Collectors of things famous or otherwise

revolver323 · Post by **revolver323** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 2:00 am

I don't get people's fascination with owning something owned by a famous person. What spurred this comment is the fact that John Lennon's white suit from the "Abbey Road" cover just sold for $98,000 on Ebay. His Austin Princess sold for in excess of $100,000. Why? Now, I can see buying the car, You might drive it. But would you wear his suit? I just don't get it. I can see buying a guitar you might use. I can't see buying a guitar worth so much that you're afraid to touch it. But I don't collect a thin (except dust, as they say). I have old vinyl records, but I didn't buy them as an investment, or to take them out and look at them every few years. I still play them. But I sold my original British "Let It Be" vinyl set, which included the picture book, for $150 on Ebay a few years back and couldn't understand why someone was willing to pay that much for a record I paid $3 for in 1970. Maybe I just don't have the collector's gene ...

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:53 am

For that price, I'd hope the suit came with stray J.L. hairs and dandruff.

randyz · Post by **randyz** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 8:26 am

Just this weekend, someone paid $630,000 for a beat-up 1970's econo-box car once owned by Pope John Paul (George and Ringo). Collector insanity. I can understand the value of certain iconic items (i.e. John's first Rick) but not items that no one would associate with a celebrity (i.e. a used car owned by a guy who later became Pope). But I heard that the ride was heavenly and that it got ungodly gas mileage!

route66guitars · Post by **route66guitars** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 10:05 am

I'm glad people want these things, or no one in my house would have a job.

Only one component of that auction was on eBay. It was a old fashioned live auction as well. I think some of it is silly, but buying Beatles related items has proven to be a great investment. I don't see that changing any time in the future.

winston · Post by **winston** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 10:36 am

Scott there is a market for just about anything. That particular type of commodity is not something I would be interested in. But I am happy for you that people seem to want that stuff.

If its not practical then its certainly not tactical in my books.

route66guitars · Post by **route66guitars** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 10:44 am

I am not a collector. I have spent my life dealing with people who are. You either have that obsession to collect or you don't. In my experience it is better not to have it, but it isn't something where one has a choice.

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 4:23 pm

Speaking of collections and LP's and Ebay..... I have a LARGE (and very cool looking) set of Beatles bootlegs including many (most) of the (semi legendary) original ones ("Yellow Matter Custard" etc etc etc). I too look at them once in a while but the vast majority will never be played again.

Any advice for an ebay sale? .... one at a time? a large set-sale?

brammy · Post by **brammy** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 4:30 pm

.... oh, and my comment on the original topic. I agree to a point, but how many of us would just LOVE to own a significant piece of Beatle lore... one of their early concert-used guitars for instance?

winston · Post by **winston** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 4:54 pm

Good point Kent but if it was so valuable that I could not play then I would not really be able to enjoy it.

webhead · Post by **webhead** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:38 am

I would sell them seperately. There are a few bootlegs, believe it or not, that will fetch up to $300 a piece. Mostly the old ones.

randyz · Post by **randyz** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:36 am

Don: I sold off most of my vinyl collection about two years ago. A friend with a record store took about 2000 of my records (albums and picture sleeve 45's) and sold them for about $15,000. It took about two months. We split the proceeds. There were lots of old Beatle bootlegs (including 'Yellow Matter Custard', 'Sweet Apple Trax', etc). I could have gone the Ebay route with a bunch of individual listings and the sale would have gone on forever. I didn't want to go through that.

I firmly believe that the market for vinyl will soon go away. The bootleg music currently available on CD-R's is so superior to the old vinyl, that I stopped playing those records many years ago. There is a whole generation of music fans who have never owned a piece of vinyl or a phonograph. As the original Beatles fans reach and surpass 50 years of age, collecting original vinyl becomes less of a priority.

That's why I got rid of my vinyl. It took up a lot of space, I wasn't playing it anymore, and I feared that the value had already peaked and was probably in decline.

wayang · Post by **wayang** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 7:54 am

Is there really such a thing as a 'collector's gene'? Or is it more a case of having too damn much disposable income and not a clue what to do with it? Let's see...a hospital in Africa, or a dead guy's white suit? Golly...decisions, decisions...

randyz · Post by **randyz** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 8:26 am

It's pretty ironic that a guy made millions of dollars singing "imagine no possessions, it's easy if you try" and that his old clothes are being sold to collectors. It's also ironic that he hired lawyers to fight over money in courtrooms for many years. I'm not calling him a hypocrite. He was after all just a man.

325_fan · Post by **325_fan** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 8:45 am

"Won't take nothin' with you but your soul, , , sing" I'd say he's doing fine.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 10:45 am

Metaphysically speaking, it's all about the space between the atoms, anyway.