This was interesting to read about the world of collectibles, @denmarkguy. One which I have essentially no experience, as it never made much sense to me. As you point out, the fact it is far more subjective than objective seems quite clear.
This was amusing:
... wanting to know "if it would be a good investment."
But once you start investing in that very same thing, you're suddenly motivated by profit, and that profit can only be realized through the sale of whatever your "thing" is.
Here is the heart of the matter, I think. Mixing the idea of investing, with collecting. If subjectively, one really "loves" something, for its own sake, whatever that may mean to them, that should be the end of it.
Experience has taught me that collecting things because "they have value" is often a trap that leads us to disappointment.
"So my advice remains, just collect stuff because you have fun and enjoy what you're doing. If it turns out that your collection is worth something, treat that as a bonus, not an expectation!
Makes perfect sense to me!
Maybe an interesting corollary post would be what leads a person to "love" an object, as it sounds like, from your experience base, you might have some very interesting thoughts on that.
This old folded lettersheet from 1856 has "value" to the right person. But it's just a piece of paper...
Absolutely. Anyone with any experience in attempting to trace their family history would likely perk up reading this part. There are many sad stories about valuable information being collected and stored for long periods of time, only to end up in a landfill or trash heap somewhere. Taking with it stories and information which may never come to light again.
Different topic, to be sure, but thought I would point it out, upon reading this in your post.