collectors vs. enthusiasts

From: Aaron Christopher Finney <af-list_at_lafleur.wfi-inc.com>
Date: Wed Oct 13 17:40:15 1999

On 13 Oct 1999, Eric Smith wrote:

> In response to my rant:
> > That's because eBay is where "collectors" hang out. Not people like us,
> > for whom collector is an insufficient/inaccurate term.
>
> Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk> replied:
> > Agreed. I maintain that I am _not_ a computer collector. Sure I have a
> > number of old computers around the place. But I have them to learn about
> > (how they work, etc), to restore, to use, etc.
>
> For want of a better word to describe what we do (as opposed to "collect"),
> I used enthusiast. But if anyone has a better suggestion, I think it is
> quite useful to make this distinction.

Maybe what you are thinking of would be more along the lines of
"speculator" or "investor"...

I think "enthusiast" is a fine term for describing a hands-on hobby of any
kind. But I'll admit that I'm a combination of both; I am an "enthusiast"
in the sense that the real pleasure I get out of these machines comes from
being able to operate them. But it's also a feeling of distinction from
the rest of the herd, especially peering with the under-30 crowd who don't
know what came before Visualxxx or Java or Shockwave, that makes it fun to
learn the operations of old hardware. And finally, there is that ugly word
"collecting," since I am a collector as well. I'm certainly not going to
use my Atari 830, 835, 1030, XM301, and SX212 modems regularly! I have
them all because they complete my collection of Atari modems. And I wanted
to have a complete collection. And I just plain enjoy the fact that I know
how to use the term program built into the 1030, or know how to build a
ring detector for the 835. Fun! Fun!

> > I certainly don't have them as an investment.
> >
> > Quite simply I'd be _very_ happy if the prices of all old computers fell
> > to 0 tomorrow. 'Collectors' would be very distressed if that happened.

"Speculators" would be very distressed. Not everyone collects for money or
even to impress their friends. The bit of the mania that feeds my hobby
that I call "collecting" is just a desire to gather together in one place
(aka "collect") all of the members of a set. Like Atari 8-bit modems. And
then Atari 8-bits. And then Atari...and so on. Perhaps someone with more
insight into the human condition can tell us why some of us get so much
pleasure out of stacking all of the blocks in proper, uniform order...or
putting the last piece of a puzzle into place. Warm, fuzzy; "Ooh, this
CX keypad was the last piece in my Atari 800-series collection! Let me
just plug it in...bliss." And worth around two bucks, even on eBay.

> I've never been into coin or stamp collecting, so I don't know whether
> there are actually different mindsets for people collecting them as an
> investment vs. some other reason. Since I've put my rant up on my web
> page, maybe I should think about this some more and expand upon it.

I think I can speak from the perspective of someone who does enjoy
collecting things simply for the joy of collating all of the pieces into a
whole set. Certain authors' first-editions are my other mania (if anyone
has a 1st of Bukowski's 'Post Office' holding up the short leg of the
couch, let me know...) and I know that others on the list have posted
things about collecting eclectic things from old radios to Donald Duck
memorabilia. It's the bridge over the gap between technician and
historian.

Collecting is not our enemy. Profit speculation is our enemy...or at least
an annoyance for those of us without a budget...


Cheers,

Aaron
Received on Wed Oct 13 1999 - 17:40:15 BST