To collect, or to use?

[Mr. Lin]

This is something I've spent a lot of time considering since I've started buying NOS tapes. Is there a point to keeping those high-quality, somewhat rare or very rare tapes sealed just to look at, but never to be used?

Don't get me wrong, I completely understand the desire to collect, preserve, and thereby cherish something that's special in some way, I've done plenty of that in my life as well. And truth be told I already have more than a few tapes that I'm really hesitant about opening (you all will get pictures some day). I don't think anything I have is particularly special, more like unusual or aesthetically intriguing. My new avatar is one of those, the Sony X Type I Japanese version, it came from Malaysia for about $5, and you'd better believe I'd love to use it, even though it's just a normal bias cassette. But I like the packaging!

On the other hand, at the heart of this thing (one would hope) is a love of music, great sound, and recording. I think I'm more interested in tasting all these rarities, rather than just looking at them forever.

So I'm interested in what all of you have to say about this, especially because I know from your pictures that many of you have very impressive collections, which you may or may not have indicated will eventually be used for recording.


Dave

[NAD613]

This is something I've spent a lot of time considering since I've started buying NOS tapes. Is there a point to keeping those high-quality, somewhat rare or very rare tapes sealed just to look at, but never to be used?

Don't get me wrong, I completely understand the desire to collect, preserve, and thereby cherish something that's special in some way, I've done plenty of that in my life as well. And truth be told I already have more than a few tapes that I'm really hesitant about opening (you all will get pictures some day). I don't think anything I have is particularly special, more like unusual or aesthetically intriguing. My new avatar is one of those, the Sony X Type I Japanese version, it came from Malaysia for about $5, and you'd better believe I'd love to use it, even though it's just a normal bias cassette. But I like the packaging!

On the other hand, at the heart of this thing (one would hope) is a love of music, great sound, and recording. I think I'm more interested in tasting all these rarities, rather than just looking at them forever.

So I'm interested in what all of you have to say about this, especially because I know from your pictures that many of you have very impressive collections, which you may or may not have indicated will eventually be used for recording.


Dave

I would use them. It's like buying leather or suede furniture, then putting plastic covers on them. If you're going to do that, why not just save the money & buy Naugahyde furniture?

[Des-Lab]

Well since it's kind of a loaded question, here's my take on the matter.

First, the whole framed/displayed or what have you element should be pretty self explanatory: it's a kind of eclectic piece of décor. Some people collect Pez candy dispensers. Others postage stamps. Others Barbie dolls, et cetera. The whole tape display is along those lines.

Second, as for the stockpiling, yes. There is a certain amount of hoarding involved. I guess the degree of that depends on why the stash was created in the first place.

In my case, I amassed the collection of tapes that I did for the following reasons:

1. Hoarding. Not so much stockpiling simply for the sake of stockpiling ("I don't want them, I don't need them. But I better get them before someone else does".), but rather, as a hedge or safeguard against the future of the hobby. Since some of us correctly foresaw the eventual discontinuation of the tapes and the end of them as a mainstream, easily obtainable commodity, we simply exercised some foresight and stocked up on as many as we could so that we could continue to enjoy the hobby for an undisclosed if not indefinite amount of time into the future. Had we not done so, we'd either be forced to abandon the hobby or else continuously reccyle and reuse the tapes-which kind of defeats the purpose of making them in the first place. It's difficult to forsee or try and estimate how many tapes you might want or need five, ten, or twenty years hence. But as the old adage goes: "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it".

2. As an investment. This should be no secret. Buying tapes ten and twenty years ago for the purpose of reselling them at a [substantial] profit in the future is a great cash 'safety' net. Granted, when you extrapolate the initial purchase cost of them against the return earned on them today when factoring in so many years of interest and inflation, as well as the length of time, it's not a slam dunk type of investment. But a return could be earned just the same. It's a sort of proxy to money in a CD or checking account. Think going long in the commodities market. It's actually a very similar parellel. Some go long in corn. Others oil. And others in precious metals. Why not cassette tape as well.

Of course it wasn't without its risk. What if the there was never a resurgent interest in the hobby? I'm sure there is somebody, somewhere out there who had the same idea with DCC's or 8-tracks. And is now out that money sitting on who knows how much worthless stock that he probably couldn't even GIVE away, let alone sell at a profit.

3. This kind of ties into above #2: to be a supplier. I get e-mails almost daily from someone looking to buy or trade some tapes off of me. Sometimes I do it. Sometimes not. It depends on what's offered and how I'm approached about it. But regardless of the terms of the barter or the amount of monies that change hands, there is a certain mental gratification to be had in knowing that you can supply someone with something that they genuinely wanted or needed and made them happy.

4. If it weren't for the 'stash', then there would be no "Name Those Tunes" contests!

[Acoustic]

Just my *twocents. I'd buy the best in the quantity I could afford, keep one of each for a nice display, then use the rest and listen listen listen. I did that with golf balls and when I was working in cameras/film I had an extensive empty film box collection (both are long gone)... I even had a box from Kodak CX 116 film.

[Scorpion8]

I faced the same moral dilema just a few days ago on this forum. I'm a user, not a collector. I had trouble breaking open a minty set of NOS tape.... but I don't care if someone else did, since it wasn't mine. I'd rather have tapes to use, so I made a fair trade that made both sides happy. Yes, I do keep one of each new, unopened, still wrapped. But that's a quirk.

[NAD613]

I faced the same moral dilema just a few days ago on this forum. I'm a user, not a collector. I had trouble breaking open a minty set of NOS tape.... but I don't care if someone else did, since it wasn't mine. I'd rather have tapes to use, so I made a fair trade that made both sides happy. Yes, I do keep one of each new, unopened, still wrapped. But that's a quirk.

I don't think there's anything wrong with keeping one of each kind of tape unopened. However, if someone has a several cases of TDK SA-X, Maxell MX, etc., and says they're never going to use any of them, what's the point?

It's like when these new Star Wars movies came out a few years ago. My brother, who works at one of the big discount stores, said people were buying shopping carts full of Star Wars toys & said they weren't going to open them or play with them, just keep them in the wrappers/boxes. These people were buying $500-$1000 worth of these toys at a time. Seems kind of crazy to me. Maybe they think they'll be valuable someday & they can sell them? I don't know. I don't think so, because these folks were huge SW fans.

[braxus]

http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=11

I usually like to buy my tapes to use, but some of the ones that mean something to me I get one to put into a frame, and another or more to use after that. I'm finding out though that the odd tape you buy has deteriorated, so getting a still usable NOS one today can be iffy.

[Scorpion8]

IMaybe they think they'll be valuable someday & they can sell them?

Two words..... Beanie babies. 'Nuff said.

[niklasthedolphin]

I get stuff for using it.

That means that I want to get the highest quality MY money can get.
And that's not only when it comes to stereo but also food, watches, motorcycles, musical instruments, pocket calculators, toilet paper, shoes, fountain pens, wifes, vacations, single malt whisky and so forth........

I'm a poor man.

:-oo

"dolph"

[Marc Hugo]

Both......I once met a guy who we can call Rob Mitchell, because that's his name. Rob had and porbably still has a wonderful gun collection. From pistols to hunting rifles, he introduced me to a Beretta 25 (the type Bond ostensibly used) to a series of Mausers and Lee-Metfords from 100 years ago and finally to a Remington 600 Magnum which he recommended for popping depots from a comfortable distance. But they were in cases and on sheets of baize and soon enough I asked the standard silly questions that folk like me ask any collector worth his salt. "Do you shoot much?" "No, not that much", was the answer. "Well, why do you collect them?" His answer stays with me to this day. He said: "For the simple pleasure of owning something good."

Well, for the majority of us - it's happily both from what I can see looking at most of the comments here.

I keep one (or if I have a few) a core number for a display and the rest are for, sooner or later, using and enjoying.

After all, like a gun, it would be a nasty shcok if, accidently, they went "off".

Cheers all - Marc

[stuartypoorty]

I buy to use.

I'm sitting on a few because, in some cases, that hard to find recording still eludes me and I don't want to put a substandard vinyl pressing onto a great blank such as a Maxell Vertex - would have done this a few years ago but now that I'm older, more discerning and pragmatic (well that's what I tell myself anyway) allied with the scarcity of cassette I exercise a little restraint.

[Mr. Lin]

Yes it's kind of a loaded question, but I think it needed to be addressed and you all have come up with some very interesting responses. Perhaps what I find most interesting about your replies is that, overall, it summarizes my exact feelings on the matter.

More than anything I tend to gather up and buy all these tapes for Des-Lab's reason #1: stockpiling. Better to get them all now, and try to get really good ones, so I don't have to worry about it later. Some of you are at that point now, where you don't really need to buy anymore. I'm heading for it too, won't be long.

While I don't totally understand just collecting tapes and not opening them, I totally understand keeping one of each kind in the wrapper, and in fact that's what I do also.

Dolph, I'm also like you, I like to get the best of everything in life I can afford. As an example, sometimes in the past someone in the house would buy a budget version of, say, cookies, because they saved 85 cents. But they don't taste that great. What's the purpose of the savings? Usually you get what you pay for, and it's worth paying a bit extra to ensure you're going to enjoy it. I guess this is kind of obvious, and getting a little off-topic, but that's how I feel about it.

I'm glad some of you have posted pictures of your framed collections, because I get a lot of enjoyment out of looking at all those tapes. I was history major you know, I understand archiving. ;)

[stuwee]

I'll agree with all the previous and add, I might have missed this in someones post, Sharing them, I'll be winging a MA-XG to close652 in Hungray for a listen, I like the tape swaping idea, I would like to have this tape travel the whole planet, exotic places I've never been, hence the request to enjoy it, and send it on with, hopefully having enjoyed it, and a pic of it, ala Lady Ayeka with Buttercup, that's just one of the reasons I joined here, spread the hobby through expriences*Hi5* sign up, up in meet n greet forum for some stuwee lovin' (*eyepop*) *reelspin*

[Mr. Lin]

I'll agree with all the previous and add, I might have missed this in someones post, Sharing them, I'll be winging a MA-XG to close652 in Hungray for a listen, I like the tape swaping idea, I would like to have this tape travel the whole planet, exotic places I've never been, hence the request to enjoy it, and send it on with, hopefully having enjoyed it, and a pic of it, ala Lady Ayeka with Buttercup, that's just one of the reasons I joined here, spread the hobby through expriences*Hi5* sign up, up in meet n greet forum for some stuwee lovin' (*eyepop*) *reelspin*

Agreed, if anyone needs to try out a SA-X let me know.

[close652]

Being an archivist I tend to keep at least one sealed. I plan to use the others. It is like my bottles of wines: one should keep a variety at home to choose from - matching a food, event or company.

[Web Police]

If you change the thread title To hoard or to use, then they would both apply. :D

[Mr. Lin]

If you change the thread title To hoard or to use, then they would both apply. :D

Yes you could definitely say I hoard tapes.