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View Full Version : How long have you been collecting?



Matt
06-17-2007, 05:09 PM
Just wondering how long each of you has been collecting. :D

Randall Flagg
06-17-2007, 05:28 PM
Matt,
there is no choice for all of the above.:thumbsup:
Also, length of time collecting and frequency of collecting are two different issues.
P.S. possible poll selection choices:
<5 Years
5-10 Years
11-20 Years
21-30 Years
30+ Years

jhanic
06-17-2007, 05:54 PM
I started collecting science fiction and fantasy back about 1960 (before I graduated high school). I decided that I would like to own EVERY sf and fantasy book out there. I finally decided that was ridiculous, but before June of last year, I had somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 books, magazines, pulps and paperbacks in my collection. On June 22, 2006, while my wife and I were away on vacation, we had a very violent storm and my basement, where the vast majority of my collection was located, ended up with about 8" of water. This damaged more than half my collection. Luckily, my King collection, some very valuable pulp magazines (Weird Tales from 1926-1953) were upstairs and never touched. I am currently in the process of selling most of the remainder (except King and a few other items) via consignment.

If you meant when I started collecting King, I first was attracted to him when the paperback of The Shining came out. My first hardcover that I bought of his was Firestarter. I now have more than 375 King books (not including anthologies with King stories, magazine, etc., just King books) in my collection.

John

Matt
06-17-2007, 06:40 PM
Matt,
there is no choice for all of the above.:thumbsup:
Also, length of time collecting and frequency of collecting are two different issues.
P.S. possible poll selection choices:
<5 Years
5-10 Years
11-20 Years
21-30 Years
30+ Years

I love those ideas Jerome. I was setting it up as a test for what I was doing and couldn't think of anything :lol:

Feel totally free to edit it if you like. I am doing a "Collectors News" type page right now, planning a photo gallery add on for the actual collections and a ton of other stuff. :rock:

Collectors news page (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/cmps_index.php?page=collectors) <---Weird name for now

Randall Flagg
06-18-2007, 06:12 AM
I went ahead and changed it to a time question only.
I cleared the 2 existing votes, then voted myself.
Hopefully the 2 people who voted will please vote again.

Matt
06-18-2007, 06:15 AM
Thanks :D

Like I said, it was kind of a test and I hate doing tests for pages in hidden forums because google searches it. :lol:

What do you think of the page?

Randall Flagg
06-18-2007, 08:45 AM
The page looks cool.

Matt
06-18-2007, 09:08 AM
Why thank you sir :D

I bet myself to death on that over the weekend. The gallery is going to be a great home for the collections themselves I think.

All on the first year development train. :rock:

funky dredd
06-18-2007, 09:28 AM
I've actually only been collecting for about a year to a year and a half. Most of the King books I had were in paperback. I started moving to hardbacks because I needed glasses and I could no longer read the small print in paperbacks, the headaches were way to painfull to keep reading them in small print. So I set out to find the hardbacks to replace those paperbacks (this is where the bug bit me), at first most of them were pretty easy to find, but the more obscure titles was what really got me into collecting. But I was lucky enough to talk to the used book store owner in town and we really got to know each other pretty good and he has turned me on to some other people he knows and then my collection really took off. I really haven't sunk to much money into my collection other than the Gunslinger, DotT, Waste Lands and WaG which I saved up for almost a year to buy these all at once (family comes first for me). I have a few used books that don't even look like they were read or opened and I only paid anywhere from .99 cents to $7 (at the most). This one guy I talked to couldn't give me them fast enough, he said he felt dirty having SK books around and had no idea why his ex-wife even read SK. I just looked at him funny and proceeded to give him some money, we still talk and he keeps an eye out for me. I kind of thought he was just trying to get his wife back for leaving him, but that is farther than the truth, she told him to sell them, she never said for how much :D I still go to the used book store every saturday to see what the guy gets because he constantly looks for stuff for me and sometimes will find something for me. He's a really good guy and goes way out his way to help me find things, but he constantly talks to people all day long that love books, so I'm thankful I know him. I don't call myself a collector at all, because I don't buy the expensive stuff (Signed/Limiteds), I am sure that once I do my wife would really love me!

funky dredd
06-18-2007, 09:30 AM
I should note that I do not presently own anything signed. One day maybe...

Patrick
06-18-2007, 11:12 AM
I've read King for many years - probably started around 1982, maybe earlier, but I didn't keep track of the books I bought. Often they were lent to friends and never seen again - such as the compilation of the four Bachman books that is out of print.

I started reading the Dark Tower books in 1992.

I began collecting King's books in November 2004 when I started buying the S/Ls of the Dark Tower series.

oy-the-brave
06-18-2007, 01:12 PM
I started collecting in 1983/1984 when I purchased a first edition copy of the Gunslinger. I had been reading King since around 1975/1976.

Fsmdr
06-18-2007, 02:32 PM
I'm probably one of the shortest term collector around here and also Dt.net. Been only collecting for about 2 years. A few years back, I went to a friend's house and she mentioned with pride that her father owned a signed King book personally signed back in 79'.

That got me hunting around the web and soon enough stumbled on Bett's bookstore. I remembered thinking 'This guy is on crack!. He must be crazy to sell books at that price'. :unsure:

Now my King books count is around 200. Not much, but making so many great friends makes it all worth so much more.

Sir_Boomme
06-18-2007, 03:40 PM
i started reading king when my mom gave me a first edition hardback of carrie... back when it came out. that book and other early firsts went to the
2 4 1 second hand book store... darn i wish i had known then what i know now.
i started collecting king paperbacks in the mid 80's...mostly to read... but with the intent to own and read evey single king title there was. by 1991, it was my intent to own a hardback copy of every title... by 1995.... i was looking for all first edition hardbacks.... then in 1997, i by accident... while at the local mall waiting on a movie to start...ran across a slipcased gift copy of Insomnia (strangely at a store that dealt in signed sport's memorabilia) ... a new money pit was dug... and it's been getting deeper ever since.
my first really expensive purchase... in 1998... was a signed proof copy of carrie from betts (my first of many purchases from the stu master). that was an outragous 1200.00 purchase at the time... little did i know that would be a drop in one very big bucket.
coincidently...NOT... my limited and high dollar buys coincided with me graduating from college a second time (this time with an engineering degree rather than an art degree) and me getting hired as a computer chip design engineer.... money might not buy happiness... but it sure helps when you you've been bitten by a collecting bug. :dance: ha ha
note that gift insomnia edition i bought was bought 3 months before i graduated... i was working 3 nights a week as a DJ in a bar... earning 6 bucks an hour plus measily tips . the book cost 75.00 and was a LOT more expensive to me then, than the 2500.00 lettered green mile i bought just recently. i remember that i was late on rent... and had to really scrape by the entire next month after shelling out a goodly portion of my monthly income for a book... what was i thinking???? jeez louise

Dolan
06-18-2007, 06:12 PM
I have been collecting since 2002. My first book as a collector was an inscribed copy of King's From A Buick 8 which was also the first time I met King.

Now I have close to 1000 hardcover/signed editions/ etc...(not only King)

Matt
06-18-2007, 06:15 PM
Sounds like it could be an expensive habit. :lol:

Like golf, totally obsessive. That's how I am going to end up I think.

4 more years till the kids are gone. :D

NeedfulKings
06-18-2007, 06:45 PM
We all start somewhere. My collection started with pb's like a lot of you. Then, I'd collect a few HB first edition (We're talking mid 90s, so don't get excited!). :p It slowly started to grow until I found ebay about 2 years ago....and then it really took off!

My most satisfying finds usually come from a used book store or better yet, a thrift store. My 1st of Rage was $4 a couple of years ago. Aside from my $2 First Edition of To Kill A Mockingbird, that's my biggest bargain.

All in all, it's become more than a hobby. I don't even consider it an investment, because I won't sell off my main collection unless I get a better copy to replace it. :)

Fsmdr
06-19-2007, 08:01 AM
Now I have close to 1000 hardcover/signed editions/ etc...(not only King)

Where do you keep it, Dolan?. 1000 Hardcovers takes a LOT of space. Maybe you'd share pictures of your bookshelves?.

Matt
06-19-2007, 10:55 AM
I agree, I would love to see those because I can live vicariously through all of you. :lol:

Cutter
06-19-2007, 11:14 AM
I would say around 2000, is when I started collecting. I was an avid reader, and was really big into King in the 80’s. Although I dropped off the map for a while in the 90’s, college, etcetera, caused me to stop reading because I was just too busy. When I started getting back into reading in the late 90’s, is when I started going to only hardbacks, and then only First Editions, and it just went from there, to eventually Limited Editions. I would say around 2000 is probably when I started to learn about small press books, and it was probably a King book that was my first signed or Limited Edition, but I really have no idea what it was?

I don’t know how many books I own. A few thousand maybe, with about half being collectible, maybe more. Stephen King is by far the author I collect the most, but even his books “might” be a fifth of my collection. And to prove that I collect a lot of different authors here is a funny statement:

I am probably the only King collector who found out about Grant Books because they sold a book by Stephen R. Donaldson called Daughter of Regals (probably the most beautiful Grant book I own). Only because I was looking for that book, did I find out that they also published Stephen King/Dark Tower books. lol

Ari_Racing
06-20-2007, 04:43 AM
I've just "discovered" I'm getting old. :D
I'm 27...and I started collecting when I was 15 (Not S. King at this time, but other authors. I started with King when I was 19)(Yes...19....everything is tower related, even me :D :D).

Brice
06-20-2007, 05:55 AM
I've collected books around twelve years or so. I've collected Stephen King books about the same amount of time. My collection is a little over a thousand books with about a couple hundred being hardcover I would guess. About half of those are SK.

Candice Dionysus
06-20-2007, 11:17 AM
I started pretty much five years ago.

Mordred Deschain
07-02-2007, 04:51 PM
I started about 20 years ago. First book was The Hobbit, and it was an old copy.

Room 217 Caretaker
08-19-2007, 04:57 AM
I started collecting King after reading The Dead Zone.

After reading The Dead Zone, I revisited Carrie, Night Shift, The Shining & The Stand.

Started collecting everything I could get my hands on. Still have the original letter from King explaining why he did the 2nd edition of Gunslinger.

My favorite thing about King right now is the fantastic artwork that Whelan, Chadbourne, JK Potter, Rick Berry, Phil Hale, the list goes on.........that's been created from his work.

Ralph Mulleins
Cumberland VA

Patrick
08-22-2007, 07:52 PM
...
I am probably the only King collector who found out about Grant Books because they sold a book by Stephen R. Donaldson called Daughter of Regals (probably the most beautiful Grant book I own). Only because I was looking for that book, did I find out that they also published Stephen King/Dark Tower books. lol
:lol: Great anecdote. :thumbsup:

thecollector
10-03-2007, 09:32 AM
I've been buying/collecting books since I was 15, but I started seriously collecting King in 2001. That's when I got my first real job that paid more then 10 bucks an hour:thumbsup:

I soon grew frustrated with not being able to find out exactly what books were out there and how much they were worth. That's why I started my site.

Matt
10-03-2007, 09:34 AM
Great to see you here collector :rock:

Patrick
10-03-2007, 09:37 AM
Tomas! So glad to see you! :rock:

Randall Flagg
10-03-2007, 01:31 PM
Welcome Thomas.

Storyslinger
10-04-2007, 07:13 AM
Since I was 14, just lately had the money to get some serious shopping done

Randall Flagg
10-04-2007, 08:25 AM
Good for you. Having money and starting now is a good thing-it's a buyers market. Prices are lower on most things now than 5+ years ago.

Dolan
10-04-2007, 08:30 AM
But do you think that many of the items that collectors will want are available?

Well - maybe I am wrong because never (until now) had I seen a lettered Firestarter on eBay...

Randall Flagg
10-04-2007, 08:36 AM
I think that most things a beginning collector wants are readily available.

Patrick
10-04-2007, 08:40 AM
I agree. Heck, there are still books out there from time to time that I want but pass on bidding for. :(

wizardsrainbow
10-04-2007, 09:44 AM
I realized I voted in the poll but never posted!

I have been collecting for about 10 years but reading King for much longer than that. The first "collectible" King book I ever bought was a flawless original 1978 first edition of The Stand from Stu at Bett's Books. I remember distinctly paying $250 for it and thinking I must be crazy paying so much for a book.>< Now, I shudder as to how much $$ I have spent on my collection. Collecting King is a hobby that is never dull for me and offers the opportunity to learn something completely new on a fairly regular basis.

Randall Flagg
01-17-2008, 02:24 PM
Perhaps some of our newest members would care to vote and comment.

TerribleT
01-17-2008, 02:33 PM
I wouldn't even elevate what I do to the level of being called collecting. There are a few things that I'm working on. I've always wanted a decent set of hardcovers for the entire Dark Tower series, and a few other books.

jemaher
02-17-2008, 05:58 PM
King was my intro to book collecting. the dark tower intoduced me to the world of limited editions. I have now branched into collecting bradbury, faulkner, hemingway and mccarthy.... The obsession is spreading!

Patrick
02-17-2008, 10:55 PM
I wouldn't even elevate what I do to the level of being called collecting. There are a few things that I'm working on. I've always wanted a decent set of hardcovers for the entire Dark Tower series, and a few other books.
We all start somewhere, my friend. ;)


King was my intro to book collecting. the dark tower intoduced me to the world of limited editions. I have now branched into collecting bradbury, faulkner, hemingway and mccarthy.... The obsession is spreading!
Please consider starting a thread in the Collections subforum. I'd love to see your King and non-King collectible books. :thumbsup:

Cutter
02-18-2008, 09:03 AM
King was my intro to book collecting. the dark tower intoduced me to the world of limited editions. I have now branched into collecting bradbury, faulkner, hemingway and mccarthy.... The obsession is spreading!
obsession or disease? lol

It’s nice that you also collect Bradbury.

I honestly think Bradbury and King are the two greatest living American writers. Sure you can pull names like McCarthy out, but when you think about the sheer volume of work Bradbury and King have done, and how both of these writers have influenced just about everything in American culture today, you have to put these two on a pedestal.

Cloysterpete
02-18-2008, 11:13 AM
I'm a big SK fan but probably not a collector, I collect other items (statues lol) so I don't have a whole lot of funds so I can't afford the S/L's.

Since maybe 2005 i've been slowly trying to get a nice hardback edition of each of King's novels, i've got a few signed books and most of the semi-affordable gift editions and of course I pick up a 1st edition of his latest title.

Randall Flagg
02-18-2008, 11:27 AM
Excellent. Welcome to Calvin's Corner.

goheat
02-18-2008, 11:53 AM
Well, I've been a SK fan since the early 1980s, but I actually didn't procure what might be considered collectible until early in 2007 when I got a signed copy of Postscripts 10 (with Joe Hill signature also!). Then I purchased a first edition of The Dead Zone signed & dated 4/5/80 by Stephen King for $140 (I just had to replace the rather old dust jacket), and then the danger spread! :excited:

So far I have those two and:


Signed 1st/4th of Different Seasons
S/L The Ideal, Genuine Man by Don Robertson
Signed/Dated 1st/8th printing of Cujo
Signed 1st/1st of Lisey's Story
Signed 1st/1st paperback of Best American Short Stories 2007
S/L #428 of A Life in the Cinema by Mick Garris, intro by SK
Signed 1st/3rd of On Writing
Flat Signed 1st/1st British edition of Bag of Bones
Signed 1st/1st of Duma Key
S/L #628 of The Gunslinger Audio Cassette from 1989
Signed (on cover) 1st printing of It



Fortunately, I was able to get Best American Short Stories 2007 just by calling Harvard Book Store in advance of SK’s October 2007 appearance and pre-ordering it at cover price, and Duma Key at cover less 30% from Barnes and Noble in Sarasota by chance.

jhanic
02-18-2008, 12:02 PM
A nice collection so far!

John

idlewarnings
02-18-2008, 07:17 PM
I bought my first collectible when I was in 10th or 11th grade. I shelled out $200 for a first edition of The Gunslinger. This was in '87 or '88. If I remember correctly the seller advertised it in the classifieds of Castle Rock. I didn't think of it as a collectible at the time--it was just the only way I could get my hands on the book to read it. And I absolutely HAD to read it. Still have it. It's in mint condition. Worth every penny :)

Randall Flagg
02-18-2008, 07:44 PM
I bought my first collectible when I was in 10th or 11th grade. I shelled out $200 for a first edition of The Gunslinger. This was in '87 or '88. If I remember correctly the seller advertised it in the classifieds of Castle Rock. I didn't think of it as a collectible at the time--it was just the only way I could get my hands on the book to read it. And I absolutely HAD to read it. Still have it. It's in mint condition. Worth every penny :)

If you shelled out ~$200 for it and it is in mint condition, then it certainly is worth every penny-and about 70,000 more pennies
Congrats on a wise purchase, and careful handling of the book.

Randall Flagg
07-18-2008, 05:12 PM
Perhaps some of our newest members can answer the poll.

bangoskank1
07-18-2008, 05:23 PM
been collecting for about 25 years or so..I think maybe my prized possesion is the original screenplay to christine signed by the cast and director and some other peeps i dont know...and of course the master himself...

Ricky
07-18-2008, 05:59 PM
That's a pretty cool item! You must love it! Make sure you feed it and clothe it and tuck it in at night.

Randall Flagg
01-04-2009, 07:41 AM
Perhaps some of our newest members would care to answer the poll.

nt07077
01-04-2009, 07:59 PM
I'm just a infant in collecting, timewise. For me it's been about 3/4 of a year. But I first tried to read SK about 8 years ago when I was 10. I tried to read IT but couldn't get through it. Then earlier this year I picked it up and fell in love with King's writing. I started looking for all King's novels and all his short stories and the collecting bug bit me. Then I branched out to try to find copies of every nonfiction article he every wrote and by tomorrow I will be well over 80% of his work in my possesion. Not bad for my first year.....

at_one
01-04-2009, 08:53 PM
I have been a constant reader (kind of) since my aunt gave me a HC Skeleton Crew when I was the ripe age of 6. (My parents frowned on the idea and took it away from me like it was a porno.) She continued this practice every year at Christmas and so did my parent's....who knows, maybe they were closet collectors??? Anyways....the first book I was able to keep and FINALLY read was The Stand Uncut. My parent's figured I was old enough to distinguish between written stories and real life and I am sure it beat me sitting around playing video games all day. So, I was given all my previous presents and that year I read a lot. In the years to follow I read a lot of SK, usually in PB form. It was not until earlier this year, with the finding of this outstanding site via SKcollector.com, that I begun actually collecting SK. S/L's seem appealing, I can afford the gift editions....but I really seem to like the idea of ARC/ proof editions. Looking forward to collecting with a great group of people.....

Randall Flagg
09-03-2009, 09:12 AM
Perhaps some of our newest members would care to answer the poll.

Cloysterpete
09-03-2009, 02:53 PM
I'm not sure I would call myself a collector, maybe just an avid King reader.

I've been reading King for a few years now I read Salem's Lot when I was pretty young (9, 10?) but the first one I remember going out to buy was the serialized Green Mile paperbacks, I was staying at my mates for a few weeks at the time and we both went down and bought each part as it came out and read it as soon as we got back in. I was 13 and my mate used to read some HUGE books whereas all I didn't read so often, I enjoyed the book but it was far from an easy read for me i'll tell you!.

Can that really be 13 years ago?, holy hannah!.

So after that I slowly (extremely) started to pick up some of the paperbacks whenever I saw them, but it wasn't until I would say 2005 that I picked up each new King books in hardcover twice, one UK and one imported from the States, people think i'm mad for doing that but everyone on here knows thats nothing at all compared to some of the super collector's on here!.

Today I still only have around 40 hardcover in the 'collection' and certain aspects of collecting still hold no appeal for me, proofs are not my thing and I also don't give a jot for whether a book is 1st, 2nd or 10th printing, thats just irrelevant to me. All I care about when i'm buying a book I probably already own in some form is having a lovely designed book that looks great on my shelf!, so while I can't afford the S/L's etc I still have some nice books like the GE's of Buick, Desperation, Insomnia and things like SofD and Easton Press Dead Zone. I also have my signed copies which are special to me as they were signed in person at the London Lisey's signings.

Next buys for me are Bev's new book, Little Sisters Gift Edition (if it's not sold out by the time I get round to ordering it) then the UK&US Under the Dome.

My aim for the coming year is to fill as many gaps in my hardcover King titles as possible, still plently I don't have!. Really though I would just be happy to get a nice condition hardcover of DT III&IV, just not the expensive 1sts lol.

My other goal is to keep on with trying to get others reading King my brother came with me (actually he invited himself because I didn't even consider asking him to come lol) to the London signing but he had never read a King book in his life, in the two years since i've got him to read Carrie, Salem's and Green Mile, i've only been semi-successful though because I did have to buy the books to give to him!.

I'm hoping for better luck with my workmate, i've been yapping on about SK to him for ages now but I never expected him to read any, or any books at all for that matter. So imagine my surprise the other day when he started texting me saying he's at the car-boot sale and asking if James Herbert is any good and what King books would I recommend etc, well he only went and bought six King books in one fell swoop lol. He just started on the first (Desperation) yesterday.

Talking of car-boot sales they rock!, I got a mint copy of Duma Key hardcover (rrp £18.99) there for 50p this weekend!.

SkippyD023
09-03-2009, 04:02 PM
I have only really been "collecting" books (SK) for the last 3 or 4 years. I read my first King book about 25 years ago when a friend of my parents gave me a paperback copy of Different Seasons, I just loved it and wanted to read more of his books. I would usually go to the discount paperback book stores and pick up the paperback copies for about 50 cents each and read those. Then I slowly started to get the hardcovers as they came out but never really considered it collecting. I then decided to start replacing my paperbacks with hardcovers and now I am trying to replace the hardcovers with first editions. When I first started replacing the HC's I still wasn't thinking of myself as a collector and wasn't really concerned about 1st editions or not, I just wanted the HC copy.

I think me becoming a real "collector" started when I stumbled upon an ad for the upcoming Secretary of Dreams (vol. 1) from CD. I went to their website and really liked the looks of that book so I ordered it (and waited over a year to get it ... but that's for another thread) and then saw From Buick 8 (which was sold out many years before I visited the site) and from there just started to look into more of the limited edition books that were out there and my collection has been growing ever since. I haven't really taken the plunge into the more expensive S/L's yet, there are some I would really, really like but it is tough to spend 1k+ on a single book so I just dream about those. I did finally pick up my first Signed SK book this year "He Is Legend" and hope to add an S/L copy of "Under The Dome" as well.

I would like to start adding some the UK books and have thought about proofs as well. We will see what the future holds. Anything with a King story in it, or King related I try to add to my collection. It seems to be growing everyday and I always need to find new places to put things.......

Eric719691
09-03-2009, 04:17 PM
I started reading King books when I was 12, first book was Firestarter and went from there. I read every book that was released all through high school and kept all of my hardcover first editions in my room. When I joined the military 20 years ago it was very hard with all of the moves storing books and moving with them. To make a long story short, while on deployment in 1994 I placed all my books (about 25 first editions) in storage. I returned to find out that everything had gotten wet and was ruined. In the last 5 years, I have been starting to collect again buying every first edition I can get my hands on along with any special edition that I can find. Currently have 122 Stephen King books along with a few books about King. I have also been able to get my hands on a few signed books by other authors and have now started to get my 11 year old daughter interested in collecting.

pixiedark76
09-03-2009, 04:43 PM
5 to 10 years.

I started collecting SK paperbacks back in 2002. I also bought the hardbacks whenever a new one was released. Then I wanted to have all the hardback books so I got them through Double Day book club. Then I decided I wanted to have 1st editions. I started searching on the internet and in used bookstores.

Within the last 2 years I became interested in limited editions from Cemetery Dance and Donald M. Grant. This is when I became a "serious" collector. I now try to find rare books by Stephen King. I have some signed artist editions (Little Sisters of Eluria; Dark Tower 7.)
My collecting habit has become very expensive this past year. And I am afraid it is only going to get worse!

frik
09-04-2009, 08:45 AM
Let's see now...this is going back a couple of years.....
I started collecting books when I was about 15, 16. Lovecraft, Bloch, Robert E. Howard, Derleth...etc. Mainly short story horror collections.
Agatha Christie and Alistair McLean were also favorites.

Then, in 1975, I saw Carrie and decided to read the book......or did I read the book first? I don't really remember. A couple of years later I read The Stand and that was the moment I decided to collect SK.
Still going strong after some 34 years.....

sk

Randall Flagg
06-29-2010, 08:59 AM
Bump for newer members.

LineofEld
06-29-2010, 09:17 AM
I'm not sure what truly constitutes a collector. I buy every SK hardback book I can lay my hands on at reasonable prices (there are other series that I do this with-- Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, Bartimaeus), but I don't have anything special. Nothing signed, nothing first edition... really nothing exciting. Hmmm... :(

Lenny
06-29-2010, 03:37 PM
I'm not sure what truly constitutes a collector. I buy every SK hardback book I can lay my hands on at reasonable prices (there are other series that I do this with-- Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, Bartimaeus), but I don't have anything special. Nothing signed, nothing first edition... really nothing exciting. Hmmm... :(

But they are exciting to you. If they didn't bring you joy you wouldn't be buying them. That's what collecting is all about. It's not how much your collection is worth on ebay but how much it is worth to you.

jhanic
06-29-2010, 05:03 PM
Well said!

John

LineofEld
06-29-2010, 09:01 PM
Well thank you Lenny and jhanic. I guess I've been feeling a little out of place seeing what everyone has in their collections. :scared:

biomieg
06-29-2010, 10:49 PM
No need to. A good example is my 'subcollection' of UK paperbacks by publisher NEL. Altough many people like the way they look I'm probably the only one here who gets a kick out of actually collecting them. There are others who like promotional items. Many people love signed/limiteds. Others are happy with simply having a 'hardcover' of every title, never mind if it's a first printing or not.

You can't go wrong if you simply follow your instincts.

Dolso
06-30-2010, 02:23 PM
The only problem I have with following my instincts is that it keeps me broke all the time..... I see something I want & my 'instincts' kick in! :drool:

WeDealInLead
06-30-2010, 04:01 PM
I wouldn't say I'm "collecting", but buying books that are nicely done. Quality books that mean something to me on a personal level. Books like Carrie, Cujo and Firestarter didn't do anything for me and I won't buy the signed editions just because they're signed editions. SK's name on a book is completely meaningless to me. Signed Carrie 1st looks exactly like the unsigned copy of the same book and I understand why collectors would pay top dollar for a signed version, but to me, there has to be something that stands out about the book: extra artwork, slipcase etc. Like I said, I understand why collectors go ga-ga over signed books but they're definitely not for me. Another example: US version of the UTD was laughable. Absolute shit. I bought the UK version because they actually did something nice for a limited.

Another thing holding me back from going all out and buying that The Stand coffin is (no, not money, my wife and I do OK) it's not practical. I'd rather spend that kind of money on a nice Gibson Les Paul Standard (I did), or a van (seriously, I bought a van for my band for the money I set aside for 'Salem's Lot) or put out my band's record (I did). It comes down to having pieces or art sitting in a bookcase or having tools that allow me to create my own art.

I REALLY don't want anyone to get offended, that's just my thoughts on collecting. I collect records so I know what it feels like when you track down your holy grail(s). All this being said, my pride & joy is The Gunslinger 1st/1st, The Stand 1st/1st and the gift edition of 'Salem's Lot w/ extra prints and traycase. On the want list are the gift edition of The Talisman/Black House and The Dead Zone on Easton. Nicely done books that clicked with me on an emotional level.

jhanic
06-30-2010, 05:06 PM
Talisman/Black House from Grant (https://secure.grantbooks.com/z-sk-talisman-bh.html)

John

biomieg
06-30-2010, 09:53 PM
WeDealInLead, I feel exactly the same way about signed books (I thought I was the only one). Nice choice for a guitar by the way :) does your band have a website? I've been playing the guitar for over twenty years and I haven't played in a band for a long time, but lately, I'm feeling 'the urge' again.

WeDealInLead
07-01-2010, 12:48 PM
Thanks jhanic. I'll keep an eye on it. I'm actually waiting for Phil Hale to sign more editions of TDOT and that's when I'll place a bigger order. I remember seeing somewhere that he'll be signing more in August.

Biomieg, the website is http://myspace.com/thexproof It's hardcore punk and I'm warning you, that stuff is an acquired taste.

Sir_Boomme
07-01-2010, 01:22 PM
Thanks jhanic. I'll keep an eye on it. I'm actually waiting for Phil Hale to sign more editions of TDOT and that's when I'll place a bigger order. I remember seeing somewhere that he'll be signing more in August.

Biomieg, the website is http://myspace.com/thexproof It's hardcore punk and I'm warning you, that stuff is an acquired taste.


ha ha.... like i can taste after that... it burned my taste buds off :scared:....
such an old fuddy duddy i am...:dance:

ur2ndbiggestfan
07-01-2010, 02:32 PM
I think the collecting bug bit me when I bought THE GRAY PRINCE by Jack Vance in 1974, although I was unconsciously collecting before that, tracking down every book I could find by Philip Jose Farmer or Vance (my two all-time favorite authors). I resisted collecting King because I had enough authors to collect at the time and didn't need another one! BUT, I bought a used paperback copy of Dark Forces, read THE MIST and was instantly hooked! So I began searching for King's books, luckily getting his first 5 books in US and UK hardcovers for the going price back then of $35 to $45 each. Since then, I've passed up some great bargains, but I now collect King more then my other author's, since many of them have stopped writing or are deceased.
I agree with Biomeg about signatures. I'd rather have a rare mint condition first edition then one that's been handled and abused by some author scribbling his name in it. (That's satirical, so don't get your dander up!)

Randall Flagg
06-15-2011, 06:37 AM
Bump for our new members.

Merlin1958
06-18-2011, 06:54 PM
I have been "collecting" for many, many years. However, while I have been a "constant reader" of Sai King for 30+ years, I have only been "collecting" his work for 10+ years, for whatever that is worth. I began my "collecting" obsession with art and moved onto books around the turn of the century.

Garrell
06-18-2011, 07:18 PM
I started collecting SK with my first read, a Salem's Lot 1st/1st that my stepmother bought in late 76, I was 12 years old. Lost my little collection when I joined USMC in 83 and started the second collection around 86 when I got back to US. Lost it in a divorce in 93. My current and by far better collection has been going on since 93. Didn't get my first signed SK 'til earlier this year, only have 2 at this time. Working on getting my last 1st/1st's, eight more needed, then going for S/L only. I can say that since 1980, I have bought every SK book released the day it first came out.:rock:

Shannon
06-18-2011, 07:46 PM
I officially became a collector on December 2nd, 2010.

ur2ndbiggestfan
06-19-2011, 03:26 AM
I've probably already posted this, but I consider the collecting 'bug' to have bitten me in 1974 when I bought the 1st edition hardcover of THE GRAY PRINCE by Jack Vance hot off the bookstore's new release table. So that makes it only 37 years so far. I just wish all those bookstores were still around like they used to be.

biomieg
06-19-2011, 03:39 AM
I was born in 1974! I've been buying books for a long time and sort of followed a natural progression from getting second-hand Dutch paperbacks to English-language hardcover editions but I would say I really started collecting after finding a list of 1st edition King book covers online and logging in on eBay for the first time. This was probably around six years ago and I have learned a lot since then, especially from the collectors on this site.

I have sold a lot over the past two years, all my Dutch King books and also a good number of proofs. I'm trimming my collection down to the bare essentials and I'm upgrading a bunch of books to at least NF condition. Once I'm done it will be full speed ahead again.

Randall Flagg
08-20-2011, 08:24 AM
New members, please chime in.

Randall Flagg
01-20-2012, 06:42 PM
New members, please chime in.
Again.

Merlin1958
01-20-2012, 07:14 PM
New members, please chime in.
Again.

Really!! I know there a few folks out there that could weigh in. "Skyofcrack, Bdwyer19?....You know who you are!!!!

bdwyer19
01-21-2012, 05:20 AM
Yep, I know who I am!! Here goes... I've been reading Stephen King for a good 25 years (am 39 now). The first book I read was Salem's Lot, and loved how absolutely terrifying it was (and started my love of horror movies too). I became an avid King reader immediately, and started buying more and more books. Before I knew it, I had a pretty solid collection of 1st edition hardcovers, which continued to grow over the years. It wasn't until a few years ago (after I earned a little extra cash after a successful Vegas trip!!) that I decided it was time to get my first SK signed book, which turned out to be a PC copy of The Colorado Kid. And from that point on, the bug had officially bit me. I've added a few more S/Ls the past few years, and someday I just might actually see a S/L Salem's Lot on my bookshelf.

needfulthings
01-21-2012, 12:33 PM
Looks like it was 1958 Hell I had to it was a COLLECTOR'S EDITION. http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/1962/img937g.jpg

Merlin1958
01-21-2012, 05:19 PM
I just realized, here I am extolling posts in this thread and I failed to post one myself! LOL So here goes................. I have been reading King since 1975, starting with "The Shining". Worked my way back and have anxiously awaited every publication since (except Faithful). I was tortured by the ebb and flow of "DT" books and did not begin serious collecting until the late 90's. I forget the exact year. I am a veteran of TDT.Net and ultimately this absolutely wondeful site and community. I go a little overboard with the Haven Fundraiser each year and work very closely with Dolso on the "Case Art Editions" we developed. I am great friends with Dolso, RF and Ben Staad as well as a host of other wonderful members.

How's that?

The Library Policeman
01-21-2012, 06:43 PM
I just realized, here I am extolling posts in this thread and I failed to post one myself! LOL So here goes................. I have been reading King since 1975, starting with "The Shining". Worked my way back and have anxiously awaited every publication since (except Faithful). I was tortured by the ebb and flow of "DT" books and did not begin serious collecting until the late 90's. I forget the exact year. I am a veteran of TDT.Net and ultimately this absolutely wondeful site and community. I go a little overboard with the Haven Fundraiser each year and work very closely with Dolso on the "Case Art Editions" we developed. I am great friends with Dolso, RF and Ben Staad as well as a host of other wonderful members.

How's that?

We own a Ltd edition together. Now THAT'S close! lol

Merlin1958
01-21-2012, 06:49 PM
I just realized, here I am extolling posts in this thread and I failed to post one myself! LOL So here goes................. I have been reading King since 1975, starting with "The Shining". Worked my way back and have anxiously awaited every publication since (except Faithful). I was tortured by the ebb and flow of "DT" books and did not begin serious collecting until the late 90's. I forget the exact year. I am a veteran of TDT.Net and ultimately this absolutely wondeful site and community. I go a little overboard with the Haven Fundraiser each year and work very closely with Dolso on the "Case Art Editions" we developed. I am great friends with Dolso, RF and Ben Staad as well as a host of other wonderful members.

How's that?

We own a Ltd edition together. Now THAT'S close! lol

LOL Yes that is true, and you were, of course, a member of that "host" I spoke of!!! Alan, was kind enough to donate to "The Shriner's" Hospital, who had so supported and helped Michael Bender (My Nephew) over the years, as an honorarium for me being his proxy for the S/L of 11/22/63. He never batted an eye!!! Just another wonderful member of this community!!!!

He's a very "Good" man, if anyone was wondering!!!

The Library Policeman
01-21-2012, 06:54 PM
And it was an honour to donate, Bill. A wonderful cause.

Garrell
01-21-2012, 08:24 PM
Course he is, all Scots are:biggrin:

Randall Flagg
05-25-2012, 10:43 AM
Newcomers-please answer the poll and chime in if you so desire.

Greg
05-25-2012, 11:15 AM
Chiming away. The first King book I read was IT in 1986, at age 16 and was instantly hooked. Worked my way through everything I could lay my hands on but my first big purchase came years later when I landed a 1st Gunslinger from a guy in Nottingham via the Book Collector mag in England. This was in '93ish and when I saw it listed in the mag for sale I contacted the seller only to get his wife, I made her promise that she was not to let that book go to anyone else under any circumstances, I must have come across as a real headcase because I was so stoked at finding a fine 1st of a Gunslinger due to the fact that they were as rare as rockinghorse shit in the UK. Bearing in mind this was before the wonders of t'interweb so it was furious negotiation over the phone etc.. I received the book ( which is still with me )and that's when it all began. I have bought much and I have sold much but what I now own is what I treasure. Cheers.

Stockerlone
05-26-2012, 10:28 AM
I've been reading Stephen King for 25+ years. The first SK book I read was ... think Carrie?
I became an avid King reader immediately, and started buying all German books.
Later i start with SK promo Stuff and sig lim SK books, my first lim was ES EDITION PHANTASIA and my first s/l was Dolan´s Cadillac.
I also collect a lot of other authors, Ray Bradbury, Joe Hill, R.B. Parker, Tolkien, several German authors and s/l anthologies.

Dan
05-26-2012, 11:45 AM
I have been an avid reader for a while, but didn't really start collecting until about November of 2011. I have now found that I buy at least two copies of a book. A nice one (first edition, s/l, collectors edition, ect.) and a reading copy (usually paperback, book club or later printing). I have always been a collector of something or other since I was a kid. I've gone from baseball cards, hockey cards, guns, musical instruments, coins now to books and a smaller degree comics of King And Hill. I frequent several bookstores every week and love the thrill of finding something I don't have or is just an all around great deal. I also have intentions of reading every book I purchase. I'm just not sure at this point if that's possible.

Pasiuk57
05-26-2012, 04:00 PM
It's been about 30 years-first book I read were Pet Cemetery and IT. I've bought a few proofs, signed limiteds etc etc in the following years! I've met some really great people during this time. I've been hooked ever since.

Brice
05-26-2012, 04:02 PM
Wow! 30 years and still haven't read the dt series. You should probably consider doing that.

Pasiuk57
05-26-2012, 06:45 PM
I just loved listening to them all on audio books!

Randall Flagg
01-19-2013, 05:28 PM
New members, please indicate and comment...or not.

ChristineB
01-20-2013, 10:31 AM
Not so new, but never saw this thread *shrug*.

I picked <5 years since that is when I really started seriously collecting his books, but I have been a constant reader since '88-89 (no I don't remember exactly which year it was I bought that 11th printing pb of IT and stayed up with all the lights on in the house many nights in a row reading it). In the early '90s I found the Stephen King Library book club and promptly joined up, at that time I was unaware of bce/1/1/s/l/gift/artist edition concepts, I just wanted the books, I loved reading his stuff. In the late '90s I had to stop the subscription due to hard times. So I consider myself to actually have collected for more like 20yrs, and I have shelves and shelves of bce/pb's to prove it. hehe

mcdonaldj
01-20-2013, 11:23 AM
http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/733/medium/Gunslinger6.JPG

On 09/23/11 my collecting began when Mr. King personalized a book for my brother-in-law who had recently passed. I bought the 1/1 Gunslinger for my wife as a gift on the 1-year anniversary since it is her favorite book and they both loved to read S.K. I remember being shocked at how much a Gunslinger 1/1 went for. Not long after that, the S/L edition of IT came out by CD and since it was my favorite book and there was already a signed book in the bookcase...

My only regret is that when I met Mr. King in VA I did not take the dozens of times read, dog eared, cover ripped off copy of IT I first read as a 14-year old kid. It was the only book I literally stopped reading because it scared me. At the time I was too embarassed to take a torn up copy, but it would have the most personal value to me.

TwistedNadine
01-21-2013, 08:50 AM
Thats a great inscription Thanks for sharing

Randall Flagg
06-30-2014, 01:21 PM
Bumped for newer members to respond to the poll.

Jud Crandall
07-01-2014, 08:23 AM
I'd say I began collecting sometime in 2010, with the S/L Under the Dome. Or when Blockade Billy came out, whichever came first. Before then I had no idea the scope of editions available, from magazine 1st appearances to lavish signed limiteds. I'm not too hardcore about it, but I get what I can afford or what interests me personally.

ajw2910
07-01-2014, 09:30 AM
I've been collecting for a long time since I never get rid of any of my books, but probably really started getting more serious when I bought the 1st edition of The Drawing of the Three back in 1987. That got me looking more at first editions which then led to S/L's. Not sure when I got my first S/L, but I now have a bunch from many different authors. It's a sickness..........

jhanic
07-01-2014, 11:57 AM
It's a sickness..........

Who let the secret out??? :evil:

John

ke7285
07-01-2014, 01:52 PM
My first collectable was The Gunslinger, bought at a bookstore in Portland, Me in 1983. Was already a fan of Stephen King and this was a book I had not seen or heard of sent in the postcard to get on DMG's mailing list rest is history. Still have the book, best $20 I've spent!!! Wish I would have spent a little more for the s/l back then.

Randall Flagg
05-06-2015, 04:34 PM
New members? Please respond.

amd013
05-06-2015, 06:24 PM
I guess its subjective, but I would say I made the conscious decision in July 2014. (that's when I started searching ebay to buy 1st/1sts I didn't already own). I have been trying to buy 1st/1st's of SK since Misery (although I didn't really know anything about printings, just wanted to get the books as soon as they came out, before the paperbacks). My first collectible was Secretary of Dreams, which I happened to see on Amazon when searching for King books to make sure nothing came out while I wasn't paying attention. My order was canceled as they couldn't fulfill it, so I learned about Cemetery Dance and ordered from them. I then preordered SOD 2 when that was announced (was a little miffed that I didn't receive it for another 3 years)

killjoy72
05-07-2015, 05:46 AM
Hi. My name is James, and I have a problem...

I ran across a hardcover (BCE, of course) of Misery in an antique store roughly ten years ago. And that was the one that awoke something inside of me. I had read it before when I was younger, maybe at the age of 10-12, along with other classic King books from the encouragement of my Mom (a pretty big King fan in her day!). It was a fantastic read, and I wanted more. I've been collecting comics since I was a kid, so now moving over to 1st edition hardcovers was a pretty simple adjustment. I soon after discovered Tomas' SK Collector site, which paved the way for me to start seriously, and knowledgeably, collecting. This was way before I had an iPhone, so I printed out the Identifying US First Editions page and carried it around with me everywhere I went, just in case.

It was only a matter of time; LSOE in '09 began my gift edition collection, and the George Mason event in 2011 began my autograph collection. I finally completed my US 1st edition collection with Rage earlier this year, and am now focusing on UK 1sts (up to IT) and signed books.

jsmcmullen92
05-07-2015, 05:58 AM
Hi. My name is James, and I have a problem...

Hi James....


I ran across a hardcover (BCE, of course) of Misery in an antique store roughly ten years ago. And that was the one that awoke something inside of me. I had read it before when I was younger, maybe at the age of 10-12, along with other classic King books from the encouragement of my Mom (a pretty big King fan in her day!). It was a fantastic read, and I wanted more. I've been collecting comics since I was a kid, so now moving over to 1st edition hardcovers was a pretty simple adjustment. I soon after discovered Tomas' SK Collector site, which paved the way for me to start seriously, and knowledgeably, collecting. This was way before I had an iPhone, so I printed out the Identifying US First Editions page and carried it around with me everywhere I went, just in case.

It was only a matter of time; LSOE in '09 began my gift edition collection, and the George Mason event in 2011 began my autograph collection. I finally completed my US 1st edition collection with Rage earlier this year, and am now focusing on UK 1sts (up to IT) and signed books.

Theli
05-07-2015, 01:36 PM
I went with less than 5 years. While I've always collected books since I can remember, starting with Goosebumps when I was a wee tot. I used to only get trade editions, some hardcovers, but lots of paperbacks, didn't know or care about printings. However I only started getting limited edition books around 2012.

Randall Flagg
05-18-2020, 12:29 PM
New members, please answer the poll, and feel free to post a comment.

MikeDuke
05-18-2020, 12:54 PM
I have been a King fan since I was 13 but I started to collect in, I think 2004.

wizardsrainbow
05-18-2020, 03:09 PM
My first book purchased was an original Stand from Stu at Betts...I still have the book but the receipt ink has totally faded to nothing! Pretty sure I bought it for $250 at the time (I believe this was 1985)...so a collector for 35 years? YIKES!

Ari_Racing
05-19-2020, 12:41 PM
I've just "discovered" I'm getting old. :D
I'm 27...and I started collecting when I was 15 (Not S. King at this time, but other authors. I started with King when I was 19)(Yes...19....everything is tower related, even me :D :D).

Now I'm 40, so it's been 21 years.

Wow.

amd013
05-19-2020, 12:53 PM
wow the thread was started 13 years ago, so a lot of the answers have changed since then. perhaps an updated poll with "when" instead of "how long", since it wouldn't be relative to when you answered.

Dr. Dawg
05-19-2020, 01:18 PM
I think I started collecting around 2004 or 2005 with a S/L of Black House (still one of my favorite editions despite it's high limitation). In 2012-13, I sold off my collection and started easing back in 2-3 years ago. My biggest regrets from that sell off are letting go of my IT S/L and the CP Salem's Lot gift edition in Collectors Traycase with prints... I think it was a relatively down market at that time too.

Randall Flagg
05-19-2020, 02:25 PM
wow the thread was started 13 years ago, so a lot of the answers have changed since then. perhaps an updated poll with "when" instead of "how long", since it wouldn't be relative to when you answered.
I think I can "strip" the poll and start a new one without losing all of the comments.
What verbiage, choices would you suggest?

amd013
05-19-2020, 02:52 PM
wow the thread was started 13 years ago, so a lot of the answers have changed since then. perhaps an updated poll with "when" instead of "how long", since it wouldn't be relative to when you answered.
I think I can "strip" the poll and start a new one without losing all of the comments.
What verbiage, choices would you suggest?

When did you start collecting:

pre 70's
70's
80's
90-95
95-99
2000-2005
2005-2010
2010-2015
2015-2020
post 2020

Just a suggestion.

Randall Flagg
05-19-2020, 03:31 PM
I can do it, but we lose all 144 previous selections, and start from scratch.

Patrick
05-19-2020, 03:53 PM
I've read King for many years - probably started around 1982, maybe earlier, but I didn't keep track of the books I bought. Often they were lent to friends and never seen again - such as the compilation of the four Bachman books that is out of print.

I started reading the Dark Tower books in 1992.

I began collecting King's books in November 2004 when I started buying the S/Ls of the Dark Tower series.
Glad I answered the question 13 years ago - not certain I’d remember now.

lotuz
05-19-2020, 05:38 PM
I can do it, but we lose all 144 previous selections, and start from scratch.

How about a new thread?

This one is really neat and I liked reading it (especially people re-responding after 13 years!), but I am also curious about when other people started collecting.

It would also be interesting to see how the collecting demographics of this community have changed since its inception. For example, the current poll has <5 years and 11-20 years as the most common response. All those same people would now be 11-20 or 21-30 years! How many "newer" (<5 year) collectors are here now?

Fun stuff! :sharepopcorn:

Randall Flagg
05-19-2020, 06:19 PM
I can do it, but we lose all 144 previous selections, and start from scratch.

How about a new thread?

This one is really neat and I liked reading it (especially people re-responding after 13 years!), but I am also curious about when other people started collecting.

It would also be interesting to see how the collecting demographics of this community have changed since its inception. For example, the current poll has <5 years and 11-20 years as the most common response. All those same people would now be 11-20 or 21-30 years! How many "newer" (<5 year) collectors are here now?

Fun stuff! :sharepopcorn:
So start a new poll and thread! I empower you.

lotuz
05-20-2020, 10:07 AM
As a relatively new member, at least compared to a lot of folks here, I had never seen the older "How long have you been collecting" thread. It was really neat to see the people who had originally responded 13 years ago respond again.

Someone mentioned that we should start the poll again, perhaps using the calendar year that one started collecting as the response, compared to just telling us how many years. I think it will be interesting to compare the poster demographics between now and 13 years ago, and I am also interested in hearing people's stories of how they started collecting, and how their collecting habits have changed over time, or not.

I'll start. As usual this is probably going to be pretty wordy - please feel free to tell your own story in as much or little detail as you like :)

I, like most people here, have always been a reader, so I've always had lots of books around. It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment when I became a collector instead of just a book-buyer, because it happened over the period from 2008-2012.

In 2008 I was living in San Francisco, having moved there after finishing my undergraduate degree in a different part of the country. It seemed like everyone there was a reader. This was before smart phones, and you could get on any bus or any train and find people nose-deep in books. One nice secondary effect of this was that the thrift stores all had huge book sections to look through. Another nice effect of this was that there was a thriving used book store scene at that time - there were probably a dozen high quality independent bookstores sprinkled throughout the city - most general, some niche, all awesome. Some days, after work, I'd drop by a couple of thrift stores and see if they had any books I could pick up. They were cheap, too - usually $0.50-$1 for paperbacks and $1-$2 for hardcovers. And often there were clearance sales for $0.10-$0.25 just to empty the shelves and make more room.

After some time, I started to see patterns in what was in each of the thrift stores, and what was in the used book stores, and worked out pretty well which books I could pick up in the thrift store for $1 and sell to the used bookstores for $3-4. At first I just used this cycle to buy books from the book stores that I wanted to read but that never showed up at thrift stores. Eventually, this became a regular ritual: on days when I had to work, I'd check out the thrift stores around my job and hunt for books. On days off, I'd go to other thrift stores in the city. And probably once a week or so I'd take all my finds on the bus in big shopping bags and I would start at my favorite used book store (Aardvark, books, who just finally closed in 2019) and make my way through the Mission to Adobe Books (closed), then Forest (moved to Japantown then maybe closed), then Borderlands (still around), then Dog-Eared (still around), and then to Community Thrift on Valencia to donate whichever books I didn't manage to sell or get store credit for.

By probably 2010, I had acquired enough credit to start getting the nice, much more expensive, first editions that the used book stores carried, and that was probably the "real" beginning of my collecting. Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for the literary scene as a whole, at this point some of the small used book stores were starting to buckle. It wasn't actually super fortunate for me - I'd have preferred to keep my book scouting and book buying going on indefinitely - but it did provide me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to amass a very nice first edition collection (of general American Lit from the 1940's onward, as well as genre collecting like horror and sci-fi) for very, very cheap (considering my only real expenditures were $0.10-$2.00 books). I scored some absolutely killer deals, both at the thrift stores (a first edition For Whom The Bell Tolls for $0.25, a first edition, second printing of A Confederacy of Dunces for $1) and the used book stores (a pristine first edition Rabbit, Run for $30, etc.).

The first big shift in my collecting happened in 2012. I really like the novel American Psycho and I saw on Amazon, of all places, that there was a publisher called Centipede Press that was going to release a new version. At that point, other than a few random books at Borderlands, I had no real idea that there was a whole group of publishers out there putting out high quality books, with signatures, at that!

At first I just dipped my toe in the S/L pool – a book here and there from the Centipede Press newsletter, and every once in awhile something from the back catalog. Not only did I love the production values, but the books themselves were great! Some classic genre fiction, to be sure, but a lot of titles that I had never heard of before. My first introduction to Tim Powers was when CP announced that they would be producing The Anubis Gates – I immediately ordered a used paperback copy and have been loving Tim Powers ever since. John Farris, James Herbert, R.A. Lafferty – I like to think I would have come across them sooner or later, but CP really sped things up.

From 2012 to about 2017 I was still collecting a mix of stuff. Too much stuff! Anything that seemed remotely interesting, or a bargain, and was within my limited but growing budget. Right in the middle of that, in 2015, I moved, and at that time I had roughly ~2500 books in my collection. However, that included both my "collection" books, and my "reading" books, which were clearly becoming two separate collections.

The second big shift occurred in 2017 with a confluence of several events. I had been finding these forums pretty regularly in my google searches for rare S/L books (I can't tell you how many times it ended up at one of Bob's posts). I also was realizing, super late, I know!, that King had so, so many good S/L editions. And the third, and most important game changer, was reading an article about something called Dragon Rebound Editions, who were working on a version of Firestarter made from burned wood boards! Whoa!

These three things combined to awaken a Kondo-esque collector in me. Of all the books I had, which ones made me the happiest? Turns out it was largely the S/L books in my collection! Those were the books that brought me the most satisfaction. These were the books that I could just hold in my hand and feel happy about looking at. That's when I started to notice all the little parts - headbands, endpapers, paper quality, etc. - that made up the whole of a nicely produced book. The first editions still had a grip, but only if it was the first edition of a novel I really actually liked! This started a massive shift as I began to sell the first editions that were fun to have, but that I didn't actually spend any time with (sorry, Hemingway!). I got rid of a huge chunk of firsts in 2017-2018, and still let them go occasionally. I used the money, as well as my growing adult-person income to hunt out the S/Ls from a couple of publishers that I especially like. These are now the main focus of my collecting, along with the occasional first edition.

As far as King goes, I've said before that he's not a major focus of my collecting. But he still gets outsized attention compared to most other authors. I have copies of almost all of his books in my "reading" stash, and I do collect his first edition books, though I have not spent too much time at this point trying to track down the older titles that I'm missing. But he has some absolutely beautiful S/L that I'm proud to own, and I do try to hunt down all the interesting copies & proofs & limiteds of my favorite earlier works: IT, The Stand, and Eyes of the Dragon. This is all done relatively piece-meal, as I try to find room and budget in between keeping up with my favorite small press publishers (Suntup Editions and Centipede Press, followed by Zagava, Egaeus, and Swan River Press, and a few nicely produced titles from Sub Press and the rare Cemetery Dance book here and there).

All this said, I'm gonna say that I stared to become a "collector" at some point between 2010 and 2012, so about a decade now.

I'm very curious to hear everyone else's story!!

Note: I'm intentionally keeping the question vague. If "collecting" to you is when you started buying mass market paperbacks to read for fun but couldn't bear to part with them, great! It could mean first editions, or S/L, or whatever it means to you when you think of yourself as a "collector".

webstar1000
05-20-2020, 10:25 AM
HARD CORE.. about 8 years I think. BUT have been a collector of King since 92' when I got a beat up copy of IT. I was in Grade 9 I think...

ur2ndbiggestfan
05-20-2020, 10:30 AM
In a nutshell:
Used to buy paperback books in Hudsons Eastland, everything that said Nebula or Hugo award winner on the cover.
Discovered Vance and Farmer.
Bought THE GRAY PRINCE by Jack Vance at THE BOOK SHELF in Grosse Pointe Woods, my first conscious hardcover 1st edition purchase, and the year I consider my true collecting bug to have started.
Found many authors to collect since then; Anthony, Bloch, Card, Eisenstien, Ellison, Farmer, King, Kosinski, Matheson, Niven, Ptacek, Resnick, Vance, Vonnegut, Zelazny and others. Quit Anthony and Card and Niven after they began writing what I considered unreadable stuff.
Have sold maybe 10 of my books since then, still have all the others.
The beat goes on.

MikeDuke
05-20-2020, 10:54 AM
For me it was like this. I read my first King book, Christine when I was in Jr High (around 1985) and I was hooked. Then I saw The Shining on TV a few years later. When I was in 9th grade I saw The Shining on VHS and was surprised by all the cursing and of course the tub scene that were edited out in the TV version. So I was an even bigger fan after that. I started to read his books and then I drifted away. But I came back later and have read many of his books. Not all, but many. Then I stumbled across this site and became a member. I decided to get back in. I choose to start collecting. It began with a first ed of Christine and I have been trying to go strong ever since. But I was un-aware of all the S\L versions of his books that were out there so that was another turning point. It's been a fun ride though. Frustrating at some points but still fun. So to sum up, I have been a READER since 1985 and a COLLECTOR since 2004.

Scoogs
05-20-2020, 10:56 AM
I'm pretty sure I found the original DT.N site back in 2002 or 2003 and started collecting with the artist edition of Wolves of the Calla.
I can remember looking at the Grant site back when Wizard & Glass was released, but I was still a poor college student at the time and paying my tuition took precedence over expensive books.

vincent
05-20-2020, 11:39 AM
I first became aware of King when I started wandering through the adult section of my local library, and saw these books with scary but alluring cover art. I was probably 11 or 12. When I wanted to start reading adult books and in English, I got a big King book from the library. It might have been IT right away, I don't remember, but IT became my favorite novel immediately. And then after I saw the miniseries, probably around '91, I was hooked for life.

I bought a NEL paperback of IT probably in '91 or '92. I still have it, it's still my IT, and I've read it many times. Since then, I would buy the IT NEL paperback whenever I saw it in a bookshop--which wasn't that often. I would go in any used book shop I passed, check for IT, and walk out again. I joined ebay in 2008 and started buying IT NEL's from there, when they came up. I saw the IT proofs come up on there sometimes, but was never really interested. I just bought IT NELs. I have about 20 of them, I think. During that ten years I bought about three of the Special Collector's IT NELs, and never paid more than $50 for one. I guess those IT NEL Special Collector's editions were my first steps into collecting.

In the summer of 2017 I thought to myself: it would be cool to see what I could find out about how IT was written, find some pre-publication versions. That's when I learned about proofs & ARCs and manuscript photocopies, mostly from this forum. And all I can say is it's been really great being on here.

frik
05-20-2020, 11:49 AM
Practically from the beginning: 1975 - Carrie: the paperback was my first King collectible! Wish I had kept it though....

sk

Hunchback Jack
05-20-2020, 07:41 PM
It’s hard to say when I started collecting books, because I’ve generally kept all the books I’ve bought since I started buying books! I’ve always appreciated books as objects - their cover art, condition, etc, not just as vehicles of stories.

But I guess the first time I bought a book in order to have that book – rather than to read it - would have been in 1990 when I saw a paperback copy of the long walk in a used bookstore, and recognized it for what it was.

It’s possible that I bought some books just to own them before that, But it would have been within the five years prior to 1990.

Ari_Racing
05-21-2020, 04:29 AM
21 years since the first time I bought I book I already had, just because it was an upgrade.

It was (OF COURSE) IT. I bought a paperback copy on a Friday night before entering the theater to see a movie, and on the next day someone offered me at a book fair a hardcover copy. I said no. He insisted and lowered the price. I said no again but grabbed the copy to see it closely. Third time insisting and lowering the price.

I can't remember the rest, but one thing is a fact: I came back home with the book and less money...and gave away the paperback copy I bought the day before.

Splync
05-21-2020, 07:21 AM
I've always been a reader, but I never really started collecting books until I was in college (2010 - 2014). Back then my idea of collecting were those faux-leatherbound editions from Barnes and Noble. They were cheap and it was my goal to own every single one of those things.

I then moved on to whatever signed editions interested me through Barnes and Noble's site. Which led me to othersites (Camelot Books), which led me to small presses.

I had a phase in there where I bought a TON of Folio Society editions (mostly used and cheap on eBay). Same with Easton Press. Then I had financial troubles after a bad breakup and had to sell those Folio Society editions, and some of my signed editions. Still heartbroken about that (the books, not the breakup).

Ever since, I've been supporting local presses mostly. I still spend more than I should, but at least I'll hopefully never have to sell them in a dire situation again!

herbertwest
05-21-2020, 09:06 AM
About 15 years or so. And now I am really struggling with space.
I may have to look for another place to live, although we really looooove it here. Or maybe sell all of it. Or push the walls. Or I don't know.



I am about 34 years old and discovered King while I was a teenager (about 20 years ago).
Back then, I quickly became active on french message boards and about 15 years ago, the founder of the "Club Stephen King Lille" a non-profit founded in 1992 in a university, gave me the keys to his website and message boards. Because he didn't have the time to deal with it anymore.
It's now called the "Club Stephen King", a french website that I developped on social media as well



Ever since I think that I can say I've been veeeeeeery active in the King community and started collecting. Because I started having an income and a bit of space.
I started very slowly, and over the years, selectively : I was late to the game and I don't have the financial ressources that some people here have.
So there was NO WAY I was going to collect first editions nor limited / lettered editions nor proofs, after I discovered them. Nor being a completist for having every single one of King's fiction and non-fiction (although I would love to have that).

Therefore, my focus have mostly been about french publications (and I think I did quite well), and some other stuff.
My focuses :
- Movies : originally on DVDs, and I must admit that I haven't really been continueing much of that collection. Nowadays I mostly have digitals
- 1st edition (french) : I have every single french edition
- Proofs and ARCS : I think that, without any false modesty, I have the most comprehensive french proofs and arcs collection. I have been getting proofs since about 10 years or so, and every so often I accidentally come accross french arcs (I accidentally found 2 this week!)
- Publications : every single King text published in french (for instance in anthologies, magazines)
- Comics / graphic novels : I have every single french graphic novel/ comics, as well as some foreign one including the old 'Cracked' / 'Mad' spoofs. Although I must admit that I dont have (physicall) every single dark tower comics... but I have them digitally
- And plenty other stuff.
I dont really collect King's limited editions, as I said earlier, but I was lucky enough to get some 'symbolic' books I wanted. Such as CD "Carrie" / "Shining" / "IT" when they were originally put for sale

I also collect some other authors.
Mostly Bernard Werber, a french bestselling author unknown in the USA but a superstar in Korea and Russia where he sells millions of books.
I am lucky to be directly in touch with them and getting proof copies since about ten years or so. I also have some manuscript copies.
I collect and have been hunting down every single thing he ever wrote. For instance I went through 10 years of magazines hunting down each of his texts when he was a journalist, and I have accidentally came accross one of the fanzines that he wrote as a kid.

Also collects Maxime Chattam, another french author who mostly writes thrillers and is often considered as the french Stephen King.
But let's be honnest, according to publishers, all their scary authors are their Stephen King.
It's just another marketing plee.

Finally, in my collection I also have some rare french editions : the first french Dracula, the first french Jekyll and the second french Frankenstein (the first existing in an handful of copies, never for sale, and costing at least 10k !)


Now, my collection amouns for about :
- 620 books of/about Stephen King
- 255 books of/about Bernard Werber
- 60 books of/about Maxime Chattam
- 230 other books from misc authors


>>> Some pictures are in my collection thread (https://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?10936-Book-Collection-herbertwest)

Merlin1958
05-21-2020, 09:30 AM
I guess if I really go back and search my memory I started collecting books in the 5th or 6th grade. I had always read well above level and it was around this time that my father gave me his set of "Hardy Boy Stories". It was 8 or 9 editions and I read them all going on a tear from then on reading virtually anything I could get my hands on from home, the library and school. In addition to the "Hardy" books I began collecting paperbacks in more of a "Trophy" fashion storing them as conquests. I didn't really consider "Collecting" books until I read "LOTR" early in HS. I read that trilogy and "The Hobbit" in 3 days while recovering from blood poisoning!! LOL It instantly became my favorite set of books and still is but around '78 I got my hands on "Carrie" and the deal was done. When I began working on, Wall St I commuted via train to NYC and like most read on the train for the 1+ hour commute. I used to envy those that read hard cover books and vowed that when I could I would never again buy or read a PB.

So, I guess I've been collecting some 50+ years!!! Wow, never really sat down and thought about it.

jreitan47
05-21-2020, 08:03 PM
Next year will mark 25 years as a fan/collector for me. Started in 1996 with the Green Mile paperbacks in my local KMart, and was pretty much hardcore into collecting first editions by releases of Desperation/Regulators, Wizard & Glass and Bag of Bones, after that I had to have everything!

By late 1997 and early 1998 I was active in fan groups online (SKEMERs, the old newsgroups...including Bev Vincent's first one...and Yahoo Groups). I founded Stephen King Collectors on Yahoo Clubs back in 1998 (?), traveled to Bangor and visited the old Betts Bookstore on Main Street and became friends with Stu, and George Beahm, Steve Spignesi, Charlie Fried and a host of others that aren't active anymore (or no longer around), and the rest is history! Some highlights along the way have been visiting some famous collections...Tina Hospers in Canada, Roy Robbins in California and Dave Hutch in Minnesota, working the Cemetery Dance table at a convention back in 2001 (?), the Borderlands Press table at New York World Horror Convention, visiting King's office a couple times, visiting King's archives at UMO before it was shutdown, helping run PalaverCon and staying at Robert Weiner's house of Grant Books, hanging out with King and the Rock Bottom Remainders at multiple concerts as I became good friends with Kathi Kamen Goldmark (RIP), and the many many Skemers conventions I was a part of planning over the years including Halloween weekend at the Stanley Hotel. I have a lifetime of memories and friendships thanks to King and all the great folks here! I've rebuilt my collection multiple times now having to resell it due to medical bills, but I'm here to stay this time!!

Ari_Racing
05-22-2020, 09:05 AM
Jonathan, of all those collections you saw, which were the most impressive items you can talk about? I'm really interested in knowing more about those super collections! :)

herbertwest
05-22-2020, 10:59 AM
Tina Hospers in Canada, Roy Robbins in California

I never heard of those names, although I remember a female canadian collector about 10 years ago because she happily sent me pictures of the contraband publications when i asked her, explicitly saying that I couldnt afford those.
Are they still collecting?


visiting King's office a couple times, visiting King's archives at UMO before it was shutdown (...) hanging out with King and the Rock Bottom Remainders at multiple concerts as I became good friends with Kathi Kamen Goldmark (RIP)
Oh man. That must have been mind blowing !!



the many many Skemers conventions I was a part of planning over the years including Halloween weekend at the Stanley Hotel.
Part of my bucket list, I think. Althought, very unlikely, even if my wife would probably love the national park out there

Johnny007
05-25-2020, 11:09 AM
First, I wish there was a way to merge this poll and comments with the original thread. That being said, I still have books that I purchased in the 70s and 80s. I collected King beginning in the early 80s (1982/83) until maybe 1994. I had a decent, but modest, collection by 1994 but I found that the cost-of-living in the Washington, DC area was suffocating me. I decided to liquidate my collection in 1994 and use the proceeds to keep the stress at bay until I could actually afford to live there. I packed everything and drove to Bangor where I sold everything to Stu at Betts Books. I've told the story before about how I got back into collecting so I won't bore you with that again. Nevertheless, I returned to collecting (99% King) in 2003/4. I had not looked at catalogs (or something new called the internet) to see anything book-related for almost 10 years. Almost everything was new to me.

When I decided to get into collecting, one of my first calls was to Stu. He was instrumental in hooking me up with scores of books that I never even knew existed. He also introduced me to many people with whom I've communicated with and gotten to know over the past 15+ years. They've helped me rebuild my collection from almost scratch to what I currently have. I still have 100s of King books that I feel I need in order to fill out my collection. And so the chase remains. My health has been pretty good since I returned to work last October. But I know I'll have to pause again for a couple more surgeries and they will lay me up for 3 months. I hope I can postpone them until next February but I'll need a little luck again to make that happen. Fingers crossed. So, despite having started collecting books in the 70s and 80s, I answered the poll by selecting 2000-2004. I wasn't as serious or as committed to collecting books earlier in my life as I was starting in 2003/4. So that felt like the proper period of time for me to mark.

John

Johnny007
05-25-2020, 11:26 AM
Tina Hospers in Canada, Roy Robbins in California

I never heard of those names, although I remember a female canadian collector about 10 years ago because she happily sent me pictures of the contraband publications when i asked her, explicitly saying that I couldnt afford those.
Are they still collecting?


visiting King's office a couple times, visiting King's archives at UMO before it was shutdown (...) hanging out with King and the Rock Bottom Remainders at multiple concerts as I became good friends with Kathi Kamen Goldmark (RIP)
Oh man. That must have been mind blowing !!



the many many Skemers conventions I was a part of planning over the years including Halloween weekend at the Stanley Hotel.
Part of my bucket list, I think. Althought, very unlikely, even if my wife would probably love the national park out there

Roy Robbins is BadMoonBooks in California. Tina went by tinah03, I believe, and was from maybe Vancouver Island, Vancouver, Canada. I purchased a few complete sets of Green Mile proofs in my career. Tina sold me my first set back in 2006/7 for $2.5K. Stu sold a set for the same amount a few months earlier so I figured that the price was reflective of the market. She allowed me to pay over 3 months and I was over the moon! Sadly (for me only), I was very short-sighted and foolish to part with all of them. I will try to buy them back later this year, if I'm lucky.

John

herbertwest
05-27-2020, 09:25 AM
I am pretty sure that it was Tina I was thinking about :)

herbertwest
05-27-2020, 09:34 AM
That thread is about collecting, but I think that there should also be a discussion about selling out an entire collection.

Not long ago, I recently acquired something I looked for about 15 years ago and ended up talking to the seller.
Someone that has a collectionf of 30,000 books and decided to start selling it all.
The reason is pretty simple, and I think, is fair : he had some friends that had 10,000+ books that recently passed away, and their wives don't really know what to do with all the books. Nor what they are.

Which can connect to the other thread about "values", and also got me thinking. Although I was already wondering since a little while since I am truly running out of space and we are considering to see if we may be able to get a mortgage to buy something bigger.

But that lead me to some questions :
- besides financial reasons, what would be the tipping point of turning a collectors into someone that sells their entire collection?
- up until when some people decides to collect and then let everything go? do people have decided that they will sell in 5, 10 years, or never if they don't financially need it?

Because, aren't the collectors the best persons for selling the collection? We know the "value", we have some contacts and friends that may be interesting in some pieces... I know that I keep an excel file with a list of my items, my purchased cost and an estimated value (which can obviously vary over time, but I think it gives an overview) and a list of contacts.
But if someone was to pass away, would the relatives really want to go through the hassle of selling 1000+ items individually and not the entire lot even if discounted?


And... should someone try to sell it all at once or individually, or over time in order reduce the tax paid on it (if that changes anything)?

Anyway, that's me just wondering out loud I guess but that's a subject that comes more an more into my mind.

amd013
05-27-2020, 11:19 AM
That thread is about collecting, but I think that there should also be a discussion about selling out an entire collection.

Not long ago, I recently acquired something I looked for about 15 years ago and ended up talking to the seller.
Someone that has a collectionf of 30,000 books and decided to start selling it all.
The reason is pretty simple, and I think, is fair : he had some friends that had 10,000+ books that recently passed away, and their wives don't really know what to do with all the books. Nor what they are.

Which can connect to the other thread about "values", and also got me thinking. Although I was already wondering since a little while since I am truly running out of space and we are considering to see if we may be able to get a mortgage to buy something bigger.

But that lead me to some questions :
- besides financial reasons, what would be the tipping point of turning a collectors into someone that sells their entire collection?
- up until when some people decides to collect and then let everything go? do people have decided that they will sell in 5, 10 years, or never if they don't financially need it?

Because, aren't the collectors the best persons for selling the collection? We know the "value", we have some contacts and friends that may be interesting in some pieces... I know that I keep an excel file with a list of my items, my purchased cost and an estimated value (which can obviously vary over time, but I think it gives an overview) and a list of contacts.
But if someone was to pass away, would the relatives really want to go through the hassle of selling 1000+ items individually and not the entire lot even if discounted?


And... should someone try to sell it all at once or individually, or over time in order reduce the tax paid on it (if that changes anything)?

Anyway, that's me just wondering out loud I guess but that's a subject that comes more an more into my mind.

Good questions, and I think it is worthy of its own thread (if there isn't one already).

amd013
05-27-2020, 11:55 AM
For me I guess the answer is subjective, it could be any one of the following events:

1) 1987 when I bought HC of Misery at a grocery store, this was the first HC book I ever bought. From this point on I bought (or was gifted) every HC King book. (until late '90s or early 2000's when I got disappointed with the quality of some of his books)
2) Mar 2007 - I went on Amazon to see if I missed any SK books, and saw Secretary of Dreams. Ordered from Amazon, but was notified they could not complete the order, so ordered from CD. When I did I saw that there was a numbered and lettered editions. I laughed at the fools that would pay that much for a book (who know I would become a fool?). I had no idea what a Lettered was (I mean they all have letters right?, they are books right?)
3) Nov 2007 - By buying SoD I got on the CD mailing list, so when SoD2 was offered I bought it, and on a whim decided to buy the numbered (I mean its just one book right, and its pretty neat to be one of the few people in the world to own this edition right?)
4) July 2010 - Bought Little Sisters of Eluria gift edition from Amazon, not sure I even realized it was limited print run.
5) Jun 2014 - Bought a 1/1 of Skeleton Crew off of ebay. This marked the first book I bought that wasn't brand new. I think at one point I was reading the FAQ on stephenking.com, and one of the questions was "how do I know if I have a first edition". After reading it I thought that subconsiously that was what I was trying to buy for the new books, so thought it would be cool to slowly acquire all the early books.

For this poll I choose #5 as my date of starting collecting, as that was the first time I thought of it as a collection. I think there are other events that could have marked the begining (buying limited edition of Dr. Sleep, buying the SK grab bag from CD, but I didn't feel like researching the dates).

(PS: the burglar who broke into my house stole most of the books from Carrie through Misery, I honestly think I miss Misery more since it had the most sentimental value of all my SK books).

herbertwest
05-27-2020, 12:44 PM
Sorry to hear about the burglar. Hope you got some money back from insurance or anything like this

amd013
05-27-2020, 08:11 PM
Sorry to hear about the burglar. Hope you got some money back from insurance or anything like this

Yeah, its old news, got a reasonable amount from insurance after deductible.

ur2ndbiggestfan
05-28-2020, 08:12 AM
I would say if they catch that burglar they should sentence him to reading LISEY'S STORY 100 times in a row, or life in prison, his choice.

But I won't say that, because it's not nice.

herbertwest
05-29-2020, 05:47 AM
That thread is about collecting, but I think that there should also be a discussion about selling out an entire collection.

Not long ago, I recently acquired something I looked for about 15 years ago and ended up talking to the seller.
Someone that has a collectionf of 30,000 books and decided to start selling it all.
The reason is pretty simple, and I think, is fair : he had some friends that had 10,000+ books that recently passed away, and their wives don't really know what to do with all the books. Nor what they are.

Which can connect to the other thread about "values", and also got me thinking. Although I was already wondering since a little while since I am truly running out of space and we are considering to see if we may be able to get a mortgage to buy something bigger.

But that lead me to some questions :
- besides financial reasons, what would be the tipping point of turning a collectors into someone that sells their entire collection?
- up until when some people decides to collect and then let everything go? do people have decided that they will sell in 5, 10 years, or never if they don't financially need it?

Because, aren't the collectors the best persons for selling the collection? We know the "value", we have some contacts and friends that may be interesting in some pieces... I know that I keep an excel file with a list of my items, my purchased cost and an estimated value (which can obviously vary over time, but I think it gives an overview) and a list of contacts.
But if someone was to pass away, would the relatives really want to go through the hassle of selling 1000+ items individually and not the entire lot even if discounted?


And... should someone try to sell it all at once or individually, or over time in order reduce the tax paid on it (if that changes anything)?

Anyway, that's me just wondering out loud I guess but that's a subject that comes more an more into my mind.

Good questions, and I think it is worthy of its own thread (if there isn't one already).

Anybody else have some thoughts to chime in about that subject?

amd013
05-29-2020, 09:59 AM
I would say if they catch that burglar they should sentence him to reading LISEY'S STORY 100 times in a row, or life in prison, his choice.

But I won't say that, because it's not nice.

LOL, I'll pass that along to the DA. He was arrested in June on another arrest warrant for burglary. After a couple of months fingerprints confirmed he was my guy, so another charge was added. I did recover 2 books (It and The Dead Zone). He is still awaiting trial in jail.

herbertwest
05-30-2020, 11:45 AM
That thread is about collecting, but I think that there should also be a discussion about selling out an entire collection.

Not long ago, I recently acquired something I looked for about 15 years ago and ended up talking to the seller.
Someone that has a collectionf of 30,000 books and decided to start selling it all.
The reason is pretty simple, and I think, is fair : he had some friends that had 10,000+ books that recently passed away, and their wives don't really know what to do with all the books. Nor what they are.

Which can connect to the other thread about "values", and also got me thinking. Although I was already wondering since a little while since I am truly running out of space and we are considering to see if we may be able to get a mortgage to buy something bigger.

But that lead me to some questions :
- besides financial reasons, what would be the tipping point of turning a collectors into someone that sells their entire collection?
- up until when some people decides to collect and then let everything go? do people have decided that they will sell in 5, 10 years, or never if they don't financially need it?

Because, aren't the collectors the best persons for selling the collection? We know the "value", we have some contacts and friends that may be interesting in some pieces... I know that I keep an excel file with a list of my items, my purchased cost and an estimated value (which can obviously vary over time, but I think it gives an overview) and a list of contacts.
But if someone was to pass away, would the relatives really want to go through the hassle of selling 1000+ items individually and not the entire lot even if discounted?


And... should someone try to sell it all at once or individually, or over time in order reduce the tax paid on it (if that changes anything)?

Anyway, that's me just wondering out loud I guess but that's a subject that comes more an more into my mind.

Good questions, and I think it is worthy of its own thread (if there isn't one already).

Anybody else have some thoughts to chime in about that subject?

I am currently going through about 500-100 fashion magazines from my wife, that she wants to get rid of.
It's already quite consuming, and I am only stopping at the cover, not going throught the actual table of contents, which would probably help me selling it better with more names and keywords.
I really don't see how someone living with a recently deceased person that owned 1,000 books or more would go through each and every one of them to sell them. Nor knowing how to best sell them or sell them more efficiently, even if I have excel file about them.

In order to maybe earn an extra 5 euros each? 5.0-100 euros each?
It's a very time consuming thing, and frankly, it makes me think about my collection. And obviously, I could pass away before her too. Still.

Splync
05-30-2020, 01:58 PM
I am currently going through about 500-100 fashion magazines from my wife, that she wants to get rid of.
It's already quite consuming, and I am only stopping at the cover, not going throught the actual table of contents, which would probably help me selling it better with more names and keywords.
I really don't see how someone living with a recently deceased person that owned 1,000 books or more would go through each and every one of them to sell them. Nor knowing how to best sell them or sell them more efficiently, even if I have excel file about them.

In order to maybe earn an extra 5 euros each? 5.0-100 euros each?
It's a very time consuming thing, and frankly, it makes me think about my collection. And obviously, I could pass away before her too. Still.

There was a seller on eBay who was selling her deceased husband's collection and put a decent effort into detailing and photographing each item. I found it very commendable.

Hell, I've been occasionally some items from my teenage years (little figurines and such) and even trying to detail something that I had previous knowledge of was EXHAUSTING after awhile. I couldn't imagine trying to sell thousands of books individually, unless it was over a very long period of time.

I wouldn't be surprised if the widows of collectors just sold collections in bulk or had a third party sell the items.

Lookwhoitis
05-31-2020, 11:52 AM
I would say if they catch that burglar they should sentence him to reading LISEY'S STORY 100 times in a row, or life in prison, his choice.

But I won't say that, because it's not nice.

LOL, I'll pass that along to the DA. He was arrested in June on another arrest warrant for burglary. After a couple of months fingerprints confirmed he was my guy, so another charge was added. I did recover 2 books (It and The Dead Zone). He is still awaiting trial in jail.

Happy to hear you got some of the purloined books back!