Quote:
Originally Posted by andy52
For me it came down to the number of S&Ws collected. In my earlier days I only had a few S&Ws and really didn't consider myself a "Collector". However since my retirement I've add considerably to my collection, when I approached 30-35 I decided yep I'm a collector so it was time to join the Association. This June will be my first symposium and I'm looking forward to putting faces with the names I see on the forum.
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I know what you mean, but I would encourage younger people to go ahead and join BEFORE they obtain many guns. They will become more knowledgeable (Read SMARTER) buyers. They can then scout pawn shops, gun shows, the internet, and gun shops for desirable guns at good or at least reasonable prices. Even though they are on a limited budget, the knowledge they gain will allow them to occasionally buy a good gun at a bargain price to keep, or even flip for a few dollars profit to finance collecting. Knowledge is POWER.
As I said above, it was decades before I could afford the time and money to attend an annual meeting. Working construction with young kids, I often had to sell off the few guns I had accumulated when a layoff or recession or the "stuff" of life would strike, like a transmission falling out. However, I had bought wisely, and could almost always sell at a profit or at least break even. I could also use my knowledge to buy, sell, and trade at a profitable level and pay for my addiction.