Food For Thought

ariel · 27th February 2006, 04:07 PM

We, sword collectors, think that our acquisition of things sharp and pointy is a form of investment. Indeed, the prices went up and up for many years.
However, this article offers a sobering thought: if there are no buyers, there is no value.
Sword collection is more than just amassing used lottery tickers: it requires familiarity and appreciation of history in all its manifestations. The coming generations have not been educated the way we were (for better or for worse!) and history is not their forte. They grew up with the idea that there are "generations" of things(computers, tapes/DVDs, TVs etc, etc) and that with the advent of a new "generation", the earlier one becomes obsolete and needs to be discarded.
The idea of "obsolescence" is a death sentence of collecting!
Since most people start collecting when they are financially stable (~ 40-50 yo), the guy who would be potentially interested in paying a lot of money for my swords 20 years down the road, must be in his mid-20s, ie in college, right now. How many history-minded college students do you know?
I am afraid, my swords will decrease in value 5 years down the road and will be worthless by the time I hit the retirement age.

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27th February 2006, 04:07 PM	#2
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	We, sword collectors, think that our acquisition of things sharp and pointy is a form of investment. Indeed, the prices went up and up for many years. However, this article offers a sobering thought: if there are no buyers, there is no value. Sword collection is more than just amassing used lottery tickers: it requires familiarity and appreciation of history in all its manifestations. The coming generations have not been educated the way we were (for better or for worse!) and history is not their forte. They grew up with the idea that there are "generations" of things(computers, tapes/DVDs, TVs etc, etc) and that with the advent of a new "generation", the earlier one becomes obsolete and needs to be discarded. The idea of "obsolescence" is a death sentence of collecting! Since most people start collecting when they are financially stable (~ 40-50 yo), the guy who would be potentially interested in paying a lot of money for my swords 20 years down the road, must be in his mid-20s, ie in college, right now. How many history-minded college students do you know? I am afraid, my swords will decrease in value 5 years down the road and will be worthless by the time I hit the retirement age.