Why Collect?

Talk here about just about anything associated with British comics or story papers and the industry that does not fit in any other forum.
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abacus
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Why Collect?

Post by abacus »

I ask the question and probably give most of the answers as well.As a child collecting was more by accident than by design.If you had a weekly comic delivered you probably had to store them somewhere and after a few months you found you had ended up with a large number of comics.Moving forward to now the reasons for collecting become more varied.There is the nostalgic part where collecting reinforces childhood memories.Other reasons could be for research history,buying and selling,or artistic appreciation.For my own part there is the nostalgic aspect and also the desire to find very rare items a sort of treasure hunt.My collection is bought on a shoestring budget that is because at the back of my mind I have the thought that I would be able to sell them easily and still make a slight profit.Having said that, it will probably be left in the end to family members to sell my collection.On a cheerful note I think collecting is an addiction and just hope that you folk's don't find that rare item before me :)

Raven
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by Raven »

It seems quite obvious to me why people would derive pleasure from collecting something with such an appealing nature as comics. The more puzzling question is perhaps why in a body of people that George Orwell once described as "a nation of hobbyists", with a natural tendency to form stamp collecting societies and the like, it tends to be seen as strange.

Why is collecting - or having a passion for - vintage materials, or a more than superficial knowledge of the same and their development, now so often dismissed as "sad" or indicative of "not having a life."

If you collect what you love you'll never be disappointed. So why do you have to pretend it's just an investment for people to nod, "ah, it's a monetary investment, now I understand, I suppose ..."

And why has the appeal of collecting as a hobby apparently declined for younger generations?

Lew Stringer
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by Lew Stringer »

Raven wrote: And why has the appeal of collecting as a hobby apparently declined for younger generations?
One reason may be that it's no longer encouraged. There used to be articles in children's magazines encouraging the collecting of stamps, coins, etc, - plus informative cards given away in cigarettes, tea, and suchlike. Admittedly there are still cards and stickers that kids collect but the stickers carry no info and the cards are part of a game, not a little item of info as they used to be.

There's also the current fashion for minimalism in the home which discourages 'clutter' (ie: anything that prevents the house looking like an IKEA advert).

As you said, the attitude of having an interest in anything being considered 'sad' is particularly annoying. I suppose they think we have arrested development. Because they discarded comics when they were children they can only think of them as childish things, just as we might look upon teddy bears or songs for children. They never moved on to the stage of appreciating the art or storytelling techniques, or seeing comics as part of a cultural history.

Or perhaps they're just dullards who know the price of everything but the value of nothing.
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abacus
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by abacus »

I noticed that as well as comics and annuals some on this forum collect magazines .My collection is mainly comics annuals and magazines but victorian illustrated books and books with fine artwork are also of interest to me.I remember as a child my grandparents having one of those flat irons that was heated on the stove and then used to press clothes .When I saw one for sale at a carboot, purely for nostalgic reasons I had to buy it.The old couple selling it looked at me quizzically and asked what I needed it for."oh a doorstop"I replied to which there faces lit up with a look of amazement and they said "we never thought of that"and of course neither had I till that moment.I agree that our lives would be poorer if we didn't follow our own path.

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ISPYSHHHGUY
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

In my own case it was a longing and yearning to revisit mid-period SPARKY comic especially that triggered my desire to hunt down good copies of this comic, which only become achievable once the internet came along.

There was something sorely missing from my life when I had the memories only of these comics and not the physical comics in my hands again.

For me it was the equivalent of discovering Tutenkamun's tomb or discovering a rare Van Goch for those enthusiasts...illogical behaviour perhaps but that was the effect upon me.......

It was a relief and a joy to retrieve these comics once again and it felt like a decades-old itch finally being scratched.

Most comics from the 60s and very esrly 70s affect me in a similar way.....they are remnants that reflect a seemingly happier time....There are many other things in life of course but for me vintage comics are one of the good things in life.

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tony ingram
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by tony ingram »

Lew Stringer wrote:
Raven wrote: And why has the appeal of collecting as a hobby apparently declined for younger generations?
One reason may be that it's no longer encouraged. There used to be articles in children's magazines encouraging the collecting of stamps, coins, etc, - plus informative cards given away in cigarettes, tea, and suchlike. Admittedly there are still cards and stickers that kids collect but the stickers carry no info and the cards are part of a game, not a little item of info as they used to be.

There's also the current fashion for minimalism in the home which discourages 'clutter' (ie: anything that prevents the house looking like an IKEA advert).
I particularly hate that. These days, if your home isn't basically empty apart from a sofa and a widescreen TV, you're a "hoarder", and should be taken in hand and forced to throw out everything you've spent decades collecting. I love my clutter. I couldn't live happily in one of those minimalist hells of bare walls and empty space.

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starscape
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by starscape »

When I moved abroad, I got rid of most of my clutter. Since returning, I have taken great delight in re-collecting the best (IMO), instead of old Superman or Quasars that were really just collected by accident.
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by Lew Stringer »

tony ingram wrote:
Lew Stringer wrote:
There's also the current fashion for minimalism in the home which discourages 'clutter' (ie: anything that prevents the house looking like an IKEA advert).
I particularly hate that. These days, if your home isn't basically empty apart from a sofa and a widescreen TV, you're a "hoarder", and should be taken in hand and forced to throw out everything you've spent decades collecting. I love my clutter. I couldn't live happily in one of those minimalist hells of bare walls and empty space.
I find that the people with such 'catalogue homes' are often the ones who complain about being bored if there's nothing on TV they don't like. Mainly because they have no interests or hobbies. (Except perhaps for playing sports, which they can't do at home of course.) I can't ever recall being bored of my own company because there's always something to read or look up.
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abacus
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by abacus »

From time to time on tv you see people who run huge train sets,or collectors who have amassed hundreds of toy motor vehicles and then again someone who has gathered the largest collection of Beano and Dandy annuals.I don't think how sad in fact i'm quite envious.

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colcool007
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by colcool007 »

abacus wrote:From time to time on tv you see people who run huge train sets,or collectors who have amassed hundreds of toy motor vehicles and then again someone who has gathered the largest collection of Beano and Dandy annuals.I don't think how sad in fact i'm quite envious.
I heartily concur. When I visited Tony, I immediately regretted the fact that I had only set aside three hours to be down there. I could have quite cheerfully used up three days and we would have barely scratched the surface of Tony's collections.

I do envy those that are able to have several hobbies. As I am colour blind, my wargaming lapsed as it was always disheartening to find out that my Stug III had day-glo camouflage due to my inability to differ between pigments! But I always appreciate the artistry and hard work that had gone into creating scenery, diaramas, models and other such displays.
I started to say something sensible but my parents took over my brain!

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tony ingram
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by tony ingram »

starscape wrote:When I moved abroad, I got rid of most of my clutter. Since returning, I have taken great delight in re-collecting the best (IMO), instead of old Superman or Quasars that were really just collected by accident.
I rather liked Quasar. In fact, I don't think the late Mark Gruenwald ever wrote anything I didn't like.

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tony ingram
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by tony ingram »

colcool007 wrote:
abacus wrote:From time to time on tv you see people who run huge train sets,or collectors who have amassed hundreds of toy motor vehicles and then again someone who has gathered the largest collection of Beano and Dandy annuals.I don't think how sad in fact i'm quite envious.
I heartily concur. When I visited Tony, I immediately regretted the fact that I had only set aside three hours to be down there. I could have quite cheerfully used up three days and we would have barely scratched the surface of Tony's collections.

I do envy those that are able to have several hobbies. As I am colour blind, my wargaming lapsed as it was always disheartening to find out that my Stug III had day-glo camouflage due to my inability to differ between pigments! But I always appreciate the artistry and hard work that had gone into creating scenery, diaramas, models and other such displays.
I wish you'd hung around longer, Col-if I'd known you liked dioramas, I'd have made a point of showing you the papier mache surface of Hoth we made for the Kenner Star Wars spaceships! Sadly, it's been consigned to the shed for reasons of space... :lol:

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paw broon
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by paw broon »

I understand Colin's regret because there have been times when visiting fellow collectors that I wished I could just stay in the comics room/attic, and if someone brought me coffee and pizza now and then, (which I wouldn't have spilled or smeared on rare comics) I could happily live there.
I collect for a couple of reasons. Nostalgia being a big one, but also for the sheer enjoyment of reading the comics. Continuing to study and improve my knowledge of the wonderful world of comics, not only British ones, is just as important.
But don't you think that other collections, especially stamps, have, traditionally, been more widely accepted. Over the years I found a classic response to my saying I collected comics, was, "Oh, the Beano, are they worth money?" So many folk, who obviously couldn't understand the hobby, seemed only able to think of it in monetary terms, and that's a bit sad.

Raven
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by Raven »

paw broon wrote: But don't you think that other collections, especially stamps, have, traditionally, been more widely accepted.
Traditionally, but I expect you'd have great difficulty finding many - or any - young people collecting stamps now.

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paw broon
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Re: Why Collect?

Post by paw broon »

Aye, probably, :? but I'm old and lots of people collected stamps at one time.
One place you always found ads for stamps was in tha back of comics.

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