Why the Collectibles Market will never stop growing - probably 1 1

[Flex Mentallo]

On 2/11/2022 at 10:30 PM, MattTheDuck said:

Or preceded by one.

Stopped drinking three years ago. No wonder I'm miserable.

[tabcom]

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Edited February 12, 2022 by tabcom

[MattTheDuck]

On 2/11/2022 at 2:47 PM, Flex Mentallo said:

Stopped drinking three years ago. No wonder I'm miserable.

Naw, stick with it.  Or without it I guess.  You're better off, even if it's not always obvious how, exactly

[jimbo_7071]

On 2/11/2022 at 8:26 AM, Flex Mentallo said:

“I have now reigned above 50 years in victory or peace; beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honors, power and pleasure, have waited on my call. I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot. They amount to 14.” Abd al-Rahman III, Caliph of Cordoba, summing up a life of worldly success at about age 70.

 

I'm sure we are all slack-jawed at what is happening to the comic market in recent times, and I would be surprised anyone saw it coming. [And consequently, the inevitable 'if only I hadn't let go of that one, it would be worth so much more today'.]

 

Quite by chance I came across the following article the other day and it seems to me to sum up the whys and wherefores of acquisition better than anything I've read on the subject before.

 

It seems that dopamine has an awful lot to answer for...

 

Why we are never satisfied

The "collectibles market" may persist, but what people collect may change.

I tend to agree with those who mentioned the importance of nostalgia.

Some millenials are collecting Pokémon cards. I think the original game was pretty neat, but I don't have a yen to collect the cards simply because there's no connection to my childhood. Even though I don't want to collect them myself, I get it. If I had been born 20 years later, I'd probably be collecting Pokémon cards instead of comic books.

If I were collecting for profit, I'd ditch comic books for video games, game cards (not just Pokémon but Magic the Gathering, etc.), sports memoribilia, and tennis shoes. (That last hobby I really don't get.)

However, I wouldn't get much enjoyment out of collecting those things. Collecting would become a job.

Comics will probably fade eventually, but by then I'll probably be too senile to realize it. I'll think they're still valuable. I'll feel very benevolent when I donate my comics to my favorite charity, and they'll be like, "Gee, thanks?" Then the boss will be like, "Hey, Joe, some crazy old man just gave us a pile of trash. Find out how much it'll cost us to rent a dumpster."

Edited April 30, 2022 by jimbo_7071

[Flex Mentallo]

On 4/30/2022 at 12:26 PM, jimbo_7071 said:

The "collectibles market" may persist, but what people collect may change.

I tend to agree with those who mentioned the importance of nostalgia.

Some millenials are collecting Pokémon cards. I think the original game was pretty neat, but I don't have a yen to collect the cards simply because there's no connection to my childhood. Even though I don't want to collect them myself, I get it. If I had been born 20 years later, I'd probably be collecting Pokémon cards instead of comic books.

If I were collecting for profit, I'd ditch comic books for video games, game cards (not just Pokémon but Magic the Gathering, etc.), sports memoribilia, and tennis shoes. (That last hobby I really don't get.)

people's obsession with collecting objects

[Robot Man]

To me, collecting has always been “the thrill of the hunt” or “treasure hunting”. Trolling the isles of antique shops or flea markets with cool stuff just waiting for me to discover. You make a score and next weekend you are back up at 5:00 in the dark driving to another show with that buzz and feeling of anticipation.

Do I need any more junk? Oh, heck no but there is always that possibility…

And that great feeling when you finally land something you have been looking for.

I also love having to look forward to that package in the mail. I half joke with my wife that she will probably have to open that last package when I kick the bucket…

[N e r V]

On 4/30/2022 at 8:43 AM, Robot Man said:

To me, collecting has always been “the thrill of the hunt” or “treasure hunting”. Trolling the isles of antique shops or flea markets with cool stuff just waiting for me to discover. You make a score and next weekend you are back up at 5:00 in the dark driving to another show with that buzz and feeling of anticipation.

Do I need any more junk? Oh, heck no but there is always that possibility…

And that great feeling when you finally land something you have been looking for.

I also love having to look forward to that package in the mail. I half joke with my wife that she will probably have to open that last package when I kick the bucket…

I believe you’re a bit older than me but this post makes me appreciate the period I grew up In that I got to experience flea markets, used book stores, antique shops, etc. in their peaks. So much of that has been lost today with our digital creations. The simple joys of looking for treasures or getting excited by ordering something in a catalog and the checking the mail box daily after school for that expected package of new surprise. 

[Courageous Cat]

grew up collecting in mid to late 70's and like NerV, I feel bad for the guys that have to grow up not being able to have the experiences that we had. Civilization is definitely headed in the wrong direction but I think GA comics will always draw a crowd