Where have all the collectors gone?

I have been asked this question many times by many online and open shop dealers. The Answer is not a simple one it has to do with changing times and the cycle of the antiques and collectibles market. I was once told many years ago by a old time antique and collectibles dealer that the average selling cycle of collectibles and antiques was 25 years but that it always comes around again or had in his life time. If he was right then I would think that we are on the low end of the cycle right now and in time the market will come back. I think the web changed how people see collecting and many older collectors became dealers because they could sell on line and did not have to open a shop or wholesale their collection out to dealers. Some will continue on as dealers but many have moved on to other interests when they found that selling online was not as simple as it seemed. I also think that many collectors were overwhelmed with the vast amount of items offered on the web. I also believe that in time many of then will start collecting again and that others from a new generation of collector will follow them. It is  part of human nature to collect things of all kinds for all kinds of reasons. A collector need not be rich  to enjoy what they love. It has been said many times  Collect What you Love and Love What you collect.  I think we all have a collector inside of us just waiting to find that perfect item.  If you like uncommon and unusual items come on by the site and see if you can find that one item that might spark a collection.

Peace,

Stephen    

                                       

Are Used and Antiquarian booksellers Doomed to Extinction ?

This is a subject dear to my heart as I was a antiquarian book seller for many years and still list some books on my web site even today. Will the printed word of the past be collectible in the future? I think in the short term the answer is yes but not in the long term. People have and will continue to move away from books not only as collectibles but also as as source of enjoyment. We as a people are slowly losing the desire to read just for  pleasure, we want instant gratification so we turn to Smart phones, the web ,Television . Movies , video games and the list grows daily. Many younger people are losing the attention span that is required to sit and read for any period of time. The basic for book collecting and just plain reading starts with the connections we make with the books we have read. Book shops of all kinds are closing daily and on line book sites are hurting as many dealers move on to others jobs and the open shop antiquarian book market is now maybe half the size it was only a few years ago. Rents are too high and sales are to low. I used to do 35 book shows year and had an open shop with 60,000 to 80,000 books in it. I still sell online but closed the shop 6 years ago and would be hard pressed to find a book show worth doing. I  sell much more in the way of  vintage ephemera and collectible advertising , letters , documents, trade catalog than in used or collectible books these days. It is hard times for A great class of people in this country, bookselling is a noble profession and over the years it has been my honor and pleasure to know both collector and bookseller and I for one will be very sorry to see this way of life lost.
Peace,
Stephen
www.biblioboy.com