[Archive]

Posted By: Corey R. Shanus

Getting to your main point, which you posted in direct response to a posed question, I agree that most collectors of rare material have highly defined needs and that friendship should not come into play if two friends are both going after a jugular item on their wantlists. If such an item were to come up, I would not expect any friend of mine to for no consideration ask me to withdraw, nor would I ever make such a request on any friend. If, on the other hand, an item up for auction is only tangentially on my wantlist but I know is an important item on a friend's wantlist, then in that instance there have been occassions I have for the sake of friendship withdrawn from bidding, just as when the reverse has been the case some of my friends did not bid against me.

And for all those who blast Bruce's point that collecting is a competition, well, I have news for you, it is. That doesn't mean that collecting isn't also about making and nurturing friendships; that too it is, and the two are not inconsistent with each other. But really, what do you think at its barest bones auctions really are? They are people competing for the same item.

Edited for grammar