DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COLLECTING

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WE ALL COLLECT IN OUR OWN DIFFERENT WAYS
SOME ONLY COLLECT ONE THING ALL THEIR LIVES AND SPARE NO EXPENSE IN GETTING ALL THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE IN ANY LANGUAGE AND GET IT TRANSLATED. THEY ONLY BUY THE VERY BEST ITEMS WITH EXCELLENT PROVENENCE AVAILABLE REGARDLESS OF EXPENSE. THEY VISIT THE MUSEUMS WITH THE VERY BEST COLLECTIONS AND ARRANGE TO SEE THEIR BEST EXAMPLES. IF THEY PUBLISH A BOOK ON ALL THE THINGS THEY HAVE LEARNED IN A LIFETIME WE ALL PROFIT IF NOT IT IS OFTEN ALL LOST WHEN THEY PASS AWAY.

OTHERS START THE SAME WAY AS ABOVE BUT MAY LOSE INTREST IN THE FIELD THEY ARE COLLECTING IN AND CHANGE TO SOMETHING ELSE. THIS IS OFTEN DUE TO RUNNING OUT OF NEW KNOWLEGE AND THE LACK OF AVAILABILITY OF ITEMS TO COLLECT THAT ARE UP TO THEIR STANDARDS. THEY THEN SELL OUT THAT TYPE OF ITEM AND START COLLECTING IN A NEW FIELD. BOTH OF THESE TYPES OF COLLECTORS ARE VERY SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR COLLECTING AND MUST HAVE POSITIVE PROOF OF ANY INFORMATION OR KNOWLEGE BEFORE THEY WILL ACCEPT IT. THEY ARE USUALLY DRIVEN TO BE AT THE TOP OF THEIR FIELD AND VERY COMPETIVIE AND MOSTLY ONLY RESPECT OTHER COLLECTORS SUCH AS THEMSELVES. THEY OFTEN ARE SO DEDICATED TO THEIR OWN COLLECTING AND INTERESTS THAT THEY JUST DON'T HAVE TIME OR A DESIRE TO SHARE THE KNOWLEGE THEY HAVE WORKED VERY HARD AND SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND MONEY AQUIRING. IN A WAY THEY ARE RIGHT AS GIVING THEIR INFORMATION TO A COMPETING COLLECTOR JUST MAKES THEIR COLLECTING MORE DIFFICULT AND SHAREING IT OPENLY WITH LESS DEDICATED TYPES OF COLLECTORS SEEMS A WASTE OF TIME AND EFFORT. SO MANY TIMES THE KNOWLEGE IS LOST WITH THE COLLECTOR AND THEN ANOTHER COLLECTOR OF THAT TYPE WILL HAVE TO GO FIND IT ALL OVER AGAIN FOR HIMSELF. IF IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN DOWN SOMEWHERE HE MAY GET TO THE SAME POINT BEFORE HE LOSES INTEREST OR PASSES AWAY. THE COLLECTORS OF THIS TYPE WHO LIVED DURING THE OLD DAYS OF HEAD HUNTING AND PERHAPS TRAVELED TO THE ACTUAL LOCATION AND AQUIRED ITEMS AND KNOWLEGE FROM THE SOURCE AND SPOKE THE LANGUAGE WERE VERY FEW AND MUCH OF THEIR KNOWLEGE WAS LOST FOREVER WHEN THEY PASSED AWAY AND BARRING THE USE OF A TIME MACHINE IS LOST FOREVER.

THE MAN WITH UNLIMITED TIME AND FUNDS AND THE DRIVE AND INTEREST TO COLLECT IN A FIELD WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OVER THE MAN WITH LIMITED TIME AND FUNDS. HE CAN MAKE LOTS OF CONTACTS AND BUY FROM SOTHBYS, CHRISTIES, AND THE MOST EXPENSIVE GALLERYS. THE DEALERS HE CONTACTS WILL LOOK FOR THE TYPE OF HIGH DOLLAR ITEMS HE WANTS AND CONTACT HIM WHEN THEY FIND THEM. THIS TYPE OF COLLECTOR IS AT THE TOP OF THE COLLECTING FOOD CHAIN

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS BELOW THIS SOME WHO STILL COLLECT ONLY ONE TYPE OF ITEM AND ARE AS DEDICATED BUT JUST DON'T HAVE THE TIME OR MONEY TO MAKE THE TOP OF THE LINE CONNECTIONS OR COMPETE PRICE WISE WITH THE TOP COLLECTORS.

THERE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE THE INTREST BUT A LACK OF FUNDS AND JUST HOPE TO OCCASIONALLY GET LUCKY AT A FLEA MARKET,GUN SHOW OR GARAGE SALE. THE GROUP I FALL INTO IS FAIRLY LOW ON THE FOOD CHAIN PERHAPS A JACKAL VERSES THE LION AT THE TOP. I AM HONEST AND HAPPY TO COLLECT ANY CRUMB THAT FALLS THRU OR BONE OR TASTY CHOP I CAN SNEAK IN AND GET AWAY WITH.

MY TYPE OF COLLECTING IS WHAT I AM INTERESTED IN AND LIKE, WHICH IS MOST EVERYTHING I CAN AFFORD IN BOOKS OR EDGED WEAPONS. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH OVER THE YEARS TO FIND A FEW VERY GOOD ITEMS AT GUN SHOWS ,FLEA MARKETS AND GARAGE SALES. THE ITEMS I HAVE COLLECTED OVER THE YEARS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN LOW END AT THE TIME. I NEVER COLLECTED JAPANESE, GERMAN,OR PERSIAN WHEN I STARTED COLLECTING AS THERE WAS A LOT OF INTREST AND COMPETICIAN AND I DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY. THE LOW END AT THE TIME WAS PHILIPPINE,OCEANIC,AFRICAN,MEXICO AND SOUTH AMERICAN SO THAT WAS THE DIRECTION I TOOK. I STILL REGRET THAT I DIDN'T SAVE UP AND BUY HIGHER QUALITY ITEMS ESPECIALLY FROM THE OLD ARMS CATALOGS OF THE 1960'S. I HAVE NEVER BOUGHT FROM CHRISTIES ,SOUTHBYS OR THE BIG GALLERYS AND UNLESS I FALL INTO A LOT OF MONEY NEVER WILL BE ABLE TO. I WOULD IF I COULD BUT I AM JUST NOT IN THAT ECONIMIC CLASS AND HAVE TOO MANY OTHER INTERESTS TO BE DEDICATED ENOUGH TO BE THE TYPE OF COLLECTOR AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN EVEN IF I WAS VERY WEALTHY

THERE IS A LOT THAT CAN BE LEARNED FROM A COLLECTION SUCH AS MINE AS IT INCLUDES A FEW GOOD EXAMPLES FROM MANY DIFFERENT CULTURES IN PARTS OF THE WORLD. IT ALSO INCLUDES COMMON EXAMPLES OF VARYING QUALITY AND AGE FROM EVERWHERE TOURIST OR OTHERWISE. CERTIANLY VERY LITTLE TO INTEREST THE TOP OF THE LINE COLLECTOR OR ARMS MUSEUM BUT EXAMPLES FROM VARIOUS ETHINOGRAPHIC CULTURES. TO ME A SWORD MADE IN NIAS BY THE LOCALS IS A NIAS SWORD REGARDLESS OF WHEN IT IS MADE. I WOULD CERTIANLY PREFER TO HAVE THE VERY BEST OLD EXAMPLE WITH FULL PROVENANCE OF OWNERSHIP BY THE HIGHEST CHIEF IN NIAS HISTORY BUT WILL HAVE TO SETTLE FOR A CURRENT EXAMPLE FROM NIAS WITH CARVED WOOD TEETH ON THE FETISH BALL. SO AT LEAST I HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF THE TYPE NOT GOOD QUALITY ,AGE, MATERIALS OR PROVENANCE BUT THE BEST I COULD DO. PERHAPS SOME DAY I WILL FIND A GOOD OLD EXAMPLE AT A GARAGE SALE UNTILL THAT HAPPY DAY I WILL JUST HAVE TO BE CONTENT TO HAVE MY EXAMPLE AND LOOK AT PICTURES OF THE REAL OLD ONES.

WE ALL SHARE A COMMON INTEREST BUT HAVE DIFFERENT DEGREES OF DEDICATION, KNOWLEGE AND FINANCES. WE ALSO ALL HAVE THE ITEMS WE CONSIDER THE MOST DESIRABLE AND GO IN OUR SEPARATE DIRECTIONS AS FAR AS COLLECTING. I ESPECIALLY LIKE ITEMS I HAVE ACTUALLY FOUND WHILE TRAVELING TO FORIGN COUNTRYS AS ADVENTURE AND LOCAL ALWAYS ADDS TO THE BUYING OF ETHINOGRAPHIC ITEMS. END OF TOME