We know we can't use all the knives or whatever that we collect. We collect because we are interested and find the items appealing. And we usually stay in an area of collecting where we find interesting and friendly people who are honest.

I know I have left some areas where I got tired of interpersonal nonsense and strife and dishonesty. Glad to walk away from them.

As for alternative uses of the money, I can list places where I could have made lots more money than in my collecting, but that is hindsight...it was not foresight. For every Apple or Microsoft, there were hundreds of similar companies that were being hyped that no one remembers since they went belly up! At the time, it was a matter of luck to choose Apple or MSFT instead of an eventual loser, and to hold onto them through bad times.

As for IBM, the CEO of a company I had under subcontract had been a VP at IBM...and he constantly moaned about how much he had lost on IBM stock. I tried to tell him he might live long enough to recoup his money...but I don't think he did.

But...I still have RMKs I was buying at the time!

Larry