Does your spouse know anything about your collection ?

[mark evans]

My wife knows everything about my collection that she wishes to know. If she ever asks a question, I answer it honestly. The simple fact is that she has little interest, perhaps because we've never combined our finances so the collection has little impact upon her. We've been married 31 years and this arrangement has served us well.

[nebboy]

Originally Posted by mark evans

My wife knows everything about my collection that she wishes to know. If she ever asks a question, I answer it honestly. The simple fact is that she has little interest, perhaps because we've never combined our finances so the collection has little impact upon her. We've been married 31 years and this arrangement has served us well.

This is also how it work with us. She's supportive but would rather have a remodeled bath with seam sauna than a bunch of cardboard lying around. She does call all of you my "Little freinds that I spend to much time with"

[Rich Klein]

Yes, she knows if something happens to me to call Leon

[wilkiebaby11]

I've got a funny story that shows how involved my wife is with my collecting...

My wife has overheard me talk about players like Mickey Mantle and Roberto Clemente with my father and father-in-law and she knows that I enjoy collecting these players.

A few weeks ago I was looking over my 56 set and had pulled out the Aaron, Clemente, and Mantle and had them on my desk. She came over, looked at them and goes "hmmmm... I was wrong, I thought Mickey Mantle has black and Hank Aaron was white. At least I knew Roberto Clemente was black." I gave a chuckle and replied "Well, technically Roberto Clemente is Puerto Rican". She shook her head and walked off.

[Stetson_1883]

Haaha, yeah great thread.

Besides knowing I collect, my wife don't know shit. She's European and the thought of a piece of cardboard selling for 10K would be something she would never be able to comprehend.

[packs]

My fiancé doesn't know anything about collecting but she tolerates me spending my money. Though that may change once we're actually married.

[gregr2]

My wife knows all about my collecting. She knows I enjoy it and it keeps me off the streets and out of bars so she has no complaints. I also encourage her habits of jewelry, purses, shoes, etc.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by gregr2

My wife knows all about my collecting. She knows I enjoy it and it keeps me off the streets and out of bars so she has no complaints. I also encourage her habits of jewelry, purses, shoes, etc.

Same at my house and has worked for close to 20 years.

The only thing I can add is because I am a error and variation collector I hear "Don't you already have that card", Didn't you just buy one like that last week", and my favorite "How many of the same card do you really need". I try to show her the differences sometimes and sometimes she acts like she cares.

[Stetson_1883]

Originally Posted by packs

My fiancé doesn't know anything about collecting but she tolerates me spending my money. Though that may change once we're actually married.

Count on it!

[Gary Dunaier]

This, perhaps, is the ultimate horror story of a poor soul whose spouse did not approve of his collecting. It was told by the legendary stamp dealer Herman Herst, Jr., and while it was about stamps, you don't need to know anything about stamp collecting to relate.

The customer was a doctor in Brooklyn. He needed a used single of [a very expensive stamp] and asked me to send him one on approval. Since he was a good buyer over the years, always paying promptly and never complaining, I did not hesitate to submit one.

Back it came, promptly, torn in half, with a brief note from his wife:

“My husband has received strict orders from me. He is not going to buy any more stamps. I hope this teaches you a lesson.”

Fortunately, his original letter had an office telephone number on it, and I was not long in calling him on the phone.

He thought that I was calling for not having sent the stamp. He said:

“My wife said that if she saw any more letters from stamp dealers she would open them and tear any stamps in the letter in half. I did not think she meant it.”

He continued, “It has taught me a lesson. I am going to take a Post Office Box. I will give you the address as soon as I have it.”

He did not stop buying stamps, and was decent enough to pay for the torn stamp. I asked if I might keep it as a souvenir of the stupid act of a wife jealous of her husband’s hobby.

It does not happen often that one spouse denies the other the pleasure of a hobby. But when that couple finally breaks up, her forcing him to seek additions to his collection via a Post Office Box will have been the start of it all. Happily, few of us are that dumb.

[Cmount76]

I've actually wondered about this very topic for some time. Not only does she know, support it and encourage it, she often gets me cards from my wish list for birthdays and Christmas (I can see the slabs now under the tree. C'mon red Cobb!?!?!?)

As far as the amount of money - she knows that I never spend what we don't have and that some of that "shit down there cost you tens of thousands of dollars."

So, yeah, I am pretty lucky!!

[barrysloate]

Take my wife- please! Judy and I have been happily married for 34 years, and anything I buy for any collection I will share with her. Whether it's baseball cards or memorabilia, rare coins, currency, or a Yardbirds album off ebay, she likely knows about it. If she trusts my judgment, she trusts the purchase.

We've even collected things together. Our most expensive purchase is a ca. 1905 signed Tiffany lamp, pictured below: