As you have no doubt read by now, I’m in the process of moving, opening a new office, selling furniture, starting a new adventure, and all around questioning many decisions in my life – and looking forward to all the exciting times that await. In the process, the Trophy Wife and I have been cleaning and purging our home of 30 years’ worth of, well… stuff.
I’ve written before about what makes certain things “collectible.” I have a house full of what we found to have had value, at least to us at the time. In the equation of C = S+V (Collectable = Stuff + Value), it really depends on the intended audience (or “sucker,” if you’re trying to unload this stuff). “Value” all depends on whether or not someone else has a need, use, or similar nostalgic memory as you do. The furniture we’re unloading has pretty much been with us since Day One. That is, our Day One together. Not in a biblical sense.
My point is that, unless you’re our son (you’re not, are you?) or one of our deceased dogs (PLEASE tell me you’re not), none of these possessions will have any special meaning to you. It’s just stuff that would otherwise be tossed, donated or sold off at a garage sale.
Back when Don Imus (http://www.imus.com/) was relevant, a distributor friend of mine gave me an overrun from her order of Imus bobbleheads. Having spent about an hour or so in the bobblehead business, I know that this piece was rather special, as it’s oversized and ceramic (as opposed to today’s norm of resin). Is there a market for this? Only if someone wants it. According to a listing on eBay, someone else is selling a similar piece (or attempting to, at any rate) for $150. That’s great, if someone is willing to spend that kind of money.
I grew up listening to Imus, from junior high school through college (he actually visited our college radio station’s studio, autographing a wall. Who knows how wasted he was at the time?); he was an idol of mine in the radio business. Getting that bobblehead many years later meant a lot to me. Today…it’s a dust collector. Maybe I’ll try to sell it to that other person who is selling one… turn it into a matched set. Bookends! That’s brilliant. But highly unlikely.
I’ll admit that I’m having a hard time getting rid of it, not in the sense that no one wants it, but because of its value to me. I am of the belief that my wife wouldn’t mind if this fragile memento somehow didn’t survive the trip. While I won’t go so far as to accuse of her dropping the box in which it’s packed, if I see her do so repeatedly, well… let’s just say I’ll have my suspicions.
I find it ironic that the items with which I’m having the most issues are bobbleheads, considering that my collection (does “six” equal a collection?) was amassed prior to my short run as co-founder and vice president of a bobblehead company that I attempted to bring into the promotional products industry. I have one of Tiger Woods, which makes no sense, as I am neither of a fan of his nor of golf as a (w)hole. Someone make me an offer – quickly!
It’s no secret that I am a Mets fan. Off the top of my head, the extent of my Mets promotional items would be a cap, a Pez dispenser, a coffee mug with a sublimated logo which has nearly disappeared, a nearly-as-faded sweatshirt from the 1986 World Series, and a beer stein from the 1969 World Series (those of you who know me know what a big beer drinker I am, so this is a cherished collectible. You can only imagine how many beers I had back in 1969, celebrating that victory). For such an out and proud Mets fan, I don’t seem to have a lot of their merchandise.
I saved another Mets collectible for a paragraph of its own. Even though I was national sales manager of a promotional umbrella company, I spent good money to purchase, at retail, a Mets cap umbrella. You can refer to this photo, but mine is better. Mine has the “NY” logo on the cap, making it look like an actual Mets cap. I love this umbrella. It is just so unique and special. Why it has not come out of the closet in over 20 years is anyone’s guess. Will it make the move? Yeah, probably. Will it get used? Seems questionable.
As we are moving to the land of the daily afternoon thunderstorm, the rest of my umbrellas will most likely make the trip. Aside from that Mets piece, I do have an inordinate number of promotional umbrellas in my closet… none of which was paid for. I worked for Peerless Umbrella a long time ago; their products have held up quite well. I emphasize that I have not been on their payroll in well over 20 years… that’s not a paid mention for them as much as an appreciation for quality.
To my writing instrument friends: I must confess that I have thrown away (and in some cases, dontated) many of the pens you’ve given me over the years. Many are fine quality pens. Many are (how can I word this politely?) of the promotional quality. I need maybe six pens on a regular basis (a very random figure). Why I have hundreds is anyone’s guess.
I do have a carton of new pens, courtesy of my friends at Riteline, which are making the move. They have my association logo, my name and contact info. What a great promotional item! More companies should use something like this!
As we’ve purged, we’ve found other pens that were given to us when our son was born. There’s his name, imprinted along with his birth date and other vital info. These have zero value to the outside world. To his mother and me, they mean everything.
A collectible is in the eye of the beholder. Unless it’s a pen. Pens should never be in someone’s eye.
Mike Schenker, MAS, is the executive director of the Gold Coast Promotional Products Association (GCPPA), as well as “all that” at Mike Schenker, Consulting. He is a promotional industry veteran and member of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) Hall of Fame. He can be reached at mike@mikeschenker.com.