And herein we find evidence of at least two classes of "collector" -- another aspect of our community that makes this so much fun. We have the camp that buys cheap, fixes them up, enjoys them a while and then lets them go to another collector for more than they paid. Then we have the camp who stun us with their magnificent collections of already perfectly restored and rare machines. The fixer-upper camp invest a little money and a lot of time to turn a decent sum of cash (after having some fun) while the high-roller camp buy machines that continue to appreciate. In truth, both camps seem to be getting a return on their investments if we broaden "return" to include different forms of enjoyment as well as cash value.
Then there's the camp who bought common machines back before eBay, back when we were all absolutely convinced they were all pretty rare, and who seemingly became discouraged by the light of truth we discovered through eBay... I belong to an entirely different camp, admittedly. My only concern with any phonograph is still "what does THIS one sound like??" I appreciate the fixers just as much as the rollers, and the collections of each equally. For me, everything about this hobby is kid-in-a-candy-store. But what it boils down to, like pretty much everything else in life, is intent. Thanks, folks of the list, for making my week with such enjoyable repartee! Best to all, Robert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Barry Kasindorf" <ba...@barrykasindorf.com> > I collect them to play and have fun with. Having a variety and number of differing > things is why I collect. Looking at the same 2 nice phonos is not as > much fun as shopping and turning over and repairing many.
