There is often reference on bottle forums and in bottle nerd conversations to some of the "big names" coming in every so often and scooping off the cream of anything that become "available". There seems a gently sad and almost inevitable air of despondence that these feared horsemen of the apocabottlelips will always swoop down and carry away forever the spoils of their probably ill gotten and certainly very much envied gains.
Ok, so there are a few guys out there who have become known as big spenders in well publicised locations and situations and times. Certainly they can have an adverse affect on the hobby, initially putting up some prices of the areas they specialise, particularly if there are a couple other moderately financially endowed competitive guys also chasing after the same iconical bottles. Often, however this sort of occurrence can give a false blip in some bottle values, and consequently something of a crash afterwards when, as is often the case, these big spender collectors either lose interest, or, if their brains are as equally endowed as their bank balances, they come to the conclusion that they are travelling a little too fast on this highway to bottle heaven and put the brakes on their bottle collection building.
Dealing as I do with many collectors on the international scene, collectors who would not blink if there was an additional "0" on the price of the bottle, you do begin to understand some of the psychological characters of some of the wealthy, and it is a different world to us normal human beings. However it is not all sweetness and light to be able to spend in a week what most of us earn in a year, on some frivolous bits of glass...
It is a lonely world.
It is often unsatisfying.
It makes you suspicous of any you come into contact with.
Also as I think I noted in my first blog (or second?...whatever) even if you are a multi millionaire you cannot necessarily go out and buy, or have bought for you, a collection of sealed shaft and globes or one or two other godly areas of bottles....
They just aren't available in those numbers that there are many spare, and those people who do have collections of them are usually just as equally well endowed and have no need of mere money...! Those few lucky collectors who have individual examples and life sufficient bank balances can relish in the power of saying "NO" to offers from the almighty. So in actuality the millionaire has to wait his turn like the rest of us mortals, hope for a bit of luck, hope that non of his colleagues (somehow I can't see guys at this level referring to their "mates"!) don't also know about such and such sealed shaft and globe coming up in auction, etc etc. Even these guys don't leave a "but it whatever the price" instruction to me, because there is a fear of coming up against another such maniac and theoretically the bottle could go ballistic. So even those who think nothing of spending £50 on a cup of speciality coffee do not want to pay , or at least be seen to pay "over the odds" for their bottle, even though they can afford it. In the end these people are businessmen (they didn't get their money by being foolish) and that would be a weakness.
It is a lonely world, becuae very soon you realise that those surrounding you are often hanging on for scraps from your table, waiting to pounce on any opportunities you provide. Your genuine friends however are too embarassed to come near in case you THINK they are doing this. So your friends tend to be those people in the same worlds with the same problems and ye gods they are often so unsatisfactory as friends.....!
It is unsatisfying because though you know you get a kick out of receiving the latest acquisition...but then there is another to be got which immediately becomes available, which you must also buy...ad infinitum and you get the feeling of being milked.
You become suspicious as a result of the above two, because you do continually wonder if that guy giving you his friendship and his advice has a hidden agenda, and that that excellent offer is actually twice what the item is worth and you are simply being used....
So much though it grieves me me to have to say, I prefer to be a lowly mortal who has to save up to buy his next bottle fix, who can dream of acquiring an icon, rather than just buying it, and who can relish the buzz of achievement when such a bottle IS finally acquired...
Though it would be nice to try it for a while!!!................................................................
OK, on another note, and pertinent for the blog so far, here's the educational bit of the blog...
How to make BIG money from Bottles...
oh sorry!...run out of time.........................:)
egc http://www.earlyglass.com/
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