Deluded with collecting?

[jdr]

Hi all

Just a thought to see if anyone else feels this way?

Of late I've become really deluded with collecting. Questions like...what's it all for? Why bother? etc

At the moment I feel like packing it all in and giving up

Jack

[irish]

From time to time it does seem a bit frivolous not to mention expensive. However I try to never take it too seriously and use it as a diversion from work and other stresses. If it was not militaria it would likely have been some other area of collecting.

What does make me question it at times is when I see others bickering needlessly over something that should be fun.

It also helps satiate my interest in Military history. Just my 2 cents worth

[Roobarb]

Hello Jack,

I presume you mean disillusioned rather than deluded?

With regards to collecting, just collect for your own pleasure. If that pleasure is absent try a new direction and never try to please anyone else other than yourself with your collection.

I have changed direction a few times and culled a couple of my former collections entirely and started fresh.

If your online life is causing you to doubt your hobby leave it all behind for a period. Forums in particular can be quite corrosive to morale at times. It will work wonders i can assure you.

I am sure you can remember the things that pulled you in and hooked you into collecting things of a military nature. That i suspect hasn't changed, only the face of the hobby has. Sit down with and take a look at a couple of your favourite items. If they no longer move you in any way you will have the answer that only you can give yourself. If you still get the feeling we all get when holding an item of history in your hands, then stick with it but dial back the online aspect of things.

A hobby is meant to be an enjoyable pastime, it isn't meant to add to the stresses we already have enough of on a daily basis, it is our escape from it.

I think it is rare for a collector to lose the fire completely but there are times it will reduce to embers.

[Roy]

Hi Jack,

Firstly let me applaud you for having the courage to raise this topic and share your own personal thoughts.

As a life long collector of militaria I can understand the highs and lows. I collect knives, firearms and of course insignia. I did write an article in Knife World magazine reflecting on my own personal experiences of collecting. Called 'A Collector's Tale' you might find it fun to read, so will pop the link below.

http://wilkinsonfscollection.com/wil...arch_2014.html

I won't presume to offer advice but if I may share a couple of aspects of my own collecting that helps to keep thing fresh and engaging for me.

Firstly I love history, so anything I collect always leads me down that path, reading and studying about a specific topic always keeps me interested and engaged. This is especially helpful when my collecting has stalled and it seems like there isn't much going on. It also offers me a great balance between the excitement of finding that new treasure and the dry spells where I then start to pick up books etc.

Secondly I collect a couple of areas. My insignia collecting has gone a little quiet this last couple of weeks, so I'm into a research project on my 1870's Wilkinson-Shakespear knife. Of course if insignia is the only area you collect, then the same thing can be achieved by collecting badges to two units/countries etc.

Looking forward to your thoughts Jack and also those of other collectors.

Cheers, Roy.

[Pylon1357]

Well Jack,

I am in the same boat as you and I am growing weary of bailing. I leave my badge collecting from time to time, and in fact have just started my current break from it all.

I still collect medals so I have that going for me, plus I will never leave my Regimental collecting. In fact I was just visiting my Regtl Association Secretary and came away with some fantastic items. With more set aside for me on my next visit.

I came home with a nice Battledress tunic, a beautiful sporran (a variant I was missing), an early Caubeen, and a couple of other nice items, including a custom tartan bathrobe.

It is things like these that keep me going.

[Old Smelly]

Jack
Sorry to hear your feeling like that but as your small collection isn't worth a lot just send it down to me to look after

In all seriousness though, I think most of us suffer peaks and troughs in this field. I sometimes go weeks or even months without doing much, but then I spot something new and off I go again. I have also changed direction a few times. I used to collect a lot of German field equipment but got rid of it all to expand the battledress stash, then went sideways onto cloth insignia, started collecting paperwork and photos, then some headdress, and recently have developed an unhealthy interest in map cases and associated items.
At the end of the day though it's all just old stuff but better for you to spend money on that than booze and fags.
Come down to Malvern, we'll cheer you up
Lee

[arrestingu]

....don't get boxed in to one area !! it becomes boring !! have multiple collecting interests ..do research hunt bits out ..find that gem and research it ....learn, enjoy and invest ...collecting is a lot healthier than other distressing activities !!
all the best Steve

[2747andy]

JDR,
I suppose it would be easy to just say "Man Up" or "Grow a Spine" (Army Humour) but I hear where you are coming from! I joined this Forum several years ago, thanks to a recommendation from Dave Cutforth "The Tamworth Badge Doctor"!

Unlike some on this Forum who sit behind a virtual desk and spout to their heart's content I would like to think I have contributed as much as I have gained from being a member! I started as a "Bog Standard" member but I'm now a dealer and sell as a Part Time Interest/Hobby!

It is annoying at times to witness "Petty Bickering" but as I've been guilty of this myself I cannot shrink away from the fact, that at times the "Hobby" can get emotional!

As a "Part Timer" I often get distracted and although I head off in the mornings, coffee in hand to my garden office with the greatest intentions just to add badges to to my eBay and SMM listings, I inevitably get distracted in to answering questions and emails from other members and collectors. It does occasionally wind me up when some "Pleb" decides to go on a "Trash Andy" campaign but hey! There are Knobs in all aspects of life!

When I started collecting badges aged 8, I was totally unaware of the devious and malicious aspects of the hobby, but now I've added a few decades to that innocence I too get disillusioned, but having witnessed far too many collectors getting "Ripped Off" by dealers, I decided to do something about it, and now I'm a dealer myself, but with one vital exception, I put my hobby before monetary gain and would rather discard a dubious badge than try to sneak it under the radar.

A nice glass of Red is always a good remedy, but stick in there, despite the "Wonky Dealers", "Stick in the Muds", "Crooked eBay Sellers" and the numerous Knobs it can be quite a rewarding hobby!

I just wish this Forum was accessible when I started collecting over forty years ago! So stick in there and if you do decided to throw in your handbag, then I'm sure you can find a spine on eBay and that's not a repro one either!

Andy

[Sonofacqms]

For many people, collecting anything is an addiction, for me it's an interest and a lifesaver. I had always collected badges from the first day I found my Fathers cap badge when I was five, some sixty years ago and by adding family and friends I slowly built up my collection, back in the sixties there were lots of badges available, but when you were a £4.00 a week apprentice, badges were relevantly priced, I bought a Leeds Pals for 30/- (£1.50) from the curator of the Northumberland Fusiliers museum, a big layout at the time.

In 1982 I decided to give up smoking, I was a fairly heavy smoker and thought the money would be better spent on badges, I was right . . !

Yes, sometimes looking on websites you get fed up with the junk, but then you find a bargain, he ho life's worth living.

Keep the faith . . !

Rob

[ubervamp]

Jack

Though I'm relatively new to collecting cap badges, I've been a collector as far back as I can remember. I started my first stamp collection when I was 4. Since then I've been collecting to many different fields of interest. Many with a military aspect, and most with a Historical aspect. I can totally relate to your post, and have found myself in the same situation many times over the years. But reading the replies I can only echo what others have said; The feeling you get when you hold a piece of History, or that special item, is rooted in something that transcends the object itself. It's a fulfilment. It doesn't matter if it's a stamp, a badge, a medal or a postcard. The desire to collect transcends the desire to just "owning" an object.

"What's it for?" - it's for your own satisfaction, and above all, joy!!

I've recently branched out into collecting real photo postcards of servicemen and insignia, and to me that added a whole new dimension to my collecting of badges.
I've also decided that once I've completed my current frames, I will be concentrating on a certain, narrower field of badges, and I look forward to having more time researching particular items.

My advice is keep it fresh, keep it interesting by pursuing new avenues. As suggested, a step back might be in order, to then come back to it and see if the feeling is still there.
People collect for a myriad of different reasons, but in my opinion, regardless, it should be FUN, it should be FULFILLING on some personal level, and it should be UNFORCED.
The day I'm buying badges for the sake of buying badges, I'll quit.

To me the social aspect is important too. To have access to this forum and it's members, to be able to share experiences, crack jokes, get emotionally involved,
sidetracked, adds a great deal to my pleasure. Because I know that even if I wholeheartedly disagree with someone about something, at the end of the day we're all connected through a common interest.

Also I'd like to add that if it hadn't been for certain members, I might have thrown it all soon after starting my badge collection. These individuals, through their generosity, their time and true dedication inspired me to pursue this hobby further, and the rewards have been many. My appreciation of the level of collective knowledge shared, the unselfish attitudes and the sheer kindness of many members revitalised my interest and continues to give me joy in my collecting.

I hope you'll stick around for a long time yet, Jack

Cheers

Colin

[LONGSHANKS]

Hi Colin and team, how are you all.

I have to admit, I have asked the same question as Jack has, what do I do with it all when I get them. But I then remember what I started for. I remind myself that my original goal was the British Army of the Great War and Empire, at the height of it's power and size.

In remembering my original goal I decided to divest myself of distractions like the QVC/Edwardian collection as it was a distraction. Maintaining a singular goal, and not just "hoovering" up any badge from any period is better for me. It preserves the war chest so when something comes along I need; I can get it. This does make it enjoyable that you can get those special one's, rather than sitting on the sideline's with a collection in medium quality, but vast in it's attempted scope.

As with Colin, the aim to frame and enjoy is really the end goal, as having them in box's or draw's for me anyway, dissolves into just the feeling that "I've own them, now what?". But without seeing them to enjoy, and buying to just own can for me create those sort of questions. It's like buying a painting and keeping it in a cupboard. You have to figure out a way to enjoy them, once you have them.

My advice for new collectors and one's loosing the spark to collect is narrow down and pick a corps, or a war that has family connection, personal connection or a historical interest. Then decide whether it is going to be cap's, collar's and ST's. Or just cap's in my case. I think all three together can widen the search so much, it can be demoralising and daunting at times with the vast scale of project embarked upon. Resulting in I think what Jack is experiencing. Unless, just collecting any and everything brings enjoyment, then fine.

My only frustration as present is those final one's are getting the hardest to find.....and the most expensive. I may have to come to the conclusion I won't get them all 100% in the end. Maybe in time, but I don't let it bring me down.

Anyway, that's my take on the question at hand.

Regards

Simon.