Gord wrote:
When I got into collecting I made a very conscious decision to collect items from a more recent time. In fact i collect items regarding to magic and magicians from within my own lifetime.
The reason is simple, they are a lot less expensive.
Gord
Again, maybe I am wrong about this, but I never thought "hey, I should collect SOMETHING, what can I afford?" To me, it was "Hey, this stuff is amazing, I would be thrilled to be able to hold on to it for a while." Maybe some guys want to collect just to be collecting. At which point I agree with Diego. But I know collecting for it's own sake has never been a motivator for me.
Clay,
Just to be clear - I am offering an observation about what I see from people my age and younger. Like you, I tend to move in circles of magicians who do have a respect for history. But every now and then, I try to peek out beyond and get a vibe as to what the rest of the world seems to be doing.
I personally feel very lucky that the people I consider my friends - the people I spend time with - each have more than a great respect for the history of our art. Having said that, I don't think any of this group (my friends who are my age or younger) would consider themselves collectors. I have many friends (older) who are.
When I look beyond them, that's when I see the greater disregard of history. If you consider the magic world to comprise those people who go to magic shops, buy from ellusionist, and download tricks from the internet as well as our buddies who show up at conventions, I think one finds the numbers of those interested in the history of magic really are a small percentage of the total "membership."
I too think this is disappointing. But it seems to me to be the reality.