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Author
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Topic: Upcoming Swann Auction
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072069
Member Posts: 206
From: Sayreville, NJ USA
Registered: Oct 2003
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posted 12-08-2003 07:04 PM
   
$40,000? $20,000? $50,000? Who can afford to bid on this stuff?Bernie |
MrSpace86
Member Posts: 1618
From: Gardner, KS, USA
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 12-08-2003 08:14 PM
I ask the same question every time I see these auctions. I tend to think only millionnaire rich guys can bid on such items like these. I (and assume more than half of us collectors) can only look, admire, and dream with such objects. I would do anything to have something like an STS-107 crew signed pic, but I don't have that kind of money. So like I said, all I can do is look, admire, and dream!!-Rodrigo |
Scott
Member Posts: 3307
From: Houston, TX
Registered: May 2001
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posted 12-08-2003 09:16 PM
Amazing, huh? I drive to work every morning and pass miles and miles of semi-mansions. What am I doing wrong? A friend of mine once joked that he wanted to dress in a clown suit and go door to door asking people what they did for a living. Apparently there's a whole lot of people with dough.Does anyone have a link to the catalog? I went to their website but I cannot find the online catalog. [This message has been edited by Scott (edited December 08, 2003).] |
uzzi69
Member Posts: 181
From: Richmond, IN USA
Registered: Jun 2001
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posted 12-08-2003 10:00 PM
I know quite a few people that are in the 6 digit range on their salaries, and maybe 1 in 5 is happy with life.
I know people that spend exorbant amounts on their hobbies, but don't seem to get the pleasure that I do out of a few thousand dollars worth of autographs and space stuff.
I guess it's all according to what makes you happy, and if you can afford it.
If I could afford to buy just one high dollar item, it would have to be one of Alan Bean's American Flags that had been flown to the surface of the Moon. I have some pencil graphite that was flown on Apollo 15, but it's just not the same.... if you know what I mean.Best Regards, Bill |
Scott
Member Posts: 3307
From: Houston, TX
Registered: May 2001
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posted 12-08-2003 11:33 PM
Thanks for that great post Bill. You really made a great point. Yes honestly I can say the happiest I was in the hobby were those days in the Summer and Fall of 1990 when I'd open my little apartment mailbox and see the small envelopes self-addressed in my hand. Sometimes there would even be 2 or 3 at a time. Not knowing who they were from until I opened them - they held crisp white index cards touched and signed by icons of my childhood like Dr. Seuss, Neil Armstrong, Hank Aaron and Jimmy Stewart. Those magical moments and memories will stay with me forever. |
chet
Member Posts: 1506
From: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 12-09-2003 12:00 AM
OK, philosophy time.The poor dream of being rich, the rich dream of heaven, but the wise just desire tranquility. And some of us nutcases can only dream about tranquility base! 'Nuff said! -chet |
cklofas
Member Posts: 221
From: Euless,TX USA
Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 12-09-2003 01:18 AM
I've often heard that the key to happiness is not having what you want but wanting what you have....That being said, I'm still hoping my lotto numbers hit by then  |
072069
Member Posts: 206
From: Sayreville, NJ USA
Registered: Oct 2003
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posted 12-09-2003 05:22 AM
I wish the bottom would drop out of the space collecting hobby and everything would suddenly become "worthless." Then we could drive all of the speculators and investors out of town and snatch up everything in sight.Frankly, I could care less what some of the things I had were worth. To me, every item is priceless -- especially those RARE and WONDERFUL things used or flown in space. How can you buy that stuff and lock them in a safe? I can't tell you how many times I run my fingers around some of my relics and get transported to a time and place when men not only reached for the stars but touched them. Bernie |
Scott
Member Posts: 3307
From: Houston, TX
Registered: May 2001
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posted 12-09-2003 04:41 PM
Great points Bernie. The dramatic appreciation in autograph values in the last 15 years, while a good thing investment-wise for people who got into the hobby before it became really big, has caused some major problems. About the same time that autographs began to take off, the stamp and coin collecting markets almost completely collapsed. As a result you had many stamp and coin dealers getting into the autograph selling business because it was so much more profitable. Dozens of them just seemingly popped up out of nowhere. But most of these new dealers had no clue about autographs or how to authenticate them. A second problem was that the forgeries began to appear in greater numbers, an inevitable result of the dramatic increase in autograph values. eBay made the forgery problem worse because, with eBay, forgers (or people unknowingly selling forgeries) could sell directly to the public. They did not have to worry about attempting to sell to a knowledgeable dealer and having their items scrutinized and rejected.
[This message has been edited by Scott (edited December 09, 2003).] |
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