There is a fine line between collector and hoarder.

[Mike 03]

1. Earlier this year when I was doing a massive throw-out project

I came across a couple of matchbooks from the Cliff House in San Francisco from around 1980. The matches still lit!

As far as collecting, I sometimes look at ebay for really offbeat items and I'm always surprised by how low the asking prices are. I don't know what is happening with collecting. I used to (and occasionally still) collect first edition hardcovers/signed first editions and it seems to me like the prices are dropping, not rising, except on certain authors (Cormac McCarthy is still expensive, but fairly IMO). Maybe because Climate Change and current world events are casting a shadow over the notion of the "future", or for financial reasons, I see books in particular, but other collectibles, losing value from what they had 15 years ago when I was a much more active collector. One illustrator I follow died a couple of years ago and the prices on his artwork have dropped! Complete puzzle to me.

But closer to the kind of thing you are talking about (matchbooks), I sometimes look at old Las Vegas souvenirs or Oakland As memorabilia from the 80s. The stuff just seems so inexpensive.

But in general, there is a buyer for almost everything. even old matchbooks. I found a night light on ebay made by Sharper Image 30 years ago that I always really liked and bought it on the spot for something like $25. It hasn't arrived yet--I hope I didn't get scammed.