Why are we so attached to our comics?

[slym2none]

I think most of you know I am not in the best situation, and money is never plentiful for me. So, with all these collectables, why can't I bring myself to sell them? It took a painful effort to start selling my books, but as I get closer to "my REAL collection," i.e., the books I personally bought off of the stands, I find myself dragging my heels to get them out, get pics or scans, and sell them. It's taken MONTHS to get my UXM from 94-130 scanned, graded, and now I only have 3 left from that group, and it has been weeks (months?) since I have listed any others. When I get to #171 (the one I first bought off the stands) I think I am gonna have a breakdown. What is gonna happen to me from 171 to #472, when I stopped collecting? And...

 

Why? Why the HELL am I so attached to these? Why do I literally have a minor panic attack when I even think of getting them out to sell? They aren't even worth that much money, but it is 300+ issues of a book I put my childhood into. My "adjectiveless" X-Men goes from 1 to 172, and my Wolverine goes from 50 to the end of vol. 2 (183?) and then the first 30 or issues of vol. 3. I need to just go ahead and get what I can for them and do what I need to.

 

I can't be the only one who ever felt like that. All you that have turned over your collections at least once, how did you cope? Am I really that weak inside? If I can sell off those mutant titles, and my VALIANT collection, I would have maybe a long box of comics left, some of those I bought recently on speculation.

 

I guess this is some sort of cry for help...

 

 

 

 

-slym

[kav]

BECAUSE they are a piece of our lost childhood

[oakman29]

You come to the realization that your life is over with each passing day.

[bronze_rules]

I don't know if there is any psychological representation of the effect, but I've noticed it's common when being forced to downshift somewhere in life, that it can be painful to let go of the things we've amassed in better times. Just as we purchase to remind us of our childhood and better days, those same reminders can be painful when forced to let go.

 

I mentioned it in the water cooler, but I think everyone here could relate to this movie that just came out (for rent), the best offer.

 

 

The pain that the protagonist ( a lifetime art collector) went through, when being put in a position to lose his life's possessions was very tragic (and if you think you have a man cave, wait till you see his).

[oakman29]

Brother I sold one book from my collection,and I had a panic attack.I had to buy back the book from a boardie,so I would feel complete.You are not alone my friend.

[southerncross]

12 months ago I had 10 short boxes and 4 long boxes full of comics.

I'm getting married in 3 months and moving to Seattle so I had to cull

Books that I owned since 1987 bought of the news stand.

Sold to my LCS for pennies on the dollar.

early silver and bronze for pennies but also a lot of paper.

The price for selling as one with cash up front.

I kept all my high grade silver, major keys and golden age.

Went from 4000+ down to 230 that sit in just 3 short boxes.

one box and a bit a just cgc's

I'll pack them in the luggage of family members going over to the wedding and my own luggage.

So I kept all my valuable books plus the sentimental ones like peter parker 124 my first comic that started me into serious collecting in high school. Also punisher 1 and hulk 340, bought them off the news stands.

But I sold stuff I'll never replace, TOS 50-99, Strange Tales 117 -160 ect.

I don't have a e-bay account so that's why I sold it to my LCS

 

But bright side I'm left with the cream of my collection plus my early bought books.

and I will start again later in the year.

 

So I know exactly how you feel Slym

Take comfort you are getting more money for your books then what I got

[Gunnz]

I lost my job in 2008 and i was unable to find employment even though temp agencies. the job market was horrible. so after i maxed my credit cards and burned through my savings trying to pay my bills and survive, i resorted to selling my belongings. tv, xbox, my dvd collection of over 100 collector editions etc. I had an action figure collection and i sold that too. Some furniture as well. I sold everything i could to keep my head above water, but I couldn't bring myself to even attempt selling my books.

 

anyway, the point is, its hard because it's something you've dedicated yourself to and are proud of and over time it has become a part of you. it's comepletely understandable that you would have a terrible time parting from your books. i'm sorry you have to go through whatever situation you're in, and I hope that you can work through it soon.

[catrick339]

Slym, it's agonizing, but it's also emancipating., You HAVE to shovel out occasionally or you'll eventually end up on an episode of HOARDERS.

 

A friend of mine has kept EVERY single book he's ever bought since childhood. He recently injured his back and had to go on disability (in his early 60's) and even though he has to move between his stacks of books in small aisles, and even though the stuff he stored in his basement is slowly turning to mush from the damp, he can't force himself to let go of anything.

 

I've offered to help him set up at a one day show with duplicates to get him some ready cash, and he keeps saying that's a good idea, but he never follows up.

 

Many good books are going to be ruined entirely because of his obsession, and he's living on a fixed income and struggling, but he still can't let go.

 

It depresses me that so many nice items are going to end up in a landfill one day.

 

...and here's the thing for you:

 

EVERYTHING that you mentioned above is readily available, and if you shop at shows, most of it is available in dollar or 50 cent boxes. Let it go, and when times are better, replace it. Keep a few mementos if you want, but dump the rest and replace them when you're flush again.

 

I've been very happy over the last few years practicing "catch and release" on big ticket items, especially Golden Age, and I'm near to completing my SA Marvel (and select DC) collection...for the fourth time,

 

It's all out there, and readily available.

 

Enjoy it as it should be enjoyed, as a comparatively inexpensive hobby with literally tons of great stuff available for next to nothing.

 

 

[Hibou]

BECAUSE they are a piece of our lost childhood

 

+1

 

There are just some things that you feel 'identify' you in terms of what you liked growing up and how that may have influenced your future attractions to other things.

 

Perhaps you like women with red hair... or those that can phase through walls.

 

That sort of thing.

 

Seriously though, if it doesn't feel right to do, then don't do it.

 

The time may come when you feel that it's okay to let go of these attachments for one reason or another, but until then... just enjoy them.

[Hulksdaddy1]

[Conan_Aficionado]

Psychologists have often taken a Freudian perspective when describing why people collect.[7] They highlight the controlling and impulsive dark side to collecting, the need for people to have "an object of desire." This desire, and hence the innate propensity to collect, begins at birth. The infant first desires the emotional and physical comfort of the nourishing breast, then the familiar baby blanket the child clings to for comfort and security. Stuffed animals, favorite toys are taken to bed and provide the emotional security needed to fall asleep. A sense of ownership and control is facilitated through possession of these items for the vulnerable child.[8] Freud himself took a more extreme position on the origins of collecting. Not surprisingly, he postulated that all collecting stems from unresolved toilet training conflict. Freud took the stance that the loss of bowel control was a traumatic experience, and the product from the bowels was disgusting and frightening to the child. Therefore the collector is trying to gain back control of their bowels as well as their "possessions" which were long flushed down the toilet.[9] Where Freud linked object fixation to the anal-retentive stage in childhood, Muensterberger, in his perspective paper "Unruly Passion" believes collecting to be a "need-driven compensatory behavior where every new object effectively gives the notion of fantasized omnipotence." Jung had his own theories about why people become collectors. He touted the influence of archetypes on behavior. These universal symbols are embedded in what he termed our collective unconscious. Using this logic, collecting and completing sets have as their archetypal antecedents the collecting of "nuts and berries" once needed for survival by our early ancestors.

[Conan_Aficionado]

I knew it, boobs, we collect because of boobs.

[Conan_Aficionado]

It's mommy's fault.

[spracknetch23]

I can definitely relate to this. I spent all of last year unemployed. I just couldn't bring myself to sell my ASM collection, which I've been collecting for 20 years and am only missing a few issues. When this year started and the unemployment extension ran out, I came really close to selling, as I made no income in January and February. I was finally offered a job in February and I've been getting back on my feet ever since.

 

I also often toy with the idea of selling my collection to put a nice chunk of $ on my student loans, but I just can't bring myself to do it. I often say.."I could sell my entire collection. Well, except this piece. And this one. And this one....". It's a slippery slope.

[The-Collector]

I might be the exception but I try not to get attached to physical items and I know the memories I associate with them are not in the actual items, so I think if I was in dire straights I could sell everything I own without too much trouble.

 

In fact sometimes I find getting rid of objects I have become attached to cathartic. Being attached to a mass of objects can be tiring and burdensome.

 

The only exception would be the humidor my father made for my 21st birthday, but that thing is a giant bundle of sentimentality. The interior is lined with cedar and Australian Jarrah from my family's farm, which my grandfather collected for me.

 

I hope things pick up for you slym.

[Cascaders27]

I can relate to it sometimes being difficult to find motivation to do this sort of thing. I'll organize everything nicely then drag my feet with the scanning then drag my feet with the listing to the point that sometimes I miss selling a hot book during its hot streak

 

I recently gave away 4 short boxes of stuff. They weren't doing me any good, it wasn't material I was ever going to read, and it felt awesome being rid of them! I know that's a bit different from working up to selling off prized books but it also gave me an excuse to go through my CGC books and pick out ones I was pretty sure I didn't absolutely need to keep. It was tough to see some of them go, but that money will fund more important things in the long run.

 

Good luck to you slym

[Rickyrudd-migration]

I sold all of my books from my childhood, many years ago, after work dried up and we ended up living in a housing project.

 

We came across a house for sale, and the books had to go. I won't admit it to my wife, but I cried that night. She knows I'm a "weeper" anyway

 

Anyway, I got back on my feet, and several years passed without me buying or looking at a comic book, then one day, I noticed a sign saying going out of business sale, I stopped by and they had 15 boxes of comics, he sold them to me for 100 bucks, I loaded them up and I was off again.

 

40,000 comic books later, and I am thinking about selling again, just because I have comics piled so high it takes me 20 minutes just to get to the box to dig them out.

 

Good luck Slym,

[VintageComics]

I think hoarding is somewhat related to emotional maturity.

 

Like most things in life it's only difficult to let go until you actually let it go. Once you let it go there's a certain freedom that goes with it.

 

 

[Gem_Mint]

I have always been a collector.

 

I would get realliy "into" collecting one thing, to where I would sell anything I had laying around to complete that collection.

 

Then I would get bored of that and get into something else.

 

So, I then sell every piece of that collection (at a profit) in order to fund my new hobby.

 

It's a vicous cycle, but it seems to help me keep my sanity working a 9-5 and supporting a family.

 

It's a hobby.

[VintageComics]

It's a vicous cycle, but it seems to help me keep my sanity working a 9-5 and supporting a family.

 

It's a hobby.

 

I think people are discussing collecting vs. actual hoarding, which actually affects normal life.

 

There's nothing wrong with collecting something out of nostalgia or for investment (or whatever reason) but if you're sitting on a pile of cool comics but can't feed the kids then it's a problem. I think.