Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with collecting

Do I ask the publisher for a new copy or would that be stupid?

trixare4kids — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:57:55 -0800

Book Collectors: Is my new signed collector's edition book more or less valuable with a cutting machine error? I received a wonderful present: A signed collector's edition of "Under the Dome" by Stephen King. It also came with a set of collector cards. The set came directly from the publisher. So I'm not really a book collector, but I'm delighted to have this copy.

I noticed that there are about 10 pages that were cut wrong. The cutting machine left a triangle shaped tag on the top corner of these pages.

I took a picture so you can see what the error looks like.

Do I ask for a new copy or is it better to keep this one -- just in terms of future value?

Where to collect plant & animal specimens?

unmake — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:23:13 -0800

Where can I - legally - collect plant and insect specimens, in the southwest? One of my classes in Tucson this semester involves creating a plant-press notebook and a pinned-insect collection; every park website, be it state or national, says removal of anything other than garbage and buffelgrass is illegal.

Is there a category of terrain that's not privately owned where I could look for specimens? Or is this the sort of activity where participants generally just ignore the rules and regulations? (This isn't killing hundred year old cacti).

Chant Box lowdown

Chrischris — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:37:40 -0800

On a whim I bought a cheap electronic Buddhist Chant Box off Ebay--Not FM3's Buddha Machine, but one of the myriad (so I'm led to understand) cheap boxes sold outside temples in China. My son has become obsessed with the thing and will sit for hours listening to the chanting loops on it. He and I both would be very interested in finding more info about them, as well as further resources to acquire other examples. My google-fu has failed terribly in finding anything more than cursory mentions of them on various websites. So:

1. Can anyone point me to websites which might have more in-depth discussions of these things. Non-English sites would be fine.

2. Are there places online besides ebay and specialty Buddhist websites which sell a wide variety of them?

ID this rock, please.

jamaro — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:32:25 -0800

Some years ago, a friend gave me this rock but we don't know what it's called. Can you ID it? The sample in the pic is ~2 cm square and my really bad photo of it doesn't show the spectacular rainbow colors it displays, much like an oily puddle in a parking lot. The most notable feature is its lovely rectangular formations.

Help, my barely restrained OCD-ness needs a name for this rock!

I can't seem to hang onto anything.

wastelands — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:18:25 -0800

I am a purger. How do I stop throwing away so many things and start collecting? I suspect most people with OCD are hoarders. I am the opposite. My friends admire me for how minimalistic, organized, and "Zen" my home and computer spaces are. Yet, the flip side is that I constantly throw away things that I later regret tossing. This includes important items too, like a recent state employment department letter.

It's crazy, I know. My first reaction when cleaning house is not, "How might this be useful in the future," but instead, "Is there any way I can get rid of this?" I am completely unsentimental and merciless in purging things. A few years ago I canned a newly-purchased $250 watch because I became tired of winding it every day. I gave away a 5.1 speaker system to a neighbor when I felt the wires were unsightly.

I have improved since then; however, I still admire greatly people who can do what I can't yet do: build gigantic collections of music, books, coins, photos, whatever.

For example, I read a lot. I'd like to have a book collection so I can reference previously-read books, show people who visit my house what I'm interested in, etc. Despite reading hundreds of books in my lifetime, my current collection is a mere ten books... and even those are in danger! I'm sorely tempted to sell them for cash/trade value. They're just sitting around! It bugs me. It feels wasteful, and it takes a tremendous amount of discipline to not get rid of them.

I'm especially interested in hearing from people like me, because I don't know anyone who "purges" like me. I'd also love to hear from people who have big collections, people who can explain the mentality of how one goes about acquiring and retaining things in a deliberate, organized fashion. Thanks!

I crave age.

greytape — Thu, 29 May 2008 03:25:15 -0800

What's the oldest man-made thing I can buy for €1500-2000? I remember watching an antiques program years ago and seeing a Native American sculpture that they dated to around the 5th century, being sold for not all that much. I'd really like something like that.
I'm guessing coins are probably my best bet, or maybe arrow heads, but I'd really like a bit of pottery or something. So taking into account the coolness/oldness matrix, could I pick something suitable for a few thousand dollars that was a thousand years plus? If so, what?

How to sell parts of a valuable collection on eBay--without the feedback?

cosmic osmo — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:43:58 -0800

How do you begin to sell collectible or designer items on eBay that are easily counterfeited or faked without thousands of positive feedback? For years, I collected Nike sneakers. Many of the sneakers I have are highly collectible and worth several hundred dollars. I'm at a point in my life where I'm ready to get rid of some of them, and traditionally eBay has been the standard marketplace for Nikes.

However, there exists a rampant market of fake, knock-off, or "variant" sneakers on eBay--as I'm sure there is for many other collectibles or designer items. In my seven years as an eBay member, I've bought dozens of sneakers, and I know that I would never buy Nikes from someone who didn't have feedback indicating that their product was authentic...so how do I sell to someone like me? I'm not a reseller, I've never sold shoes on eBay before (though I have sold other things and do have 100% feedback), I don't have references or a reputation; I'm just a collector myself looking to get rid of a few pieces for some extra closet space and cash. I'm not actively involved in any of the online sneaker collecting communities (because frankly, the hobby tends to attract 13-year old boys), nor is there really a better way to sell the sneakers.

Surely someone must have gone through this before (with something other than sneakers...though if it was with sneakers, please do share!) How do you make sure you get the fair value for your high priced item on eBay without the reputation to back it up? How can collectors liquidate their collections without taking huge losses? Tons of big, high quality photographs obviously, but what else can I do?

(Flight Club, a popular sneaker consignment store, is currently selling one pair sneakers I want to get rid of for $1100. There's a recently completed auction on eBay for the same shoes from an unknown seller for $81, just so we're clear on how much market value I stand to lose. All the other completed auctions with higher starting prices aren't bid on. As to why I'm not just using Flight Club--the shoes aren't deadstock/brand new).

Where can I find an original Polish movie poster for "Dawn of the Dead" (1978)?

laze — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:26:12 -0800

I'll be going to a convention next month with a number of "Dawn of the Dead" alumni in attendance and I'd like to have something unique for them to sign. I love the very unique style of Polish movie posters and want to get an original print of the 1978 "Dawn of the Dead" poster, but am having no luck. The movie was released in Poland as "Swit umarlych," according to IMDB. I've checked ebay.pl, done the standard Google search (.com and .pl), browsed through (the super-expensive) PolishPoster.com, all with no success. I can't even find an image of what the poster looks like. But it's gotta exist.

Additional info: I believe the word for "movie poster" in Polish is "film plakat." Not reading Polish makes this search a little trickier.

Any ideas about where else I might look?

I want to scan my comics, in a non-pirating way.

Jonsnews — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 18:54:15 -0800

I would like to be able to scan in the bar codes on all the comics of my collection into a software that will track and allow me to manage my collection. Scanning being the main requirement. I know there are several software packages out there like collectorz.com that will allow me to track and manage my comic collection, but has anyone used one that will allow me to scan in the barcode with a barcode scanner? I allready have the scanner, and just need the software piece. If anyone has experience with intelliscanner and can tell me that its worth the money, I would even be willing to rebuy a scanner. FWIW I use windows xp.

Authoritative price guide for stamp collecting?

John Kenneth Fisher — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:55:28 -0800

I'm looking for an authoritative price guide for postage stamps, primarily US stamps from prior to 1960, similar to the Overstreet guides printed for comic books. There are a number of such stamps I would like to look up. Online would be great, physical guides that need to be purchased would be fine too. Thanks in advance.

So how do I get my money now?

paperclip — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:22:09 -0800

I managed to sell a set of appliances without collecting the money on the spot, to someone I felt I could trust in this scenario. How do I get the money now? The long version is: I moved from an apartment with washer/dryer hookups to one without. I therefore offered the new tenant taking over my lease on the old apartment the washer and dryer. He came over, gave them a look, and we agreed on a fair price, which he was to pay when he took possession of the keys from me, 2 months later.

Fast forward to moving day: everything is moved to the new place. Washer and dryer are left behind, and I get a call from the new tenant, apologizing for not being able to meet me as planned, as he's stuck at work and won't be home when his movers get there. He asks me to go leave the door unlocked and the keys on the counter so his roommate and the movers can get in, and he'll make sure his roommate brings a check to my new address that night. Nothing materialized.

The following day, I texted him a terse "your guy failed to show up last night, please ensure he delivers the check tonight without fault", hoping to convey my irritation through the message. He immediately replied with "yeah, sorry about that, we've been really busy, we'll drop it off tonight". Nothing that night either.

Now, I'm on day 3 living in the new place, and I've had a really stressful week with the huge cost, logistics and bureaucracy involved in moving; I want to get the money owed to me. I am inclined to trust this guy more than a random anonymous buyer, because, well, I can't imagine anyone would try ripping someone off when that someone knows his real name, phone number, and address. But I can't shake the growing suspicion that something shady is going on. Our relationship has been cordial to this point, how do I politely push things forward now?

Ah, location is Gatineau (QC), Canada.

Building a home library

footnote — Fri, 18 May 2007 12:50:47 -0800

Avid readers: In twenty years, am I going to regret the fact that I only checked books out of the library, rather than amassing my own collection? I read about a book or two a week, and my budget could stand buying 3-4 used books a month.

There's got to be more than two...

cubby — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:39:32 -0800

What objects gain value through use and time? Some things gain value over time, like wine or rare books. But they lose value by being used -- and so many collections are dedicated to preserving objects in pristine condition. There are a few things that actually become more valuable, or even more useful, the more they are used. I can only think of two examples: the cast iron skillet (the nonstick seasoned surface gets better with each use) and the Yixing teapot (the unglazed clay absorbs oils from tea each time it is used, enhacing the flavor of each subsequent brew and making the pot more collectable - previously). Can anyone think of other examples where the value and/or utility of an object increases with both time and use?

What to do with an old coin collection?

Anonymous — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 18:14:20 -0800

Should I sell my COIN COLLECTION, and how would I go about it? I have a large collection of old American coins. I'd purchased many as a kid, but the majority of them that hold any significant value are a large number of silver Morgan Dollars and Peace Dollars that I'd found in a cigar box after my grandmother died in 1989. My question is in two parts....

(1) Should I sell the coin collection? With interest rates at, say, ING Direct, now at 4.25%, and with other invesements types out there too (like mutual funds), it seems to me that I could make better money those ways instead. The value of old coins don't go up more than 4% annually, do they?

(2) How would I go about selling them? Not only do I not have the expertise, but I have so many of those silver dollars too that it'd be much too time-consuming for me to look up and estimate each one's value myself. But, if I take them to a dealer, how I do I know if he or she will be suggesting the proper price for each piece? I don't want to get conned, of course. What would you recommend?

Thank you!

Matchbox, Hotwheels and Tonka: What's the difference?

melixxa600 — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 10:43:30 -0800

Matchbox, Hotwheels, Tonka: What's the difference? I mean in terms of Christmas buying for boys of 3 and 5, but also in general. Can anyone give me the quick rundown so I can keep these three straight? I'm something of a collector myself already (though of course not of car toys) so I'm also interested in knowing where the three miniature/toy makers stand in the eyes of the collecting world.