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  #21  
Old 10-03-2008, 02:56 PM
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luke strawwalker luke strawwalker is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joecool
scigs, my interest isn't in trying to make money or have my hobby pay for itself. My interest in the old kits is in owning a piece of model rocket history. As a somewhat (or maybe VERY according to my wife!) obsessive person I also like collecting things, and the idea of building a complete collection of Estes rockets, or at least completing the early years, is appealing. There are very few things one might collect that you could actually collect ALL of, without spending millions!
So, I do enjoy collecting the older kits and just keeping them in the bag. And, as you say, I can build a clone and have the best of both worlds - the original to keep, and a clone to fly.
The reason for my question is, I'm not sure I do want to collect if it means paying thousands to create a collection that become worthless in a short time. If I am going to invest that kind of money I would like relatively high odds that I can recover a large portion of my investment if I need to/decide to move on. Make sense?
And by the way I'm inclined to agree with you - I think these old kits are really only valuable to the folks who used them back when. I suppose there will always be a few oddballs like me who are interested in the early days, and like collecting, but as cloning becomes easier and more popular the need to collect the actual kits will wane.
For my own part, I think rather than trying to collect ALL the old kits, I may just focus on a few of the early years, or kits that really flip my fancy. That way I can have a piece of history but not sink my life savings into it.


Well, joe, one thing to consider is, that IF you amass a COMPLETE collection, that in itself would be quite valuable, if you ever decided to divest yourself of it. You could sell it AS a complete collection rather than piecemeal and undoubtedly fetch more for it then piecemealing it, but the buyer list would be pretty short...

I'm not a 'collector' and don't really see the appeal myself, but to each his own, and good luck! OL JR
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  #22  
Old 10-03-2008, 03:15 PM
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joecool joecool is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luke strawwalker
Well, joe, one thing to consider is, that IF you amass a COMPLETE collection, that in itself would be quite valuable, if you ever decided to divest yourself of it. You could sell it AS a complete collection rather than piecemeal and undoubtedly fetch more for it then piecemealing it, but the buyer list would be pretty short...

I'm not a 'collector' and don't really see the appeal myself, but to each his own, and good luck! OL JR


that thought has occurred to me but to be realistic i don't think it would be possible to collect the entire catalog. i wouldn't be surprised if some of the original models are extinct, and then you have the usual confusion about what constitutes the entire catalog - do you have to get starter sets when you can buy the rockets separately? what about combo packs? then of course there is the $ you would have to spend - with many kits going for $50-$100, and a significant number in the $100-$200 range, you would spend tens of thousands to collect the whole lot!

no, what really interests me is to try to collect some of the early years (maybe all of the '60s) and then a smattering of the kits since then - the ones that really grab me. some of these i will build, like the death star i just finished, the star trek models, etc.
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  #23  
Old 10-04-2008, 07:33 AM
Rocket Doctor Rocket Doctor is offline
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From what I understand, there are a couple of those out there in rocketry land who do have a complete or near complete collection of kits. And, there is a guy that buys on ebay that has two complete sets of catalogs, and, the way he looks at it, it's an investment for his kids future. And, he would drop a few hundred dollars for just one catalog.

Preservation is the best way to look at it, once an item is gone, that's it, it's gone forever, and forever is a long time..........

That is why we have museums, to preserve the past for future generations. Also, prototypes are very valuable as well, the very first.
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  #24  
Old 10-04-2008, 10:42 AM
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LeeR LeeR is offline
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Originally Posted by Rocket Doctor
And, he would drop a few hundred dollars for just one catalog.


Yep, been up against him, I am sure, bidding on old catalogs ...
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  #25  
Old 10-06-2008, 09:00 PM
PaulK PaulK is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rustee
What is it worth to actually find rare,collectable OOP kits you thought you'd never find and hold them in your hands? Priceless. Why,I might have to go fondle some right now...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Initiator001
Yup...

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  #26  
Old 10-06-2008, 11:04 PM
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joecool joecool is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Doctor
From what I understand, there are a couple of those out there in rocketry land who do have a complete or near complete collection of kits. And, there is a guy that buys on ebay that has two complete sets of catalogs, and, the way he looks at it, it's an investment for his kids future. And, he would drop a few hundred dollars for just one catalog.

Preservation is the best way to look at it, once an item is gone, that's it, it's gone forever, and forever is a long time..........

That is why we have museums, to preserve the past for future generations. Also, prototypes are very valuable as well, the very first.


boy, it sure would be cool to get to talk to some of these folks with such large collections. love to hear how they did it, how they manage it, how much they think it's worth. how would it get in touch with them?
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  #27  
Old 10-07-2008, 01:26 AM
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Der Red Max Der Red Max is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joecool
boy, it sure would be cool to get to talk to some of these folks with such large collections. love to hear how they did it, how they manage it, how much they think it's worth. how would it get in touch with them?

I know what you mean!
I just don't know how some of these guys do it!
I can't figure it out.

Like this guy!!!!!: http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=48420
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  #28  
Old 10-09-2008, 02:24 PM
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Shreadvector Shreadvector is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joecool
boy, it sure would be cool to get to talk to some of these folks with such large collections. love to hear how they did it, how they manage it, how much they think it's worth. how would it get in touch with them?


Just show up at their apartment with a roasted Turkey and a box of wine.
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  #29  
Old 10-09-2008, 06:21 PM
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joecool joecool is offline
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so who's got the address?! :-D
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