marginal dollar spent.

[Entropy79!-migration]

Well I'm nowhere near the saturation point. Probably because I cannot afford the pieces that I really want, pieces that hold nostalgia (Alan Davis Excalibur) and those that are just gorgeous (Frankenstein plates for instance).

 

I can see, however, how people could eventually get to this point though, esp. if they have some of the pieces that really inspired them when they first started collecting. (plus there is more to life than our collecting interests)

 

 

[Mighty Hal]

I've gotten a bit numbed out and have been spending my dollars elsewhere of late (like on my burgeoning watch collection)

 

Gene, what kind of watch would I have to trade you for your Gonzalez'/Vampirella #39 frontispiece?

[sborock]

I've gotten a bit numbed out and have been spending my dollars elsewhere of late (like on my burgeoning watch collection)

 

Gene, what kind of watch would I have to trade you for your Gonzalez'/Vampirella #39 frontispiece?

 

[delekkerste]

I've gotten a bit numbed out and have been spending my dollars elsewhere of late (like on my burgeoning watch collection)

 

Gene, what kind of watch would I have to trade you for your Gonzalez'/Vampirella #39 frontispiece?

 

 

Well, the #39 frontis is probably my favorite piece in my entire collection...but I could probably justify parting with it for a Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon I:

 

 

I might even be able to throw in a few bucks on top of the #39.

[comicartfan]

Now I look at artwork by these aforementioned and I don't have the same impulse to hit the bank machine like I used to. Mebbe I'm getting old.

 

I think it has less to do with age and more to do with constant changing of "taste".

 

Say you're walking through a convention and looking at all the usual stuff. Then you see something by.....an artist....oh, I don't know.....maybe Dale Keown.....This piece is something that maybe wasn't published, so you've never seen it before....It's spectacular, done on either a size you don't see Dale's work on, or a medium he usually doesn't use.

 

Wouldn't you just have to have it ??!! - Wouldn't you get that adrenaline rush that a collector gets when it's something special ? At least in their eyes....

[jjonahjameson1]

Michael;

 

The short answer: No. It don't thrill me like it used to. As for my friend, he's seen so much of this stuff that nothing really sparks the level of excitement you write about.

[CollectingFool]

There are so many different types/styles of art to collect that I can't imagine being completely bored with the hobby. I do change focus from one genre to another or one artist to another from time to time and that keeps things fresh. The things I do get tired of are:

 

Ever escalating prices

 

So-called collectors that are only in it for the quick cash turnaround

 

Certain dealer or collector/dealer methods of manipulating the market for specific things

 

Piggy-back collecting "Wow, that looks cool. Thanks for the idea, now I'll fight you for every like piece available!"

 

Fake or silly offers "That's a great Frazetta! I have to have it, will you please sell it? What, make an offer? Sorry, I could only go as high as $500"

 

Collector Targeting - Example 1

"Hey, I just got this. You collect this right? What? No, I won't sell it but I'll trade you for that piece you never wanted to sell."

 

Collector Targeting - Example 2

"I have this available, thought you might be interested. It's 3 times the last known retail price but I know you buy every example you see so I'm going to squeeze you dry."

 

Art buying sob stories "Please lower the price for me! I really will love it forever and besides, (I'm a student/going through a divorce/new to the hobby/just had family emergency/my car just broke/need to roof my house/it's a gift for my spouse/child)

 

Giving in to the sob story and seeing it on eBay a couple of months later.

 

 

[Mister Trent]

I've been in this hobby for a long time. Over the years my collecting interests have changed.

 

Nowadays I'm mostly into covers or self-contained strips. Splashes or interiors no longer hold much interest for me.

 

The buzz has probably diluted somewhat over time (to the point I'm seldom in a state of excited anticipation when something new is winging its way to me - unless it's something really special).

 

Generally, to keep things fresh, I try not to collect more than one cover per title, or self-contained strip per series.

 

There are exceptions . . . I own two WEIRD SCIENCE covers and a couple of dozen DAN DARE cover strips.

 

I collect EC cover art, as one of my main interests. Currently I own 15 covers . . . spanning 14 different titles. There are still lots of titles out there currently unrepresented in my EC cover collection. Unfortunately, the way prices have escalated, the likelihood is that new acquisitions will be few and far between! That makes for a real challenge. And the thrill of the hunt plays a big part of the hobby for me.

 

Most of the art I have has individual memories attached. Many are good memories. For example, several years ago, I visited Ken Danker whilst on holiday in Florida (I live in the UK), and spent many hours looking through a large inventory of comic art. During that evening, I came across a George Evans EC cover that I particulalrly liked. Consequently, I did a deal with Ken for the artwork.

 

So, whenever I look at my artwork in appreciation, a memory is also triggered about how it came into my possession.

 

Example of a self-contained strip. Episode 11 of an 18-episode weekly series. I made a 500-mile round trip to conclude a deal in person on this art (to a UK seaside town). I spent an enjoyable couple of hours talking with the former owner and looking at his impressive collection. Exceptional artwork . . . great memories of how it came into my possession.

 

On the down-side, some pieces that have passed through my hands had unpleasant memories attached to them. That's why they passed through my hands. We've all gone the route of dealing with greedy dealers or collectors, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lambo]

There are so many different types/styles of art to collect that I can't imagine being completely bored with the hobby. I do change focus from one genre to another or one artist to another from time to time and that keeps things fresh. The things I do get tired of are:

 

Ever escalating prices

 

So-called collectors that are only in it for the quick cash turnaround

 

Certain dealer or collector/dealer methods of manipulating the market for specific things

 

Piggy-back collecting "Wow, that looks cool. Thanks for the idea, now I'll fight you for every like piece available!"

 

Fake or silly offers "That's a great Frazetta! I have to have it, will you please sell it? What, make an offer? Sorry, I could only go as high as $500"

 

Collector Targeting - Example 1

"Hey, I just got this. You collect this right? What? No, I won't sell it but I'll trade you for that piece you never wanted to sell."

 

Collector Targeting - Example 2

"I have this available, thought you might be interested. It's 3 times the last known retail price but I know you buy every example you see so I'm going to squeeze you dry."

 

Art buying sob stories "Please lower the price for me! I really will love it forever and besides, (I'm a student/going through a divorce/new to the hobby/just had family emergency/my car just broke/need to roof my house/it's a gift for my spouse/child)

 

Giving in to the sob story and seeing it on eBay a couple of months later.

 

 

I've been at this hobby on and off since the late 80's and I think Ruben pretty much sums up my feelings almost exactly. I love this hobby. It has brought me a lot of fun and enjoyment. I have made some great friends in this hobby both with my fellow collectors and also artists. But lately, as the hobby has grown, I've seen some really questionable behavior by so-called collectors that has tempered my enjoyment of it.

 

Lambert

[NelsonAI]

 

High prices will scare off most long time collectors. We just move on to other fields when prices get out of hand.

 

However, part of the excitement of collecting for me has always been the quest itself. Grail is an over used term in this hobby. A true grail is something that potentially may not exist.

 

When the AF 15 pages came out of the woodwork, it re-ignited the passion of what this hobby is about for me. Even if I don't ever have a chance of owning it, I'm excited when something like this surfaces.

 

I have to agree with Ruben's comments. I recall one individual saying they had a new born baby and needed to budget for milk and diapers. I reminded the individual that a new born should be his priority. Shame on him for trying to buy art when his baby is starving. Whether he actually had a new born baby was irrelevant.

 

Cheers!

N

[buyatari]

 

Art buying sob stories "Please lower the price for me! I really will love it forever and besides, (I'm a student/going through a divorce/new to the hobby/just had family emergency/my car just broke/need to roof my house/it's a gift for my spouse/child)

 

Giving in to the sob story and seeing it on eBay a couple of months later.

 

 

These need to be brought out into the open when they happen.

[Wonderworldcomic]

I am still looking for some pieces that I have been searching for since the 1970s (ie, a page from Xmen #14 & #19). However, the collecting bug is still strong, but it helps to diversify, such as getting a sketchbook filled, when the art you want does not show up after years of hunting.

 

Best,

Rich

[Brian Peck]

I have been collecting since the 80s and my focus has changed also. I originally collected art relating to Jean Grey initially but I have pretty much found most that is on my want list in that area. Except for a few and a number of silver age pieces but they don't show up very much. I also collected alot of 80's art, there is still alot of that I want so its a never ending quest. The hunt still thrills me along with eventually owning the art. In the last few years my tastes have expanded to golden age along with silver age art form other Marvel and DC titles. The nice thing is every year I always find at least a piece or two that are high on my want list. I also find pieces that I never thought of collecting but when they come on the market and I have the opportunity I will go after them. Even with prices going up on some pieces others which don't have that big of a following you can get pretty inexpensively.