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Topic: Film Collecting
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Mathew James
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 740
From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2014
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posted January 25, 2018 06:53 AM
I am extremely picky these days.
I collect what I like, which actually isn't much any more... and only if it meets my buyers criteria, which includes a number of factors, price being the first entry point.
When I first started, knowing nothing, I found about 8 to 10 S8Soundies at a local fleamarket which set me off collecting because of the nostalgia and also because it had sound which I never knew about. This was about Fall 2014 according to my avatar! Our family's S8's were all silent... These fleamarket films(mostly 400' LH's and Hal Roaches) were $5-$8 each. This has spoiled me. I now cannot buy a film unless the price is reasonable.
What is reasonable? Well, that is where most times this buyer and other sellers do not agree, and thus, my collection remains smaller than most ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I was able however to pick up approx 8 films in 2017 meeting the above criteria! All MINT(boxes included) or VG or nothing!
-The Picky Collector-
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Cheers,
Matt 📽
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Melvin England
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 707
From: Hull, East Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Feb 2016
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posted January 25, 2018 02:08 PM
I have followed a similar road to the one that Clinton has been down.....anything if it was cheap.....and more about quantity not quality.
These were in the days when I was using pocket money and then... hey presto! I got my first job. Finances were a push in those early years so anything I could pick up in Blackpool for virtually nothing was bought.
As was bound to happen, I then had a shed full of super 8 and realised I needed a gentle cull.
As time went on, the quality of the titles, and the number of pounds in my pocket,increased. Therefore nowadays I am a little more choosy about what I keep and what I sell.
Laurel and Hardy are a definite KEEP. As are the various versions of those wonderful Busby Berkeley dance films that we can get on super 8.... a far superior medium to view these routines than on some tiny 50" TV ! Also full length features are a keep together with any Disney extract or anything to do with a pop group from Merseyside...... and I am NOT talking Frankie Goes To Hollywood either! ( I would have said "Liverpool" but that would have made it easy...)
The type of stuff I would dispose of due to lack of space?
Most football films, a few of the "weaker" 3 and 4x 400' digests (please don't ask me to name them) that were okay before other better titles came along. 200' "Look At Life" that, good as they are, have subject matter that is of no interest. And also some of the condensed 400' films where the editing was particularly weak or was a lousy title or was only bought because it was cheap.
That's my philosophy.
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"My name is for my friends!"
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Tom Photiou
Film God
Posts: 4837
From: Plymouth U.K
Registered: Dec 2003
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posted January 25, 2018 02:47 PM
For us it was always a case of skimming through the sales lists and thinking, "yeah fancy that one", but generally it was films we knew rather than hoping a title might be good, We also like the Laurel and Hardy's and if one came up on the list as "A" condition we would get it, always great to receive these, like the Tom and Jerry's and other cartoons, if the price was right and the condition was said to be good we would simply get it, we knew these would be keepers, we have 28 L & Hardy's which is enough, and 31 T & J's which is never enough so we we keep our eyes peeled for these.
Move on many years , (in the last 12 months in fact) and now i am looking at 16mm's which up until now have been impulse purchases, when a good title comes up you cant think too long, as you all know if you miss a title on this gauge the chance of it repeating again is slim. BUT, due to the size of these there will be a limit to the amount so i am trying to keep all the 16s to 80s and 90s titles for the benefit of the colour stock.
I know many titles i would like but i cant look for them, i will have to see what comes up, ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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Greg Perry
Film Handler
Posts: 86
From: midwest
Registered: Dec 2015
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posted January 25, 2018 03:59 PM
Hello,
When I first started collecting 16mm and 8mm/Super 8 (just a few years back), I bought what I thought I would like or pretty much anything if it was cheap enough. My thought was to re-sell those dirt cheap films if after viewing, I didn't much enjoy them or if the condition was too poor. But selling is time consuming and selling the faded ones can often be more trouble than its worth.
Now, I am more deliberate in what I purchase---color quality and condition are much more important to me. I am trying NOT to add any more faded/fading films to the collection, wherever possible.
The good news is a sizable portion of what I like (L&H, Thelma Todd/Zasu Pitts, Little Rascals, B&W TV shows) is black and white so fading at least isn't an issue.
It is amazing how films pop up for sale and even if the title isn't on my current "wants list", I can all too easily convince myself that it would be good to own it. I completely agree with Tom P. that when a desired title pops up you really need to grab it because it could be a year or two or even more before you see that particular title for sale again.
Kind Regards,
Greg
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