Re: [ARSCLIST] Th Future of Collecting

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think that the WSJ article centered in on some pretty stereotypically obscure things like a pencil 
(!) collection. Stuff like stamps, coins and indeed musical content will always have a value. What 
I'm not sure does have any value are antiquated and decaying media. Which is why it's best to 
transfer old stuff you value to newer media (which may well just be this era's flavor of the minute 
but it's newer than the original media). Keep your old stuff around if you treasure it but don't 
count that anyone else will treasure it after you're gone. However, if you have beautiful music or 
interesting words or rare broadcast recordings, someone will likely want to hear that content, 
particularly if you have taken some time to leave some context and history explaination about it. I 
find many collectors to be cultish and not want to explain what they have, like explaining it makes 
them less unique or something. The collector types who I've greatly appeciated and learned from have 
taken time to tell me WHAT they have and WHY they have it and why it's important. I would recommend 
to a library or institution to accumulate less stuff but do a really good job of making the stuff 
you accumulate readily available and within good displays or exhibits that fully explain the 
importance and history. There's a huge mass audience for this, BTW. "Antiques Roadshow" is one of 
PBS's most popular shows, to cite on example.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Lennick" <dlennick@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 1:12 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Th Future of Collecting


> Mwcpc6@xxxxxxx wrote:
>
> > In a message dated 2/25/2006 6:03:59 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> > dlennick@xxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
> > I feel sorry for whoever has to deal with my accumulation when I'm gone, but
> > it ain't gonna be my problem
> > ******************
> >
> > No need to feel sorry. There are people who make a good living filling and
> > hauling away dumpsters of stuff like that. http://www.1800gotjunk.com/index.asp
> >
> > The people I feel sorry for are the ones who go to great pains to donate
> > their collections to museums or institutions that they think will preserve and
> > care for them.  I've seen people's life work end up in the trash after they
> > hauled it across the continent just to get it to the museum.
> >
> > I suppose it's OK if it lets them die happy, but it seems that there should
> > be a better way. Ebay may be the best we have for now.
> >
> > Mike Csontos
>
> The dumpster was the destination for a couple of thousand 78s in Erie PA last
> summer. A lot of stuff in decent condition, but finding homes for Perry Como,
> Dorothy Shay, Vaughn Monroe and common dance band stuff even in pristine condition
> isn't a snap when the owner of the house is moving to Texas and the dumpster costs
> $300 a day. I took several hundred 78s that I wanted (free!)..offered to make a few
> phone calls to see if anyone else wanted to come over and help themselves, but
> unless they could get there that DAY the stuff was going byebyes. At that point I
> started emptying all the good albums.
>
> As for collections I've picked up that represented people's life's work, or
> donations of beautiful accumulations to institutions, I now own most of the Bill
> Givens collection (big band and popular) and a substantial chunk of the Carnegie
> Collection and other donations that had been at Hobart-William Smith College in
> Geneva NY, as well as a number of private collections in the Toronto area.
>
> dl