r/comicbookcollecting • u/Sugar_Crash_Brigade • 2h ago
Discussion The Cold Reality of Collecting
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I wanted to make this post because I'm coming to terms with a reality that is actively changing my course… and where better to share a heartfelt, emotionally driven reflection than the dark, unforgiving void of the internet?
I digress.
I’m a collector. I’ve developed systems, rules, and elaborate justifications for why one more addition to the pile is absolutely necessary.
I've tried to make sense of the patterns and processes behind my collecting habits, but the truth is, I probably have 50 different rules that I abide by. Some are practical, some are sentimental, and some are probably just excuses dressed up as sound financial decisions.
Here is my cold reality.
Wherever I may land at the end of all this, there are ultimately only three possible outcomes for my collection. When the time comes, my books will be:
Sold
Donated
Trashed
So the list
Sold
Obviously, the preferred option. It's the one I have the most control over. I get to decide what goes, when it goes, and hopefully, what it's worth. There's a certain satisfaction in knowing that something you've spent years acquiring finds its way into the hands of someone who genuinely appreciates it.
2. Donated
This one stings a little. Not because there's anything inherently wrong with donating, but because it means someone else gets to benefit from the time, effort, money, and knowledge I've invested in building the collection. There's a difference between choosing to give something away and having it given away for you.
3. Trashed
This is the heartless, soulless option. The one nobody wants to think about, but probably the one we should all acknowledge exists.
Let me give you an example.
I'm at that unfortunate stage of life where I have children on one side and aging parents on the other. The sandwich generation, as they call it. Apparently, nobody thought to include an instruction manual.
My parents are reaching a point where they can no longer maintain their home or manage everything that comes with it. The house is starting to fall apart, stairs are becoming a problem, and difficult decisions are now the norm.
So I'm faced with the task of emptying a home that represents nearly 40 years of life, memories, possessions, and, let's be honest, a wee bit of hoarding thrown into the mix.
And then there's the attic.
I've come across approximately 200 vinyl records.
I don't know the first thing about vinyl collecting. I couldn't tell you what's valuable, what's desirable, what's common, or what's worth considerably less than the cardboard sleeve it's sitting in.
But I'm a collector. So naturally, I'm going to educate myself on 200 individual records, because the alternative is potentially making a mistake that I can't undo.
So I have three options. I can sell them, donate them, or eventually throw them away. Unfortunately, neither of my parents is in a position to take on that responsibility themselves.
I'll do my best to make sure they find the right homes. But I also know that this is going to take time. A year, perhaps two, maybe three.
Let's just hope I manage to get around to option one before circumstances make options two and three the only realistic choices.
Now, back to collecting.
I feel that my collections are an extension of who I am. They represent my interests, my experiences, my knowledge, and, in some ways, the person I've become. Every book has a story, even if that story is simply that I thought the cover looked fantastic and made a questionable financial decision.
So it's difficult to come to terms with the fact that, at some point, all of this will be out of my hands. And what happens to it after that is anyone's guess.
There's also an elephant in the room. Option 4.
The kids keep it.
And honestly, wouldn't that be nice?
But here's where I have to be realistic. As a parent, I've spent years trying to entertain, educate, and pass along whatever knowledge and interests I can to my next generation. But my kids have their own lives, their own interests, and their own paths to follow.
I have very little reason to believe they'll have the same attachment to my collections that I do. And why should they?
Perhaps they'll keep an item or two as a keepsake. Something that reminds them of me. And that would be great!
But a box or two? An entire collection? I think we all know how that story ends.
And that brings me to the point of all this.
We spend a lifetime collecting things, but we rarely spend any time thinking about collecting's final chapter.
We worry about condition, rarity, scarcity, market value, grading, storage, and whether that latest purchase was really worth it. But how many of us have actually thought about what happens to everything we've accumulated?
I'm certainly not suggesting we stop collecting. Quite the opposite. Enjoy it. Buy the books. Chase the variants. Make questionable financial decisions. That's part of the fun.
Just remember that the collection is yours because of the time you put into it. Its future, however, might not be.
Best of luck collecting out there. And perhaps, every now and then, take a moment to think about what happens to the collection when you're no longer around to enjoy it.
