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Collectors with Kids
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37 posts in this topic

This is something that struck me today, and in my mind, ties together two popular topics - what is the future of the hobby re: values, and who/where are the next wave of collectors?

I've got two kids, going into KG and 3rd grade. I'm in my 40s, and currently have FOUR college contemporaries who are pregnant! My point being a late start for people who are also starting to mature into their careers and build their disposable income. 

Last month I cut my last daycare check and of course celebrated by immediately spending twice the amount saved on art (and definitely planning a diversion of funds to OCA in the future!).

BUT, how do we rationalize bigger purchases, say 5 figures, when we have children who haven't even started college yet? I'm fortunate - I've done some planning, but it still impacts big purchases and draws an interesting line in between buying what I love and what I must have no matter the cost, and buying what I love but, to a degree, banking on it at least holding it's value for 10-15 years. 

And then, when we order parents are finally free of our support duties, those of us already collecting will know what to do, but will non-collectors who might be potential collectors be willing to enter the market when they are older? And what material will they be looking for?

Food for thought - I'd love to hear yours. I have to go pick up the boy from camp, which is the best invention in the history of inventions. 

Happy collecting!

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Easy.... don't get married!!!! 

Marriage seems bad for the collector......

1. Less money to spend on the important things.... MORE ARTWORK!

2. Limited on what you can buy....... cheesecake art can be a no no in some marriages 

3. Limited where you can hang you framed artwork, many times limited to the den or man cover.... cheesecake artwork also can effect this.

4. Can not always goto conventions to get more artwork. Family comes first.

 

Being single good for the collector......

1. Can spend whatever you want on art so long as you have enough for rent and food (Cup of Noddles alot)

2. Hang whatever you want on the walls.... Cheesecake and more (or is that less)

3. Look for girlfriend who likes cheesecake art

Edited by Brian Peck
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We bypassed all that recommended 529 planning (fake news!), and went into a surefire investment investment...CGC certified sketch covers! Now we sit and wait and watch them quadruple in value each year. Hello, Harvard! 

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31 minutes ago, Sideshow Bob said:

We bypassed all that recommended 529 planning (fake news!), and went into a surefire investment investment...CGC certified sketch covers! Now we sit and wait and watch them quadruple in value each year. Hello, Harvard! 

Can you please send my wife a link to your financial planner? 

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39 minutes ago, Brian Peck said:

Marriage seems bad for the collector......

1. Less money to spend on the important things.... MORE ARTWORK!

2. Limited on what you can buy....... cheesecake art can be a no no in some marriages 

3. Limited where you can hang you framed artwork, many times limited to the den or man cover.... cheesecake artwork also can effect this.

4. Can not always goto conventions to get more artwork. Family comes first.

1. Wrong woman.

2. Wrong woman.

3. Wrong woman.

4. Too busy getting some (unless you: wrong woman-ed yourself!) to hang out with loser comic friends anymore lollollol

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Were you a collector before becoming attached and/or having kids ?

In any case, now you have less options:

Teach your kid to throw a 90 mph fastball left-handed.  Doesn't matter if it's a boy or girl.  90 mph can get you to "the show".

For a long time, I've believed that (in the near future), almost all jobs (except pretty much medical, legal, engineering) can be learned without a college degree or some kind of "official" certifications.  There's been a general discussion on the value of a college degree these days.  Send the kids to YouTube University. 

Lottery.

On a side note, I've also had a (probably non-provable) theory that big collectors (however you'd like to define it) are generally non-smokers.  Why ??  Because, even as kids or young adults, we'd rather spend $$$ on comics and now comic art rather than cigarettes.

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1 hour ago, vodou said:

1. Wrong woman.

2. Wrong woman.

3. Wrong woman.

4. Too busy getting some (unless you: wrong woman-ed yourself!) to hang out with loser comic friends anymore lollollol

1. Doesn't matter what type of woman, you have to split money made with her. And if you have kids even less for artwork.

 

STAY SINGLE if you want to collect comic art. :devil:

 

Edited by Brian Peck
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3 minutes ago, Brian Peck said:

1. Doesn't matter what type of woman, you have to split money made with her. And if you have kids even less for artwork.

Wrong! DINK = DOUBLE income and no kids. Can't speak for anybody else's marriage but mine truly means double to spend on art.

Having kids is definitely a drag on that model though, at least until you put them to work at 16 and let them know their post-HS education is on them lol

If they can't figure out how to make it happen, they either didn't really want to or aren't smart enough to go anyway.

5 minutes ago, Brian Peck said:

STAY SINGLE if you want to collect comic art. :devil:

Yes. If you prefer having half the collection you could have had ;)

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2 hours ago, dichotomy said:

BUT, how do we rationalize bigger purchases, say 5 figures, when we have children who haven't even started college yet? I'm fortunate - I've done some planning, but it still impacts big purchases and draws an interesting line in between buying what I love and what I must have no matter the cost, and buying what I love but, to a degree, banking on it at least holding it's value for 10-15 years. 

Start by looking at the threads about the future value of art. Then focus on the cheaper stuff, which, in many cases, is really good. 

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2 hours ago, Brian Peck said:

Easy.... don't get married!!!! 

Marriage seems bad for the collector......

1. Less money to spend on the important things.... MORE ARTWORK!

2. Limited on what you can buy....... cheesecake art can be a no no in some marriages 

3. Limited where you can hang you framed artwork, many times limited to the den or man cover.... cheesecake artwork also can effect this.

4. Can not always goto conventions to get more artwork. Family comes first.

Not so good on storage, either. 

I had placed my hobby on hiatus for a number of years, and it was stored in the basement. The sump pump went, but instead of getting it fixed like she said she would, she spent the money getting a mole removed. Naturally, the basement then flooded...thankfully, only some pieces were unrepairably damaged. Good-bye, Eisner Spirit Splash. So long Aparo Splash...plus a few more.

She is my ex-wife now.

Let me add that alimony isn't so good for the collector, too.

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3 hours ago, vodou said:

Wrong! DINK = DOUBLE income and no kids. Can't speak for anybody else's marriage but mine truly means double to spend on art.

????  You are spending income earned by your wife on art?

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Not joking, wife doesn’t care what I spend on art. I provide for her and the kids, make sure the house is constantly being updated, and put reasonable effort  into accommodation for her scheduling needs. Over the last 20 years of us being together she has seen i make it work so she no longer has misgivings. If it’s Ferrari money or Uber ride to Chik-fil-a money she has faith I’m only spending what we can afford and that I’m thinking about what’s in our families best interest. 

 

Take care of stuff , be honest, and let her know how much you might spend and how you plan to pay for it. Do that and I believe most women would be cool with you spending nearly anything. 

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9 hours ago, Brian Peck said:

1. Doesn't matter what type of woman, you have to split money made with her. And if you have kids even less for artwork.

 

STAY SINGLE if you want to collect comic art. :devil:

 

Send your wife out to work and split the bills.

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2 hours ago, Brian Peck said:

And she will get half of it in the divorce.

 

Ain't gonna happen. But...

Let's make it interesting, as we statistically each have a 50/50 here, and put your choice of any one original from my (oops! OUR) collection up against my (oops!! OUR) choice from yours - out to fifteen years from today (07/12/2034).

Winner gets both.

Waiting...

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Ahem - I’ll just interject here to say that my original post had nothing to do with wives, only kids! 😀

FYI - my wife is great. She got me my first Alex Ross pieces for my 40th birthday and really threw open the door to my collecting. She is not active, but can appreciate some of the pieces, particularly the commissions with kids, and I got her a Mindy Lee Catwoman that she really likes. She tolerates my display of some pieces, and I’ve given her carte blanche to tell me if it gets to be “too much”. 

While wives may generally not get our ‘collecting bug’ in the same way, their tempering influence might be a good thing sometimes  

 

 

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5 hours ago, dichotomy said:

Ahem - I’ll just interject here to say that my original post had nothing to do with wives, only kids! 😀

FYI - my wife is great. She got me my first Alex Ross pieces for my 40th birthday and really threw open the door to my collecting. She is not active, but can appreciate some of the pieces, particularly the commissions with kids, and I got her a Mindy Lee Catwoman that she really likes. She tolerates my display of some pieces, and I’ve given her carte blanche to tell me if it gets to be “too much”. 

While wives may generally not get our ‘collecting bug’ in the same way, their tempering influence might be a good thing sometimes  

 

 

If you really want to rationalize bigger purchases, save the shekels and stop making smaller purchases. Personally, I like my smaller purchases, in some case, more than the bigger ones. Cost and perceived value are not the same.

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