Collectors

JimBo

JimBo

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ok, it came up in another thread, but I want to test out my theory. I already know the answer for a few people on this forum, but chime in anyway please. I know many of the top cue collectors and most of the have other vices as well, some collect guns, some cars, I've done it all from Comics when I was a kid to sports cards and collectibles, guns, and cues. I think I'm just a born pack rat, how bout the rest of you? Collections? Anyone find it stupid? Anyone wish they had the funds to buy more junk? Is there anyone out there who just lives on the bare minimums, don't keep anything, one cue is all you need, 1 car, any excess gets thrown away?

Jim <---Would love to hear about it
 
I have a collection of custom made cowboy boots.
I am the Asian cowboy Bucky Chung Steven Wright was talking about.
 
Good, I'm happy to know I'm not the only crazy one.
First started with comics, sports cards, coins, rare books then cues
Paul
 
Collectibles

JimBo said:
Ok, it came up in another thread, but I want to test out my theory. I already know the answer for a few people on this forum, but chime in anyway please. I know many of the top cue collectors and most of the have other vices as well, some collect guns, some cars, I've done it all from Comics when I was a kid to sports cards and collectibles, guns, and cues. I think I'm just a born pack rat, how bout the rest of you? Collections? Anyone find it stupid? Anyone wish they had the funds to buy more junk? Is there anyone out there who just lives on the bare minimums, don't keep anything, one cue is all you need, 1 car, any excess gets thrown away?

Jim <---Would love to hear about it
Click to expand...

I used to collect comics and still read them occasionally. I actually bought V for Vendetta off the shelf in 88-89. I also used to collect Nike shoes- predominately Jordans. I sold most of my collection of shoes last year- it was around 30 to 40 pairs. I still have a few pairs left. I actually used my shoe money to purchase some of my cues.

I also used to collect Star Wars toys. I have a few still in the box from the 80s and 90s. I have the 12' IG88 that was only offered one Christmas through JC Penny and the elusive vinyl caped Jawa.

I also collected and attempted to read a lot of books on chess. I have around 200 books on that subject.

As for cues- I am not much of a collector- I have been searching for the perfect fit. I try and keep it under 10.
 
Pack Rat

I Collect Just About Everything.............

I Have About @40,000 Baseball Cards.(i've Never Counted All Of Them To Know How Many For Sure) I Had To Rent A Space Just To Store All Of Them.

I Have Somewhere Around 1200 Comic Books, I Bought Those Just Because I Liked The Drawings, I Never Thought Of Them As Collectible Until A Buddy Of Mine Took Me To A Comic Book Show.......that Blew My Mind.

I Also Collect Old Stereo Equiptment. That Was Actually My First Passion. I Even Have One Of The First Car Cd Players Made By Sony. I Have A Shed That's 20x15 Crammed Full Of Old Equiptment.

I Just Like Groups Of Things, I Guess. If I Have One Of Something, I Don't Want It To Get Lonely So I Buy A Bunch Of Them. I Have Alot Of Other Small Collections, But Those 3 Above, And My Cues Are The Big Ones.

P.s. If Anyone Has Old Schmidt's Beer Collectibles For Sale Let Me Know. That's My Newest Vice.
 
JimBo said:
Ok, it came up in another thread, but I want to test out my theory. I already know the answer for a few people on this forum, but chime in anyway please. I know many of the top cue collectors and most of the have other vices as well, some collect guns, some cars, I've done it all from Comics when I was a kid to sports cards and collectibles, guns, and cues. I think I'm just a born pack rat, how bout the rest of you? Collections? Anyone find it stupid? Anyone wish they had the funds to buy more junk? Is there anyone out there who just lives on the bare minimums, don't keep anything, one cue is all you need, 1 car, any excess gets thrown away?

Jim <---Would love to hear about it
Click to expand...

Great question Jimbo!

Collections are fun...but I've always been one to collect something for a while (a while being months or years) but eventually I'll get bored with it and get into something new. It is like I will learn all that I can about it, I'll buy whatever collectibles I can afford, but eventually do something else. Just being honest in my patterns. And when I get into something new, I'll sell off old collections to finance the new stuff.

Regarding pool though, I've always just been a bare minimum guy. I was more interested in perfecting my game than anything else. Now that I'm older and I have a wife and daughter...my interest in building a cue collection has grown. Partially because I can't go play every night, and it is fun to look at cues, chat on these forums, and spend some extra money.

The research is the most fun to me. Learning about the makers, the history, the stories, and then that combined with actually owning a nice cue is quite fun. Now that I'm a noob at this and will receive my first "collectors" cue in a month or so I'm excited. Of course, I must admit that I'm going to play with ALL of my cues. I'm not buying them as art. I'm buying them to enjoy aesthetically and for their playability. But that is just me.

Yes though...I must say that collecting is in your blood. A lot of my best friends are collectors.

One of my really good friends Dan is a top collector in his "field". To see what he collects (and this is only about a quarter of what he owns) go to: www.dummys.org, click enter, and scroll down to the "Dan Willinger Collection" option. What is listed is about $200K worth of his collection. Dan is also a bit of a pool buff, and has a beautiful antique table in his house there in Boston. I forget what kind.

Collecting is just something in your blood. People collect all sorts of weird things with the same passion that cue collectors have for cues. I've heard of people that collect antique barbwire. You can show them any old barbwire and they identify it down to the year it was made. Strange to me, but it is strange what people find interesting. Certainly keeps the world interesting!

I'm looking forward to reading what others post.
 
FAST_N_LOOSE said:
I Collect Just About Everything.............

I Have About @40,000 Baseball Cards.(i've Never Counted All Of Them To Know How Many For Sure) I Had To Rent A Space Just To Store All Of Them.

I Have Somewhere Around 1200 Comic Books, I Bought Those Just Because I Liked The Drawings, I Never Thought Of Them As Collectible Until A Buddy Of Mine Took Me To A Comic Book Show.......that Blew My Mind.

I Also Collect Old Stereo Equiptment. That Was Actually My First Passion. I Even Have One Of The First Car Cd Players Made By Sony. I Have A Shed That's 20x15 Crammed Full Of Old Equiptment.

I Just Like Groups Of Things, I Guess. If I Have One Of Something, I Don't Want It To Get Lonely So I Buy A Bunch Of Them. I Have Alot Of Other Small Collections, But Those 3 Above, And My Cues Are The Big Ones.

P.s. If Anyone Has Old Schmidt's Beer Collectibles For Sale Let Me Know. That's My Newest Vice.
Click to expand...

You're definitely a natural born collector. I was a huge comic book collector when I was a kid. I had about 12 long boxes full. Everything bagged and boarded, inventoried, etc.

If anyone wants to see another cool website go to: www.toysrgus.com and find the link that shows this guys house. He has a phenomenal Star Wars collection. I just find it very fascinating when people have such a devotion and passion for collecting something/anything. Another fun website is www.spidermancollector.com. If you like groups of things, you might enjoy checking these out.
 
Jimbo,

It's nice to know I'm not the only Sanford & Son guy here! I am a packrat by nature, and have always converted my "piles of goodies" into collections of sorts.

I started as a kid with comics and coins. Then I collected stamps, antique toys, and baseball cards. Music was the next biggie, so then it was records. Next I got into competitive shotgun shooting, so I had to collect guns (still do, what types of guns are you into, Jimbo?).

I live in Phoenix, so you have to do something that's inside during the summer months, so what could be better than pool? I walked into a pawn shop about six years ago to find a pool cue, and what's sitting on the rack with my name on it but a first catalog Palmer window cue. I had always wanted a Palmer as a kid, but could only afford a Rich, so I knew it was a good cue. I bought it for $80. A friend said it was worth a hell of a lot more than I paid for it, so I let him talk me into putting it on Ebay. It sold for $623, which in retrospect was a deal for somebody (great condition, two shafts), but it started me looking around everywhere I went for cues. That profit from the Palmer went into the mix for another cue which was traded with a couple of guns for a nicer cue, etc. Long story short, I now have a Model M Palmer, a Szamboti, and a lot of other cues...

Obsession is my life!

Steve
 
Jimbo,

Cues are my passion.

I also have a love of old Mustangs (my brother and I have a 70 428 SCJ Mach 1 project car we're completing). I also collected comics when I was younger and still have a few hundred from the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's. I recently gave away half my collection to the sellers of a Szamboti because it was severely underpriced.

I have rifles I use for target shooting and one very old Winchester. Although they are nice, I wouldn't call myself a collector.

As far as interests go, I also was heavily into woodworking, mainly hand veneering and inlay, but I don't have time for it now. I also learned many home improvement trades from rough carpentry to drywall, tile, cabinetry, brickwork, electrical, and finish carpentry and totally re-did 3 homes myself.

Chris
 
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Addictions

Star Wars Figures-Books-Cues-Watches-Polo Button Down Shirts and my other addiction of watching my Cubs blow it every season they play. Yes, I think you are onto something Jimbo. Definitely.
 
Started with stamps, then snooker cues and billiards memobilia, i was born from a pretty poor family so my collection started only in 1996 when i was more financially sound to indulge..

i also like collecting rare Rolex Sport Watches. Had about 6 rare piece, rarest is what they call the Explorer II Orange Hand, a WWII rare datejust made for doctors.. etc Give some all away to my nephew when i was very ill :)
 
Coins, Guns and Cues ?!?!!?

I do coins, guns and cues. What a combination.

For you comic fans out there, my brother in law is one of the top artists.

Greg Land. He has done night wing and lots of others. Works alot of hours. And he is pretty much of a perfectionist with comics. I think his title is penciler.

Ken
 
Jimbo, I think a lot of people may consider themselves collectors, just because they have a lot of "stuff". However, IMHO, they are not collectors.

I believe a true collector has studied about the things they are collecting. They know the history and all of the little details about their collection. Most are also very passionate about their collections.

On the other hand, there are people who just collect a lot of stuff and may know something about it, but do not fit my definition of a true collector. A lot of them are more interested in making that rare find, that they can turn into some real cash. Unfortunately, they don't know enough to recognize that find, when they see it.

Sadly, for the most part, I fall into the category of people who just collect a lot of stuff. :(
 
My cousins owned and ran a toy/model/comic shop in NYC's Chinatown. I started working there when I was in junior high school. My collecting began with comic books. When I was in college, it progressed to original comic art (these were the actual drawn originals used to produce a comic book). After returning from school, I inherited some antique Japanese swords from a family friend that passed away. This has slowly progressed into a hobby of mine. I study swords on a monthly basis. I also started collecting nice watches and at one time had about 4 Rolexes and 7 Panerai watches.

About 3 years ago, I started to shoot pool with a buddy of mine and that started the whole cue obession. I've refocused and scaled back on the cue collecting. I read some of my old comics from time to time. I have 3 Panerai watches left now, one that I gave to my brother. I've always concentrated on Japanese swords as I take a class for it, but I truly appreciate the artistry and these similarities are what I also find in cue collecting.
 
Hats.
Nothing really glamorous there. i just love hats. Maybe its to cover up my bald spot (or maybe they're causing my baldness?!?!).

Sneakers.
... but very specific sneakers. I like PUMA, ADIDAS, and very select Converse. I even have custom sneakers like Burberry PUMAs and Gucci Nike's. Why? I don't really know.

Watches.
Like Ricky, I used to be into watches. Gucci, Raymond Weil, Movado, Tag. Got rid of all of them. Only have one left. Its a one of a kind Movado. I'll probably sell that too because I never wear the thing. Why? Because I love watches I just hate wearing them.

Cues.
God! I love cues! In fact, I'm in debt because of some of the purchases I've made in this area. although ironically, sometimes, I make a stupid impulsive move and get rid of cues that I never should have!

That brings me to my last collection... debt!!!
 
For me it's cigars. I currently have somewhere near 3500. I conceed that they're a comsumable but they're also a collectible... kinda like wine. Both improve with age and are treasured by the collector until the time is right to consume them.

With respect to never hitting balls with a new custom, high-end cue... the best analogy that I can think of is never firing a brand new gun. A NIB (new in box) rifle or handgun is significantly more valuable to a collector than one that has been fired... and will bring a higher price when/if sold.
 
highlights

badabing said:
Its a sickness, started with sport cards, then toy trains and now cues.
Click to expand...

Ok now that we all owned up to our problems let's here some of the hights. What are the monster pieces some of you guys have owned, How bout some of those gems that got away.
For me
Micky Mantle R/C
JLA #1
as far as the gun question goes I'm a hand gun guy, mostly H&K, P7M8 being my carry piece Also have all the USP's.

Jim<----sick
 
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