Is this an "old man's hobby"?

[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by olikara

I'm 37 now.

And to be honest, would not have branched out into collecting edged arms had it not been for this forum and Jim McDougall.

Hi Olikara,

Collecting can end up being a 'solitary' pursuit, we are often buying at distance, not to mention that we are buying items that are no longer considered mainstream 'collectables'. In fact many dealers and collectors consider them 'offensive weapons'!
Also of course the marketplace can seem a tad 'dog eat dog' at times to say the very least.
It can make collectors isolated and wary.

Even online forums and resources have various types of participants.

The machiavellian traders who exploit the resource without sharing their own knowledge.

The 'timid' or shy collectors who feel uncomfortable in giving opinions that might disagree with others. The occasional contributors.

The 'bread and butter' collectors and dealers who through passion for the field both share their knowledge and recieve help from others. (a good forum will hopefully have a majority of these people, the 'give and take' group)

But there are a few, who simply give.
The true 'researchers'. The historians and seekers whose joy is simply in the quest for knowledge and the opportunity to help and inspire others.
A very rare group in any sphere!

Jim is one of these rare people.
He gives freely of his time, his huge experience and wealth of knowledge never asking anything in return.

How could anyone who is fortunate enough to know 'our' Jim, not be inspired by him?

Our own wandering oracle of wisdom.