Don’t Collect Objects. Collect History.
1) I made a good living selling hockey cards to my Grade A school teacher, Mr. Stevens.
I’d bring sports cards to class, and he’d pay me in cash. Looking back, I was probably his biggest supplier of sports memorabilia at the school.
Years later, I realized why.
He wasn’t simply buying hockey cards—he was rebuilding a collection he had lost after his mother threw it away when he was younger.
He wasn’t purchasing cardboard.
He was buying back a piece of his childhood.
Let this be a lesson: collectibles are rarely just about the object itself. More often, they’re about memory, history, and the opportunity to reconnect with something that once mattered. That’s why the best collections can continue to hold value across generations.
2) One consequence of a fast-growing, highly mobile city is that many residents have relatively short ties to its local history. Multiculturalism brings many strengths, but it can also mean that fewer people share the same historical reference points.
History has meaning because it creates continuity across generations.
That is one reason collectibles matter. The most enduring collectibles are not simply objects—they are artifacts of cultural history.
A Spider-Man #1 comic, the Dream Team, the Moon Landing, World War II commemoratives, Mario Lemieux lifting the Stanley Cup, or the original Transformers are all pieces of a broader Western cultural narrative.
My collection isn’t just a collection of collectibles. It’s a collection of Western history—moments, stories, and cultural milestones that continue to resonate decades later.
This isn’t simply a random assortment of comic books, sports cards, stamps, and memorabilia.
It is a collection of moments.
Not just famous people, but the moments that defined them.
Mario Lemieux lifting the Stanley Cup.
The 1992 Dream Team.
Spider-Man #1 by Todd McFarlane.
Wolverine losing his adamantium in X-Men #25.
Marvel vs. DC—the crossover fans debated for decades.
The original Transformers comic series.
The 25th Anniversary of the Moon Landing.
World War II commemorative stamp issues.
The Death of Superman.
Batman: Knightfall.
Each item represents a cultural milestone.
Collectors often purchase objects because they represent a memory, a story, or an era. In many cases, they are buying a piece of their own childhood or a defining historical event.
That distinction matters.