An upper limit to collecting? Is there a natural maximum collection size?

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

I've hit 500 posters - starting from 10 in Feb 09 - and really it's become unmanageable, even with 75 frames to display them.  More than 75 of my posters deserve permanent framing but it's just not possible.

I'm strongly considering capping my collection at 500.  I'll continue to add new posters to the collection but give away/sell the less desirable posters to keep it at 500.

It's also become harder to find posters I'm interested in. I'm having to scan thousands of Ebay ads just to find a few that I want.  My interest ratio is much higher for the Emovieposter and Heritage listings but the competition is more formidable for those posters and the final sale price tend to be somewhat higher on those sites (and I'm sure Bruce will not agree with that!).

Have any collectors out there hit a similar limit and just decided to throw up the white flag?  It is possible to resist endlessly increasing the size of your collection?

[kovacs01]

I have found that I am much more selective in what I am looking for.  I really do not know how many posters I have though. 

What I do know is that when before there were 500 posters I would buy if i found them at a satisfactory price, now there are more like 20.

[fallenangel1]

This is based upon personality and storage space Im sure .. Someone like Thierry Gosh his man cave has more than Ill probably ever own at one time for sure .. But my storage takes up a large portion of my bedroom so I cant really expand that much .. And like in your case Mel .. Not many people will have 75 framed pieces all at once .. I cant even imagine the hassle of picking what goes up and what comes out and actually doing it ..

[easyenders]

no where near 500 thankfully.....and probably looking to lose a few to concentrate on what I really want....a nice 100 would do me.

[cinemarts]

Most new collectors start in a piece-meal fashion with often the simple fact of acquisition being the driving force.
As time goes by, they seem to move to more focused collecting... or go on to something else.

Collecting anything based on financial reward/investment often leads to disaster... or disinterest.
Collecting stuff simply for a supposed financial investment for the future is kind of empty.

 

[theartofmovieposters]

Agree with Phil...you tend to start all over the place, then narrow in on specific...which can and generally do change over the years.
Will some exceptions to some of the stuff I collect, I decided long ago, if it will never eventually end up on one of the walls at home, it should fine a new home.

[fallenangel1]

I think my problem is .. Like Mel .. Id like to have everything on my walls

[theartofmovieposters]

Swap em out.  I have maybe hmm...15 to 20 frames scattered throughout our house.
Every year or so, sometimes twice a year, we go through and swap out each frame with something new.
That way, we get to enjoy more of what we have in the collection, and it gives people something new to look at each time they come over.  Some things we love so much they make it back into the frames sooner rather than later.

Having done this for a couple years now, I couldn't imagine having the same thing on my walls forever

[cinemarts]

I couldn't imagine having the same thing on my walls forever

I have very few posters in frames around the house, and several aren't movie posters.
The non-movie posters seem to stay.
The movie posters get swapped around every few months, mostly on a passing whim.
Something comes in, or surfaces from years in storage, and it seems a good idea at teh time.

As a dealer it sometimes gets confusing to differentiate from what's inventory and what
is not. In some respects it all is.

Movie posters that have stayed on the walls the longest:
DARK PASSAGE daybill
BRIDE WORE BLACK locandina
LEOPARD MAN RR US one sheet
and because I face away from it in the office, a NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN international.

[CSM]

Getting back to Pirate's original post - 500 posters in less than a year is quite an achievement but, most likely, is partially the results of collecting EVERYTHING (I didn't want to be so brash as to say 'hoarding').

As Ves and Phil said, it is probably good practice to eventually narrow the acquisitions to things you trully love...

But to each their own...personally, I would have no clue what to do with 500 posters and it would seem to me even at that number it would be impossible to enjoy each one of them.

[paul waines]

I think the right amount is, with what you can get on the walls and store, without it taking over the house. Or you having to move to a bigger house??  OH, ER......I have just had to move house, so forget that....The right amount is the amount you are happy with.

Mind I did the opposite of you guy's, I only collected Horror film posters, but as time went on I ventured out into other fields, comedy, war, western, etc I even have Panto, and Circus posters now. Though I do agree with "only collect what you like" I could not collect for investment. The price hikes in the last 10-15 years are pushing out serious collectors, and are focusing on Investors. I do hope there will be a big crash, and I'll be able to get those posters that are now out of my reach. 

[ddilts399]

No end in sight, but it is harder to find things I dont have and have an interest in. Frustrating browsing anymore, all the people who used to dump on ebay seem to have almost disappeared. I dont like paying premium or retail for stuff I buy for myself, so I tend to miss out on some opportunities.