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Matt
02-24-2009, 11:02 AM
Do we have a thread like this? Merge away if we do. :rock:

I am just wondering if you guys can remember when you got bit by the collectors bug and why. This doesn't have to be for King stuff...I just find that certain types of people are collectors of things.

For me...there was a girl that gave me a little wooden heart shaped box. I half heatedly collected them for years and used to be really excited about it then lost interest.

The reason this came up is because I got that same feeling again (and remembered the heart shaped box) when He Is Legend came in. :excited:

Randall Flagg
02-24-2009, 03:13 PM
Mia, Wiz, help me out please. I merged this thread prematurely, and now in an effort to restore it lost your posts.
Please re-post the thoughts as best you can.

wizardsrainbow
02-25-2009, 04:44 AM
OK Jerome. No worries. It's not verbatim, but close....

I think the collecting bug first bit me when I was 7 or 8 years old. My family became a collector of coins. I collected pennies (mostly Lincoln cents 1909-present) and nickels (Buffalo 1913-1938 and Jefferson 1938-), my brother was into dimes and my mother took to quarters and the Franklin half dollars. Periodically, my mother would take me downtown to the local bank and we would plunk down $50 and go into the vault and walk out with a Treasury sealed burlap bag with $50 in loose pennies. I would then go home a sift through the entire bag (that's 5,000 pennies) looking for key dates and rarities. In those days, the mid to late 1960s, one would still occasionally find Indian Head pennies and almost all the others were wheat cents (wheat cents ended in 1958 I think). So at a very young age I was introduced to the hunt for a coin I didn't have and wanted, also paying close attention to condition and variants (does any of this sound familiar????:wtf:) I loved those times when I discovered something new. I still love coins today and I look at every single date and condition of coins I get in my change every single day. So when I began to collect Stephen King books--my first collectible purchase was a 1978 1st edition of The Stand from Stu at Betts Books--I was hooked into the collecting bug immediately. I'd have to say that my collecting fever is a little more intense now (with King) than when I was collecting pennies and nickels as a kid.

Speaking of US coins. You all know that over the last 10 years or so, we have had the 50 state quarters program. 2008 finished the last states, but did you know that this year, the quarters will depict a scene from the Us territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa etc.? And in 2010, the quarters will start in on the National Parks.

For the penny, 2009 is an important year as it marks the 100th anniversary of the launching of the Lincoln cent and is Abe's 200th birthday. The pennies this year will have 4 different reverses, depicting various aspects of Lincoln's life. The penny will also be redesigned for 2010.

Happy collecting everyone!

Ari_Racing
02-25-2009, 04:59 AM
I don't really remember. The first collection I had (I still have it, even when I don't collect anymore) was of Credit Cards. The first one I had was a Dinners of 1983..I was 3, so maybe I had it since 1984...25 years ago.

Man...my girlfriend is right...:panic:

Patrick
02-26-2009, 05:34 PM
My sons each have a U.S. map designed to hold the State quarters. They recently completed their collections of one from each State. The quarters are mostly Denver mint as opposed to Philadelphia, as those are easier to come by out west. I'm sure the boys will want to collect whatever quarters come next once they figure out there's another set rolling out.


When I was a kid, probably just a bit younger than Dave was when he started collecting coins, I started collecting U.S. postage stamps. My mom got me a collecting album for Christmas and we went to a lot of stamp stores and stamp collector meets, etc. She was definitely into it which spurred and encouraged my interest. I still have that album in a box somewhere. I have no idea the worth of any of it, it all seemed expensive at the time, but that's from the viewpoint of a broke little kid.

lophophoras
02-27-2009, 04:14 AM
My collecting started at a young age with Indian Arrow Heads. I have a Uncle that has a huge collection of artifacts from the North MS area. He would take me on 'arrow head hunts' when he would go.

One day while on a arrow head hunt I found a very old cork bottle. Not long after that my collecting switched from arrow heads to old bottles. I started bottle digging at old house sites around where I grew up and managed to build a pretty nice collection. I don't get out for bottle digs anymore, now I pick them up at antique stores and estate sales.

About ten years ago my interest switched to cacti. I've always had a green thumb. I found a very unusual cactus at a flea market and decided to buy it. After that I started purchasing cacti from all around the world. Then I started growing from seed. It is much easier to have seed shipped than a cutting or entire plant (and cheaper). I have quite a few unique and endangered types that I grew from seed.

Then about five years ago the Stephen King bug bit me. (I had always enjoyed his books since I picked the first one up at age 13 and read it. I guess I started collecting way back then because I would buy or get my parents to buy me all of his new books when they got published.) Five years ago is when I started purchasing limiteds and the more hard to find items. I've managed to build a nice little collection but with the huge want list that I have, I still have a long way to go before I'll be satisfied.

:drool:

I'm not a addict... LOL..

:panic:

wizardsrainbow
02-27-2009, 04:39 AM
I'm not a addict... LOL..

:panic:

:nope: Nope, me neither. :nope:

Matt
02-27-2009, 07:51 AM
Nor I! :panic:

These are great stories.

Cutter
02-27-2009, 08:45 AM
I started collecting everything David Bowie, and he has a ton of stuff. I probably started this back around 1990. I was looking for the rare promo’s, odd 45’s, books, magazine appearances, and fan club mags. I think the last time I calculated what I had was over 500 Bowie items. I actually have some really cool fan produced books from the 70’s that are vary rare, and there’s a high end limited company in the UK called Genesis who have put out two very expensive and very attractive signed limited editions, which I also own.

So when I started collecting books (around 1999-2000) it was real easy to become addicted because I previously had a collecting bug with anything Bowie. And it’s pretty nice that my previous Bowie collecting, with the books, magazines, and fan mags fits right in and is now apart of my newer hobby: book collecting. :)

Mr. Rabbit Trick
02-27-2009, 09:27 AM
I started collecting everything David Bowie, and he has a ton of stuff. I probably started this back around 1990. I was looking for the rare promo’s, odd 45’s, books, magazine appearances, and fan club mags. I think the last time I calculated what I had was over 500 Bowie items.

I actually have some really cool fan produced books from the 70’s that are vary rare, and there’s a high end limited company in the UK called Genesis who have put out two very expensive and very attractive signed limited editions, which I also own.


I started collecting Bowie stuff in 1971!

Cutter
02-27-2009, 09:54 AM
I started collecting everything David Bowie, and he has a ton of stuff. I probably started this back around 1990. I was looking for the rare promo’s, odd 45’s, books, magazine appearances, and fan club mags. I think the last time I calculated what I had was over 500 Bowie items.

I actually have some really cool fan produced books from the 70’s that are vary rare, and there’s a high end limited company in the UK called Genesis who have put out two very expensive and very attractive signed limited editions, which I also own.


I started collecting Bowie stuff in 1971!

ha ha, great, another Bowie freak in the house. I'm not the only one. :rock:

Yea, he's got a lot of good stuff to collect, people would be surprised at all the items out there for Bowie that are rare.

tippy4
02-27-2009, 11:44 AM
Like Wiz and Patrick, my collecting started with coins. When I was a teenager, (late 80's/early 90's) I got a job at Kmart, and after about a year on the sales floor, I got promoted to the back office counting all the money. I used to find all kinds of goodies including silver certificates, silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars (pre-1965), wheat cents, war nickels and even a few buffalo nickels and mercury dimes. I could hear a silver dime clinking around in the coin counting machine from five feet away! :P

Then I started buying folders to put them into. And then buying coins to fill in the gaps. I buy an uncirculated set from the Mint every year...but that is about it now. I have most of the coins of the 20th and 21st century.

Then it went on to leopard geckos. At one point I had over 100 of them.

Then it went on to Stephen King books.

Pasiuk57
02-27-2009, 02:02 PM
Th bug first hit me at about 7-8 years old and it was comics. I collected everything Marvel and some DC. I went to conventions as a kid, progressed to ball cards-hockey, baseball and football, etc . I went into US proof sets from 1957 to present and have them all still. I've long since sold most of the comics and some of the ball cards. I collected about evry Euro coin from all the Euro nations-many are super valuable like Monaco, the Vatican, and San Marino because of the short supply made. I've collected King stuff for not even sure how many years! I've tried to focus my efforts on books and mostly sell the other stuff especially the stuff I have 2,3, or more of.
I'm sure my wife thinks I'm nuts.....

pixiedark76
03-03-2009, 01:33 PM
I have been a collector my whole life. I always have collected things like stuffed animals, beanie babies and books. I got bit by the collecting Stephen King books bug around 2002. It started out as just having to get the paperbacks. Then I wanted the Hardbacks. About 2 years ago I wanted to get first editions. Then I went on Cemetery Dance and started to get some limited editions. Then I went on the Donald M. Grant site and had to buy signed limited editions. My book collecting habit has gotten very expensive. My husband is very upset:pullhair: :angry: with me. He says that I have an obsession. I feel that I am doing nothing wrong. Does anyone else get in trouble with their spouses :huglove: about their collecting habits?

Matt
03-03-2009, 01:35 PM
Hey Pixiedark--welcome to the site.

Great post!

lophophoras
03-03-2009, 01:58 PM
I have been a collector my whole life. I always have collected things like stuffed animals, beanie babies and books. I got bit by the collecting Stephen King books bug around 2002. It started out as just having to get the paperbacks. Then I wanted the Hardbacks. About 2 years ago I wanted to get first editions. Then I went on Cemetery Dance and started to get some limited editions. Then I went on the Donald M. Grant site and had to buy signed limited editions. My book collecting habit has gotten very expensive. My husband is very upset:pullhair: :angry: with me. He says that I have an obsession. I feel that I am doing nothing wrong. Does anyone else get in trouble with their spouses :huglove: about their collecting habits?


Get rid of the spouse & keep the books.

;)

Room 217 Caretaker
03-03-2009, 02:14 PM
I have been a collector my whole life. I always have collected things like stuffed animals, beanie babies and books. I got bit by the collecting Stephen King books bug around 2002. It started out as just having to get the paperbacks. Then I wanted the Hardbacks. About 2 years ago I wanted to get first editions. Then I went on Cemetery Dance and started to get some limited editions. Then I went on the Donald M. Grant site and had to buy signed limited editions. My book collecting habit has gotten very expensive. My husband is very upset:pullhair: :angry: with me. He says that I have an obsession. I feel that I am doing nothing wrong. Does anyone else get in trouble with their spouses :huglove: about their collecting habits?

Welcome pixiedark76. You've come to the right place to discuss your...cough cough INVESTMENTS :wtf:

I keep my wife updated on the value of my collection so she knows what it's worth when I'm gone. Today's value of my collection is worth eleven 7 day cruises per year for 13 years. She now gets excited when I add books to my collection.

Mulleins
Cumberland VA

turtlex
03-03-2009, 02:19 PM
I keep my wife updated on the value of my collection so she knows what it's worth when I'm gone. Today's value of my collection is worth eleven 7 day cruises per year for 13 years. She now gets excited when I add books to my collection.

Mulleins
Cumberland VA

Ha!

I love this.

Put the value into the perspective of the person you're talking to !

A great idea!

Patrick
03-07-2009, 05:18 PM
... My book collecting habit has gotten very expensive. My husband is very upset:pullhair: :angry: with me. He says that I have an obsession. I feel that I am doing nothing wrong. Does anyone else get in trouble with their spouses :huglove: about their collecting habits?

Welcome to the Corner, pixiedark. Here is a thread on exactly that topic (http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/showthread.php?t=7127).


Ralph, you crack me up.