The hunt - is it compulsive?

[cgreen]

Morning Everyone, or Good Evening if you're somewhere where the sun's already set,

I just posed a question to forum member, CombatWombat, and it got me thinking maybe this would be a good one for the group.

Am I the only one who loves the hunt and the chase for a jacket almost as much as the jacket itself? I do the same thing with lamps, by the way. I'll hunt and hunt, and rationalize, and imagine, and almost buy but then not, but then hunt some more, and when the right piece finally makes its presence known I'll buy it, and then turn right around and start the hunt all over again.

I'm enjoying the piece that I just bought, and I try to be as selective as I possibly can be given that there aren't limitless funds to pursue this madness, but the hunt is part of the overall experience of a piece for me. Does anyone else do this? Am I part of an international brotherhood in this, or do I need to speak to someone about this?

My dad and I are watch lovers as well, and through our travels we've met some wild people in that world - one guy we know buys every combination of metal and dial color available when a particular brand releases a new piece - he's north of 300 watches and counting. Another guy buys very, very expensive timepieces and more often than not will turn around and consign them back to the jeweller a few weeks later at a significant loss - he just loves the hunt, loves the experience of trying it on, hanging out with the jeweller, having a coffee and a chocolate, talking watches, making the purchase, and then owning it for just the littlest bit of time. He consigns it back and then immediately makes another purchase. He's got big pockets so the money doesn't concern him, but what's the psychology of the hunt?

Why do we torture ourselves with having one eye constantly on the lookout? Further, would many of you consider yourselves collectors, and how would you describe your closets as a result? Are all of your pieces something you wear? Do you own pieces just for the pleasure of seeing them hanging there even though they might be too small, or too large, and hence not wearable?

Looking for everyone's thoughts, thanks much. The hunt continues.

CG

 

[Flightengineer]

Man, you stuck a stick in an anthill

In a nutshell - yes, hunting is part of the fun (for me for sure). It probably wouldn't be as interesting if you could just come into a store and buy.

 

[D97x7]

Personally I think it's a primeval instinct that is still very much alive and kicking in a lot of people, we can't actually hunt food any longer, well most of us can't, so we seek the satiation of the desire subconsciously down other paths.

 

[johnwayne]

Thought about this lots over the years and always reminded myself of where and when to stop! As I’ve aged the desire lessens - my jackets for instance is a small collection to some but once I bagged an original Dubow A2 it made me think about values or if I could better it and I haven’t albeit my GW Doniger comes close!
Some of you may remember Roughwear (Andrew Swatland) and his collection of original A2’s ran to one of every maker (honestly) and all pretty much top notch too and, all his size! Seeing much of that collection in addition to his general re-enactment collection of suits and uniforms down the ages etc really made me realise how its easy to become an obsession and pretty much take over your life if you let it. But to each his own I guess and funds allowing there’s no harm in having such an outlet from the pressures of life.

 

[Brettafett]

Taken me decades and too much money to comfortably mention, but I have a handful of keepers now, and near the end of my hunt.
Thankfully

 

[caddyd]

Perfection is an illusion so the hunt is futile.

 

[JonnyCrow]

Man, you stuck a stick in an anthill

In a nutshell - yes, hunting is part of the fun (for me for sure). It probably wouldn't be as interesting if you could just come into a store and buy.

And then some haha

 

[Micawber]

I suspect it is a form of OCD.

Obsessive, compulsive disorder.

No harm in it I suppose unless it rules your life, finances and relationships.

 

[cgreen]

Thank you everyone, the thoughts are terrific - one of the things I find interesting is the number of people on the Buy/Sell forum here and at Fedora who say they knowingly bought a jacket that didn't fit them but they just had to have it anyway at the time.

My kids and I talk almost daily about the importance of good design and craftsmanship - whether it's a building, a mechanical pencil, a chair, a staircase, whatever , and I think there's something to appreciating a design or the history behind it so much that even if it's not necessarily practical to you, it's something you want to be able to appreciate everyday. Case in point, wrongly sized jackets that are nonetheless gorgeous and smell like old leather.

My sister has a closet full of 1970s vintage dresses and shirts that she loves but some of them she hardly wears because they're too delicate or difficult to clean. Just the same, she loves having them.

I love looking at the Buy/Sell and seeing beautiful jackets with fabulous grain, and well-worn creases from lots of wear - there's a romance to it that's hard to quantify. Know what I mean?

 

[Chandler]

No harm in it I suppose unless it rules your life, finances and relationships.

Uh oh.

 

[Pa12]

I remember my father telling me as a young boy who couldn’t wait. He said most of the enjoyment is in the anticipation. When you get something, the initial thrill subsides quickly. Always a bit of an anticlimax. Enjoy the hunt and watching your mailbox

 

[cgreen]

The anticipation is almost always better, that's true.

 

[CBI]

Yes, its OCD. Fun but can get out of hand. I now own ONE, yes only ONE leather jacket and am way happy.

 

[cgreen]

In the world of wristwatches there's a saying: A man with a watch always knows what time it is, a man with two or more is never quite sure. The hunt is lovely but enjoying the one that sings to you most is joyful.

 

[JonnyCrow]

Yes, its OCD. Fun but can get out of hand. I now own ONE, yes only ONE leather jacket and am way happy.

I own one leather jacket but countless others haha

 

[MauldinFan]

I have found the hunt is tiring. I have a US WW2 collection that is impressive to many and I had a lot of flight jackets. I got rid of most of those and a lot of duplicate items when I pinned on the gold bars for the Army.
From that, I found I have missed very few items I have sold off over the years. And I realized that 2 or 3 amazing items are much more satisfying than 20-30 "meh" ones.
I very rarely go to militaria shows anymore, don't his garage and estate sales anymore. The stuff dried up at gun shows years ago, as well. I also never buy an item just because it's inexpensive. If I don't have an immediate, "GOTTA have" reaction, I pass.
Like a song says, "It's not having what you want; its wanting what you've got," and maybe it's a zen thing or a couple of really close calls that made me really enjoy the simple things in life to this day, but I've found that eternally seeking stuff for the sake of doing so left me quite empty.

 

[B-Man2]

Like many of you, I’ve been on this “Merry Go Round” for several years. The hunt was always fun and the rewards of finding something from the hunt were always gratifying. I’ve collected military jackets that at the early years of my life were plentiful, and now are rare. I have jackets that are very unique that I thought would be in high demand in later years, only to find out no one is really interested in them. I have others that I picked up for a few dollars and sold for a few hundred. So now at this point in my life the “Hunt” has changed. I no longer hunt jackets, instead I hunt buyers of jackets, which I own and need to find a good home for. And for those who have already experienced this “second half hunt” you Know what I’m talking about. For those of you who haven’t …. You eventually will .

 

[JonnyCrow]

Like many of you, I’ve been on this “Merry Go Round” for several years. The hunt was always fun and the rewards of finding something from the hunt were always gratifying. I’ve collected military jackets that at the early years of my life were plentiful, and now are rare. I have jackets that are very unique that I thought would be in high demand in later years, only to find out no one is really interested in them. I have others that I picked up for a few dollars and sold for a few hundred. So now at this point in my life the “Hunt” has changed. I no longer hunt jackets, instead I hunt potential buyers of the jackets I have and need to find a good home for. And for those who have already experienced this “second half hunt” you Know what I’m talking about. For those of you who haven’t …. You eventually will .

Exactly Burt, what I have now has that ' because I like it ' factor, all are good in their own way, 10 years ago or more, I hunted rare stuff religiously, now I'm happy to sometimes look back through old photo files to see what I did catch with just memories and not regrets, ceste la vie as the Frenchies say

 

[cgreen]

I have found the hunt is tiring. I have a US WW2 collection that is impressive to many and I had a lot of flight jackets. I got rid of most of those and a lot of duplicate items when I pinned on the gold bars for the Army.
From that, I found I have missed very few items I have sold off over the years. And I realized that 2 or 3 amazing items are much more satisfying than 20-30 "meh" ones.
I very rarely go to militaria shows anymore, don't his garage and estate sales anymore. The stuff dried up at gun shows years ago, as well. I also never buy an item just because it's inexpensive. If I don't have an immediate, "GOTTA have" reaction, I pass.
Like a song says, "It's not having what you want; its wanting what you've got," and maybe it's a zen thing or a couple of really close calls that made me really enjoy the simple things in life to this day, but I've found that eternally seeking stuff for the sake of doing so left me quite empty.

I agree wholeheartedly with the GOTTA have reaction being the one you listen to - better to have a a few pieces that really make you smile than an overabundance of pieces that you bought speculatively. Weird how tastes change - I've bought pieces of furniture that I couldn't live without at the time, only to be finding new homes for them a few years later.

 

[Micawber]

I remember my father telling me as a young boy who couldn’t wait. He said most of the enjoyment is in the anticipation. When you get something, the initial thrill subsides quickly. Always a bit of an anticlimax. Enjoy the hunt and watching your mailbox

Wise words. I remember as a young collector having ordered something waiting each day for the parcel van to, perhaps, possibly, maybe deliver something, usually a helmet, cap or item of uniform or flying gear I had bought from one of the main surplus places I dealt with back then. Send cheque or postal order off one day, it arrived the next and with a bit of luck they would get whatever it was packed and sent out to usually, but not always, arrive at my place the following day if I was lucky. The wait was invariably sweeter than the feeling several days after the item had arrived.

Ah yes the anticipation! A bit like asking a girl out not knowing if she would say yes or no.... and if the answer was yes anticipating the following yes or no's further down the line