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The collection controls you... it tells the truth...but it lies.


Misfit 45
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Hi Folks,

This is a tongue in cheek post from another site giving advice to a guy who is asking whether or not to buy a Carcano rifle.  This advise could be directed to any one of us.  You can substitute, M3 trench knife, Kabar, Raider knife, M1 bayonet, or any other must have blade.  This is very will written and worth your time to read.  Let me know what you think.

Marv

 

The Collection Controls you.

Kevin:

When you find yourself "on" the fence, it's time to decide which side you plan to call your own. Do you want to live in the real world of stark, actual needs or the emotion laden world of desire?

As your collection grows, as it acquires substance, it develops a gravity and vitality of its own. It imparts more and more impact on your life and it's increasingly a reflection of who you are. And who you want to be. It's a force of your nature and one that you struggle to control.

That growing mass, that collection, the black hole of your conscious and unconscious thoughts, demands to be fed. As the collection becomes self-aware, as it awakens, its control over you increases. You know you "want" the Carcano, but you tussle with the real life costs and implications. It's probably been a few days or weeks since your last purchase, a few days since you last directed your focus on a target of acquisition.

“It's been too long”, the collection whispers.

You are not aware as it happens but your casual thoughts in passing (about a rifle that never crossed your mind before) transition to desire and seamlessly metastasizes without warning into an urgent need. That gnawing emptiness grows within you demanding to be satisfied.

You know with absolute certainty now, that the Carcano will please the collection. It will quiet the demands.

The Carcano really is a nice rifle after all and even if the Finns didn't appreciate it, you will.

The key to success as a lifelong collector is the unfettered, unapologetic ability to rationalize any purchase that piques your interest. You know you want it. You have no doubt now that you need it. You know the collection demands it.

And you know who must be obeyed.

It's time.

There should be a graven plaque on the door of every gun room or safe: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
 

Last edited by Richard in NY*; 12-30-2014 at 05:42 PM. Reason: Auto-correct nonsense.

 

 

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It's very true...I plan to toss my personal military stuff when I retire this year. But I'd never contemplate doing the same for the stuff that I have hanging on the walls from people I've never even met. 

 

There was a good write up about the psychology of collecting in an article I read about the gentleman from Mexico who stole Tom Brady's Super Bowl jersey. The man who stole it actually did some interviews with the press on why he felt he needed it...and went to the lengths he did to add it to his collection. I'll see if I can find the better of the articles (there's a great YouTube video about it too).

 

The "in short" of the discussion is about the need for collectors to have that "one better piece". "One better" than what the other guy has, "one better" than what you already own. In our world, it's maybe "one more" from a certain battle, or "one more" from a certain state, unit, etc. We live in a constant search for "just one more", and when we find that one, we buy it, so we can go on searching for the next "just one more".

 

Maybe it's "just one more" because it's an "upgrade" or maybe it's "just one more" because we're "preserving the legacy" of the unit, town, state, etc. But the search is never-ending and eventually, it's what controls you, rather than you controlling it - especially if you have things in your collection where you say "I could never sell that, even for a million dollars!" At that point, you know that the item itself is what's in control...it's not forcing you to keep it by any means...but you are forcing you to keep it, and in that way, allowing it to control you. 

 

I find the psychology of collecting very interesting, particularly as I pick up pieces from here and there that I "could never sell"...yep...I am that collector... :)

 

 

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Kinda sounds like this man:

 

When asked once, "How much money is enough money?" He replied, "Just a little bit more."

 

John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. 

 

Wonder if collected anything other then money...

 

 

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Deja Vu   I've said the same things to myself.

But the bottom line for me is..... Or ...my excuse for collecting is.....

Its a hobby. The kids are grown and gone. The wife split a long time ago. And I have basically, not much else to do.

I collect because it gives me something to do. It occupys time and keeps my mind busy.

I was in the military so collecting military items is right up my alley.

To me its a great hobby and this froum is a great place for like minded individuals.

My family thinks im weird im sure. But I was able to hang on and survive earlier this year

by selling off items that I have collected. I could not have done that had I blown my money at the bar etc etc etc.

Im glad I chose this hobby and as long as I dont have a problem with collecting, it is not a problem.

 

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Lol... AND this is why I have sold off most of my collection. When I got near 150 helmets, 10 uniform groups on mannequins, and gobs of other militaria trinkets, I looked and asked myself: why? The answer: For all the reason already mentioned here in this thread. Honestly, it had become a compulsion teetering on covetousness.  My collection is now smaller and continues it's decline. I have bought 3 helmets this year. 2 of which I turned for a profit and one which was a really super good deal and fits my collecting niche. My plan is to work it down to just 12 super good helmets. Then, when I see one I just "must have", I will have to determine which one of the 12 must go. My collecting no longer controls me.

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Yea, Im just kidding... its a bit of a problem. ... much like any other addiction.

Its fun !!!

I like my excuses though ! 😁

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David Minton

As I get toward ten years of collecting I have gotten far more selective in my purchases. If I already have a good example, do I need another? I have also avoided temptation to expand beyond collecting US sea services. While I still collect patches, now getting into documents and photos; truly unique items.

Some of the collection gets pulled out from time to time though. I hope my kids take enough interest in it to fight over it when I’m gone.

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To me, a lot of the fun in collecting is sharing. Having fellow collectors tell me when they find that rare and mint example of something so I can share in their joy.  We all have our "Holy Grails".  Just follow some of the helmet threads, or edged weapons, heck, pick any forum and there is always something they all would love to have a great example of!

 

Sharing in their joy is where it gets tricky.  Some get mad that you found what they were looking before they did. They choose to find any fault in the item they can possibly find,  It can't be real, no way you got it like that, it must have been embellished, and on and on. I know collectors who keep everything they find to themselves.  You can see them walk out of a show carrying something, ask them about it later, and they deny having the item???  What fun is that?  

 

I choose to be happy for my friends when they find a "Holy Grail".  That tells me several things.  The items are still out there, so I don't need to get discouraged. Keep looking, keep networking, keep going to shows, I will find one. Plus, now that you found one, you can help me look!!! I just went from two eyes looking to four eyes.  Plus the geographic area I am looking in just got appreciably larger.  Send me pictures, tell me all about it!  What are we really collecting for?  Me, personally, I thing we are just the temporary custodians of our collections.  We are preserving a small part of history for future generations.

 

My biggest problem is where do I draw the line in what I collect.  Me personally, I collect aircrew survival gear.  That is the "hub of my wheel". If I am not careful I start down one of the many spokes that lead off from my wheel.  I have a really nice seat survival kit, now I need an ejection seat to put that kit in.  Aviators carried blood chits and other escape and evasion items, so I need some of those.  There is a hose on my seat kit that hooks to my ejection seat that would have hooked to an oxygen mask.  Now I need a mask.  On and on it can go.  I have been collecting for 30 or 35 years and have gone down more than one spoke and have had to remind myself, I don't collect that, I collect aircrew survival gear! Get back to your hub.  Enjoy looking at the collections of those whose hub is one of the spokes of my wheel. 

 

It is amazing how many collectors of different things I have talked to over the years. Survival kits have knives in them.  How do I know a 1950's 4 blade pocket knife from a 1980's 4 blade knife. Ask one of the people in the edged weapons forums.  They love to tell you what the can opener blade would look like on the knife you are looking for.  I especially like the early SAC days and the global survival kits.  Those had razors and Gillette razor blades.  Wow, talk to a razor collector and there is a date code on Gillette razor blade packages. Who knew???

 

To bring all this to a close, I wish I had joined this forum years ago.  Many of the people here have given me advice over the years long before I joined.  This is a great way to learn, interact, and enjoy the collections of fellow members.  But lets all try to remember, no matter our reasons for collecting, we are all blessed that we can afford our hobby. There are those who can't.  It should be a fun hobby, not an obsession or an addiction.

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Just a short thought on collecting and it's lure.  I've noticed that there are two kinds of collectors, the "one of all" and the "all of one."  Which is to say some people have to have one example of everything (me), and some people want all of one thing.  That isn't to say we don't collect things outside those areas, but we tend to look at adding to the collection differently.  I find that my weak spot is something I don't have (like the WW1 German Trench Knife I just picked up), while other folks have a weak spot for a different variation, like an M3 Imperial knife. blade marked, that is double stamped with the Ordnance bomb.  Even though they may have one with the normal Ordnance bomb, they have to have this one as it is a variation they don't have.

Last thought; I know what things I will save for myself when the time comes.  My helmet and uniforms from my service, my father's items to include his M4 Bayonet from the Korean War, and a couple of odd, interesting things, like my 1949 dated Camillius steel pocket knife, and a Krag pocket oiler.  The rest, if my kids don't want them, may get sold or just given away.

So if you will excuse me for now, I need to go find something else for my collection so it will be happy again.

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Hey Gang! Been reading all these responses, and they're really great. I've been seriously hooked for over 53 years. Started buying through surplus catalogs when I was 17years old. I joined the army when I was 20 just to collect "neat stuff", and have not stopped. Initially I'd collect any knives or bayonets, but found my interest more glued on US edged weapons.  During that time I did have some real thin years due to lack of funds. I was pretty much poverty stricken the first 6-7 years  of service. Eventually I figured it all out and could save, and get a couple of blades a year. After 20 years, and military retirement, collecting picked up, also found I liked US rifles from all periods, but the blade collecting did not cease. I'm now 71, retired from the army 30 years ago, still working at a great job, and still collecting. At this point, I can concentrate on filling holes in the collection. Basically I work to enhance my collecting.  Considered slowing down, but why should I. I'll leaving it all to my kids and grand kids. Everything has a tag with item identification, date and price I paid, and what it's worth at a given point. This way my kids, can either enjoy the collection, or sell off items and maybe profit from my collecting, without selling a high end blade for $5.00 at a yard sale. It's their prerogative. Meanwhile, I can still enjoy the hobby I love. Yes, it is a hobby, a most enjoyable one for me. I truly enjoy this web site, because I learn so much, particularly about areas I haven't thought about collecting yet.  Why stop now I'm at a great point in my life. Gonna keep on searching!  SKIP

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9th Infantry Manchu

I've seen a few posts mention what happens to the collection when you are gone. I got back into collecting when my youngest was at a flea market with me and he saw and wanted an AK bayonet. He was too young, so we made a deal to start collecting together and that reignited, what had been a dormant, hobby for me. In the beginning we collected and hung our findings on a pegboard for display. We had epic father/sons scavenger hunts at flea markets, yardsales and antique shops giving the boys something to do while mom was looking at milkware or something else we found uninspiring (lol). Now both boys are out, one just graduating college and my youngest a Marine 0311 (Oorah!), but I keep at it since the collection now keeps whispering to me "just one more".  So the biggest thing in my mind that I've done since since then is what Skip mentioned. I put little tags with what they are, what I paid at the time, and an estimate of relative (purely subjective) rarity. If I get hit by a bus I figure it would be unfair to expect my wife to research and figure it all out. That would be like me trying to figure out her milkware collection....just shoot me instead. Also, My dad and I started making furniture as another hobby way back when I got out of the army, and we have since graduated from our pegboard (which was really cool and worked well but the Mrs wouldn't let it into the living room...) to a custom oak cabinet display that we made together, so my hobby not only gave me great times with my boys, but also had a lot of father/son time with my Dad (and got the collection upstairs where I can play with it more). Maybe I'll post the cabinet sometime if folks are interested. Good stuff!

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Wow, this thread has really hit a nerve!

 

You can always tell when a topic takes off like this.  "The collection controls you... it tells the truth... but it lies"  YES!  We can all see the truth between what we need and what we want.  I have been collecting militaria for over 60 years and I am still having fun.  I quit playing golf when it ceased to be fun but here I am still having fun with my collection.  My advice is to quit trying to understand why it is fun and just enjoy the ride.

 

George

 

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In 1964 I was 8 years old and lived in Belgium near Waterloo.

 

It fascinated me plus there were remnants of WW1 and WW2 everywhere.

 

My father was born in The Netherlands and that year his mother my oma died.


We went to clean out her house and I found pictures my dad drew during the war mixed with other paraphernalia all packed in a German wood amo box.

 

The feeling that came over me after that day of digging through tons of interesting family stuff was akin to a spiritual awakening.

 

Ive quit collecting several times, sold everything keeping the family items, never stopped buying and selling but once when I let it all go for 2 years. 
 

But it’s part of my heritage so I continue the search.
 


 

 

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huntssurplus

I have bins and boxes full of this old stuff. Probably too much in many peoples minds. But I like it and have fun doing it. I take breaks here and then, and sure it always is something that will burn a whole in the wallet. But money is just money, stuff is just stuff, and one day I’ll be gone. Might as well do what I like in the meantime.

Like others have said, I too have given up finding a reason. I guess I do have a sort of “collectors creed” to keep me straight with what I buy and why. But when it comes down to it, I’m sure one day I’ll get rid of it all, whether it gets liquidated into cash, thrown in the dumpster, or passed down to a family member. We will see, until then, I’ll keep collecting though. Just for the heck of it.


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It can sure be addictive.  I’ve had to have a heart-to-heart discussion with myself that basically said collecting is an itch you can never scratch.  If I had a $1Million, I could spend every bid of it on militaria and never scratch that itch.  So, I’m making a deliberate effort to walk away more often and be more selective.  Having said that, tomorrow my wife and I are heading to an antique shop a couple of hours away, they’ve got an RCC utility knife I’ve had my eye on for several months.  I’ve walked away 3-4 times now, and if it’s still there tomorrow, it’s coming home with me and you’ll see photos tomorrow evening.  Hi, my name is BryanJ and I’m a collector....

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Great article. I don't know about anyone else, but I will force myself to take a break from actively collecting. But inevitably, a few weeks or months go by and that internal nagging itch starts. I find myself searching eBay or the forum 'for sale' pages. Just one purchase, it's been too long, just one more cap/uniform/knife/helmet. And I'll find something, buy it, stick it on a shelf or hang it on a rack once I get it, and go back to pretending all is well. 

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On 1/3/2021 at 4:03 AM, Misfit 45 said:

Hi Folks,

This is a tongue in cheek post from another site giving advice to a guy who is asking whether or not to buy a Carcano rifle.  This advise could be directed to any one of us.  You can substitute, M3 trench knife, Kabar, Raider knife, M1 bayonet, or any other must have blade.  This is very will written and worth your time to read.  Let me know what you think.

Marv

 

The Collection Controls you.

Kevin:

When you find yourself "on" the fence, it's time to decide which side you plan to call your own. Do you want to live in the real world of stark, actual needs or the emotion laden world of desire?

As your collection grows, as it acquires substance, it develops a gravity and vitality of its own. It imparts more and more impact on your life and it's increasingly a reflection of who you are. And who you want to be. It's a force of your nature and one that you struggle to control.

That growing mass, that collection, the black hole of your conscious and unconscious thoughts, demands to be fed. As the collection becomes self-aware, as it awakens, its control over you increases. You know you "want" the Carcano, but you tussle with the real life costs and implications. It's probably been a few days or weeks since your last purchase, a few days since you last directed your focus on a target of acquisition.

“It's been too long”, the collection whispers.

You are not aware as it happens but your casual thoughts in passing (about a rifle that never crossed your mind before) transition to desire and seamlessly metastasizes without warning into an urgent need. That gnawing emptiness grows within you demanding to be satisfied.

You know with absolute certainty now, that the Carcano will please the collection. It will quiet the demands.

The Carcano really is a nice rifle after all and even if the Finns didn't appreciate it, you will.

The key to success as a lifelong collector is the unfettered, unapologetic ability to rationalize any purchase that piques your interest. You know you want it. You have no doubt now that you need it. You know the collection demands it.

And you know who must be obeyed.

It's time.

There should be a graven plaque on the door of every gun room or safe: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
 

Last edited by Richard in NY*; 12-30-2014 at 05:42 PM. Reason: Auto-correct nonsense.

 

 

Amen! Firearms and assorted militaria, vintage American guitars, LPs, artwork, vintage automobiles... what have I NOT collected over the past 50 years? At least I stayed away from toys and Pez Dispensers, although the latter are what led to the "invention" of Ebay (!) ... os so legend has it. Anyway, this is an excellent post.

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