Why has America become such a PACKRAT nation?

[Aman619]

I have to say that after viewing the Levine video, it has made me seriously think about all of the stuff I am saving and whether it is time for it to go. I don't have anywhere near as many comics as alot of you, but 4500 is still more than I need. Therefore, in order to simplify my life and free up alot of much needed space, I am going to begin culling my baseball cards, Star Wars toys, action figures, old newspapers, hardback books, and last but not least, my comics. I have already tried to start doing this with my comics but there are still a ton that need to go. I should only keep the items that mean the most to me and save my family the trouble of having to dispense of a mountain of stuff when I am gone. Maybe it was the fact that I turned 40 this month that started my thinking in this direction. I'm not sure, but I feel kind of excited about the prospect of cutting some ties and simplifying my life a little. I'm not saying that I won't continue to collect comics, but instead of buying 10 books at 20 dollars apiece, I will probably start buying one nice want list book for 200. Quality over quantity is my new motto from now on.

 

Scott

 

you'll be sooorrrrrrrryyyyy!!!

 

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

Great link from Deathlok.

 

A big payout in the life of a dealer is when they quit and liquidate. The money flows in but it stops flowing out for new stuff. To Levine that stuff is all inventory, not an accumulation of junk. Now he gets the payoff.

 

Marc

[Mr. Zipper]

I'm not saying that I won't continue to collect comics, but instead of buying 10 books at 20 dollars apiece, I will probably start buying one nice want list book for 200. Quality over quantity is my new motto from now on.

 

In my view, this is a natural progression in the life cycle of a mature collector -- seeking quality over quantity.

 

And this is the distinction between an accumulation, and a notable collection.

[Point Five]

I have to say that after viewing the Levine video, it has made me seriously think about all of the stuff I am saving and whether it is time for it to go. I don't have anywhere near as many comics as alot of you, but 4500 is still more than I need. Therefore, in order to simplify my life and free up alot of much needed space, I am going to begin culling my baseball cards, Star Wars toys, action figures, old newspapers, hardback books, and last but not least, my comics. I have already tried to start doing this with my comics but there are still a ton that need to go. I should only keep the items that mean the most to me and save my family the trouble of having to dispense of a mountain of stuff when I am gone. Maybe it was the fact that I turned 40 this month that started my thinking in this direction. I'm not sure, but I feel kind of excited about the prospect of cutting some ties and simplifying my life a little. I'm not saying that I won't continue to collect comics, but instead of buying 10 books at 20 dollars apiece, I will probably start buying one nice want list book for 200. Quality over quantity is my new motto from now on.

 

Scott

 

Scott, that's exactly what I decided a few years ago. Down to a total of about 7 short boxes worth of comics at the moment. Not for everyone I guess, but for me paring down a bit has been a relief and a nice feeling.

[Monstro]

I think the birth of eBay needs to be sighted as a motivator for becoming

a packrat as well...

 

Before eBay it was really difficult to not only find out what an item could sell for

but yard sales and flea markets were the only way to really liquidate the product.

 

And if you have seen the homely folks that hang out at flea markets and the weirdos

that love to arrive hours before your yard sale opens you would know that clutter

based on future online selling has become alot more desired/accepted than before.

 

 

 

good point

[Monstro]

One of the main motivators for my collecting comic and baseball cards is that when I was growing up and first began to collect I had always wished that my dad had collected when he was a kid and kept it all.

 

So I’m hoping one day when my son is older and my collectibles have been packed away for years I can break them out and we can enjoy them all over again.

[jools&jim]

And this is the distinction between an accumulation, and a notable collection.

 

I disagree. A "collection" in this context is an orderly accumulation of items which have been deliberately and discriminatingly assembled by someone within the framework of a central organizing principle or theme (as with library or museum "collections"). Individual items in a collection should be readily accessible for use/review/cataloging/etc.; and of course it follows that the collector should have a reasonbly good idea of what, exactly, is in the collection (which may or may not involve a formal inventory of some sort), and why the item is there to begin with. An "accumulation", on the other hand, is a just big pile of random *spoon*...some of it organized, some not. A jumble. A hoard. Fibber McGee's closet. Whatever you want to call it. (I call it a big mess -- sort of like the Levine stash .)

 

My comic book collection, for instance, is mostly lower/mid-grade Marvel and DC, 1961 - 1980, with a heavier concentration on '70s comics. But I know what I own, why I own each item (and not something else), and why I enjoy it. My boxes are fairly well organized, and I can usually lay my hands on any given book within a few minutes of searching (at most). The point is that my colllection may be "junk" to some collectors (because it's high on "quantity" and low on "quality"), but it's nevertheless still a coherent collection.

[Scrooge]

And this is the distinction between an accumulation, and a notable collection.

 

I disagree. A "collection" in this context is an orderly accumulation of items which have been deliberately and discriminatingly assembled by someone within the framework of a central organizing principle or theme (as with library or museum "collections"). Individual items in a collection should be readily accessible for use/review/cataloging/etc.; and of course it follows that the collector should have a reasonbly good idea of what, exactly, is in the collection (which may or may not involve a formal inventory of some sort), and why the item is there to begin with. An "accumulation", on the other hand, is a just big pile of random *spoon*...some of it organized, some not. A jumble. A hoard. Fibber McGee's closet. Whatever you want to call it. (I call it a big mess -- sort of like the Levine stash .)

 

My comic book collection, for instance, is mostly lower/mid-grade Marvel and DC, 1961 - 1980, with a heavier concentration on '70s comics. But I know what I own, why I own each item (and not something else), and why I enjoy it. My boxes are fairly well organized, and I can usually lay my hands on any given book within a few minutes of searching (at most). The point is that my colllection may be "junk" to some collectors (because it's high on "quantity" and low on "quality"), but it's nevertheless still a coherent collection.

 

Excellent post. I was going to express some similar sentiments but you've done a bang-up job AND you include a Fibber McGee reference

 

I will have to say that Levine's stuff is cared for in the sense that he had the boxes customed made to fit each item size, be it TV Guide, Cards or Comics. In that sense, it's not simply a pile of stuff.

[Wrightson fan]

One of the main motivators for my collecting comic and baseball cards is that when I was growing up and first began to collect I had always wished that my dad had collected when he was a kid and kept it all.

 

So I’m hoping one day when my son is older and my collectibles have been packed away for years I can break them out and we can enjoy them all over again.

 

A very nice statement. If I had a son I might second your comment. However, I have a small daughter with another daughter on the way in less than three months and I am betting that they will not care less about their old man's "junk" when they are older. I will make sure that they have their own funny books as I plan on keeping my various Bugs Bunny, Andy Panda, Various Duck books so that they can enjoy them. Do I think they will want to read my other stuff? ummm....nope.

Therefore, I really don't have anyone to save my stuff for as it won't mean the same to my kids as it does to me, and that is ok. That is the way it should be....you build your own memories out of what is important to you...and my girls will find their own things that are important to them, like 47 pairs of shoes.

 

So....I don't think I will be sorry....in fact I feel really good about it. For every season.....turn, turn, turn baby!

 

Scott

[jools&jim]

I will have to say that Levine's stuff is cared for in the sense that he had the boxes customed made to fit each item size, be it TV Guide, Cards or Comics. In that sense, it's not simply a pile of stuff.

 

Yeah, good point. And to be fair, Phil Levine isn't really a collector anyway (though he may have started out that way). As someone else said, his stash isn't a collection or an accumulation, it's just inventory...

[Silver Surfer]

Yeah but does he have any pre nationals.

[Earl Davis]

Only Antediluvian pre nationals.

[mica]

I didn't see where anyone mentioned the Church accumulation. I bet many people are glad he accumulated what he did.

 

I think a lot of us were turned off by the TV guides. Unless it has George Reeves on the cover the majority of us don't care about having a January issue of TV guide. But many of us don't know what makes the Coin guys tick either.

 

There are probably many more accumulations like this one that will be uncovered in the next twenty years, and we should expect to see this again.

I think some people expect everything in accumulations to be nicely displayed like a Geppi Museum but it just isn't going to happen. Especially when the collector dies unexpectedly and someone knocks on the door to check on ol' Uncle Cletus.

 

It would have probably soothed our concerns if Mr Levine weren't so honest about not really knowing what's in these here boxes. We like the mystery but at the same time we can't stand not knowing. It's our mentality.

[Earl Davis]

Still surprised to see him tossing those Planinum Age comics around.

 

Earl.

[Red Hook]

Reading this thread reminded me of the Ebay Mom.

 

Ebay Mom

 

 

 

YIKES! I'm going to have nightmares tonight!

[Ringfinger]

Yes, I too have quantity over quality. I am trying, with little success as I don't have the time at present, to cull out post 1980 and concentrate on 1957-1979. That would be my emphasis. Right now, I am 90% modern, so some paring is needed.

[dekeuk]

 

Some of the posts seem to indicate that I was calling Levine a PACKRAT.

 

That was not what I was saying. Levine is a businessman running a business, so he has a very good reason for having that massive pile of stuff. It will pay off for him now, when they sell off that collection piece by piece, and he pockets over a million dollars for sure.

 

I was referring who Levine's customer base and the other collectors in America when I said America had turned into a packrat nation.

 

It was seeing the Levine video though that triggered that thought, because it made me realize there are so many collectors out there with just boxes and boxes of unrelated unsorted STUFF of all types that they fill up their basements, attics, extra rooms, sheds and barns with.

 

And it really makes you want to start emphasizing quality over quantity I guess, or at least concentrate your collecting more. For example, instead of collecting comics, toys, movie posters, lunch boxes, records and Donny Osmond memorabilia, you just concentrate on one of those things and get rid of the rest.

 

And hopefully that one thing is not Donny.

[Ringfinger]

But he is so dreamy....

[Chi Bamm]

One of the main motivators for my collecting comic and baseball cards is that when I was growing up and first began to collect I had always wished that my dad had collected when he was a kid and kept it all.

 

So I’m hoping one day when my son is older and my collectibles have been packed away for years I can break them out and we can enjoy them all over again.

 

 

I thought the exact same thing as a kid.

[BLAM_BLAM_BLAM-migration]

No one has mentioned the hunter/gatherer aspect of "Our Thing".

Hey, it's something to do. Y'know, fill up the time between now and the time I die with some sort of "mission" that seems to give my life meaning.

And justify it as an "investment" when, actually, I only buy it because I like looking at the art.

(I don't read them.) Plus I get to be all chummy with you people.