Posts: 1067
From: Leawood, Kansas USA
Registered: Oct 2003

Posts: 3398
From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 05-13-2004 05:12 AM               

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Tahir,

You're about to go down a very dangerous path, I suspect <LOL>. Maybe we should preface the discussion (and avoid upsetting anyone!) by saying that regardless of service issues MOST dealers, auction houses etc provide us (the collectors) with access to items we'd otherwise struggle to acquire. I'll pass on my views in a separate post.
Paul

Posts: 1499
From: Germany
Registered: May 2000

posted 05-13-2004 05:24 AM               

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Fairly easy to answer...

Each hobby is some sort of symbiosis - each one of the groups (collectors, dealers and auctions houses) wouldn't exist without the other(s).
There may be a 4th group - the societies and clubs that somehow hold everything together.
(whether it's the forum community, a newsgroup or the Space Unit e.g.)

And in each group there are black sheeps, of course.

So anyone for a discussion ?

Florian

[This message has been edited by spaceflori (edited May 13, 2004).]

Posts: 145
From: Plainfield, IL USA
Registered: Sep 2000

Posts: 3307
From: Houston, TX
Registered: May 2001

posted 05-13-2004 09:11 AM               

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Serial poster, here...

There are many many good dealers. However, a collector must remember that autographs are now commodities - like cars, for example. Any collector who believes that all dealers have solely the collector's best interests at heart are naive. This is *not* to imply that the large majority of dealers are not good people, IMO there are relatively few dealers who are bad people. It's just that when money enters into a situation, things change, and objectivity lessens. This happens to widely varying degrees, depending on the dealer, but it happens. It's human nature. By the way, this is an opinion held not only by me, but by many people in the hobby.

Posts: 184
From: USA
Registered: Nov 2002

posted 05-13-2004 12:20 PM               

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I have sold a fair number of autographs from many genres and space people are by far the most professional and pleasant to deal with. I think the hobby has gained notice over the years, and thus more forgers as well. But for the most part we have the best safety net in spotting forgers than any other type of collecting. The space
community is supporting and helpful to each other. You don't get that with other sports, political, etc. They are just too large of categories. In sports and other categories you have to pay $75-100 to get an experts opinion, here you can probably get 3-4 reputable opinions in 24 hours with no charge.

I don't make a lot of money professionally so I like to use some of the money made in selling and put it back into my hobby, buy that one crew pic I've been looking at, etc. It's the only way I could afford it, because space autograph collecting is expensive. It's also gratifying to find a bargain, pass it along to someone else for fair value and have the money to now buy the item I want. Otherwise I'd just be on the outside looking in.