Parts Hoarding: a Discouragement to Newbies?

[triumphleroy]

Google "HECTOR THE COLLECTOR" for Cute Poem about This.

[ericr]

Originally Posted by triumphleroy

So In Other words If YOU WANT IT it is not Hoarding But If I WANT It! IT IS HOARDING?

No-----if you want it but don't need it and likely never will, it is hoarding. unless I suppose you make it available to others needing one, but I don't see that as being consistent with the hoarder's mentality.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Sometimes people that hoard parts won't sell them, but may swap them, so try to find what they like to swap for.

[fredski]

Originally Posted by JEC

My wife says that I am a hoarder.
Probably true. I have a barn and hangar full of stuff.
I don't usually sell anything but if a friend needs something I just give it to them.

maybe we could get friendly?

well not tooo friendly.

fredski

[28RPU]

I am not a hoarder, I just never throw anything away or sell it..☺

[SeaSlugs]

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Both of my grand parents i wouldnt say hoarded stuff but didnt throw anything away either. One of them would save any nut bolt screw hinge etc and sort them and label them in boxes to be neatly stacked up along the basement wall. Its like going to ACE hardware when you go down there. My other grandpa saved all sorts of stuff that if it had a good part left on it in the barn it went.

Sometimes i think its that leftover mentality from depression era to never throw anything away if it has some sort of value.

I am perfectly happy/grateful for the hoarders of model A parts out there that sell or swap stuff. Now i understand where the people who refuse to sell anything come from to a point. If thier restoring a car i wouldnt want to get rid of anything i may need either - BUT more often than not they arent and just refuse to sell anything. Or they see their stuff being worth its weight in gold and will sell it for 10X its value...

[160B]

Originally Posted by triumphleroy

Google "HECTOR THE COLLECTOR" for Cute Poem about This.

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hector-the-collector/

Hector the Collector
Collected bits of string,
Collected dolls with broken heads
And rusty bells that would not ring. Bent-up nails and ice-cream sticks,
Twists of wires, worn-out tires,
Paper bags and broken bricks.
Old chipped vases, half shoelaces,
Gatlin' guns that wouldn't shoot,
Leaky boats that wouldn't float
And stopped-up horns that wouldn't toot. Butter knives that had no handles,
Copper keys that fit no locks
Rings that were too small for fingers,
Dried-up leaves and patched-up socks.
Worn-out belts that had no buckles,
'Lectric trains that had no tracks,
Airplane models, broken bottles,
Three-legged chairs and cups with cracks.
Hector the Collector
Loved these things with all his soul--
Loved them more then shining diamonds,
Loved them more then glistenin' gold.
Hector called to all the people,
'Come and share my treasure trunk!'
And all the silly sightless people
Came and looked ... and called it junk.

Sheldon Allan Silverstein
Submitted: Wednesday, April 07, 2010

[DougVieyra]

After giving some thought to this ('hoarding') question, and reading the many comments posted here, I just don't see the 'beef'.

With all the myriad of parts suppliers and of the endless supply of newly-made (and constantly increasing) parts for the Ford Model A - why all the hub-bub about some crusty old codger who has a bunch of greasy, rusty old junk.

A great many people would much rather have a shinny new (non greasy, non rusty, non wore-out) part. And they don't have to clutter up their garage and basement (for years and years - decades) with unneccessary old junk. Just buy what you want when you need it.

If some crusty old curmudgeon feels good about filling up his house with seldom - if ever - used junk, just be thankful that it is him and not you !

[ursus]

I have known of several parts hoards that disappeared with the death of the owner because the family held an all or nothing sale with an exaggerated price for the lot. When nobody stepped up to buy it all went to the dump. In one case the hoard included both A and T parts and the A and T guys couldn't come to an agreement on the split, so off to the dump it went. In another case, the owner had all the used and rusty stuff in a barn and all his NOS and pristine rare items in a locked storage facility (the NOS stuff was shelved 10 feet high). His daughter didn't see any difference between the two so, when the rusty stuff failed to sell at an inflated price, she assumed the good stuff wouldn't also sell and had everything hauled for junk. Sad but true.

[J Franklin]

I am not a horder per-say. but I do have a few boxes of extra parts stashed just incase. I have tried to clearly label and put a fairly current price estimate on most of these so when I croak my wife or heirs may have some sense of its worth and not just haul it off.

[hardtimes]

Hey ericr,
Everyone has an opinion, eh, and I like reading each and every one for people's take on life and 'things'. Very revealing to read and contemplate.

My opinion, well first I do not believe that the people that are referred to here as hoarders , have anything to do whatsoever with 'newbies'. There is a heck of a lot more going on , IMO, with hobbyist , collectors and/or 'hoarders' than is understood here, as shown by a lot of comments given so far. If looking for 'reasons' , there are some, that people can be lumped into. One is older people, who save things that others would/did threw away, i.e.-in this case old cars and parts. Another category is... smart older people, who without a lot of resources , recognized (somehow?) that saving certain things, was prudent and maybe spent meager $ for scarce old car parts. Then there is the category of wealthy collector who loves a hobby and has the resources to buy any and all he sees.
Now I asked those whose opinions are against any of these category's of people...WHY such opinions ? If obtained legally and fruits of honest labor/investments...why call such car part collecting people derogatory names, i.e.-hoarders ? I've never heard collectors of coin/stamp/newspaper/stuffed animals/trains/whatever, called hoarders. IMO, people who do collect anything in large quantities have a personality quirk that can be psychologically classified, but that still does not make such behavior worthy of denigration/name calling !
Personally, I know LOTS of people , who you call hoarders, with huge collections of old car 'stuff'. Some have stayed with rare, exotic and hard to find parts..because that's what they have ALWAYS done and have the wherewithal to do it. Some have lots of old funky junky car parts that others cast off to them instead of sending to scrapper. Most of these collector people that I know are old ...and smart ! They do not sell, even though life's end is looking them in the face !! So what, I didn't pay for of work for their collections, so I would never presume to tell them that they are 'hoarders' ...and should part with their collection , so that I may have some part. Without getting political here, there is also a classification for one who has the ingrained belief that...hey, you have two of those and you don't need two of those , when I have none so I'll just take one ! Yeah , those exist in abundance today.
I will confess here tho that I have a prejudice against certain type of 'hoarder' personality. This could be the same one that some here profess not to like, and that is the one who boasts that he has umpteen tractor trailers full of those rare/scarce widgits and they are all not for sale, so you want to hear about and see them.

[34pickup]

Advice to all the hoarders out there who are on the FordBarn:

Please tell all your family members just what all your junky parts are worth.
Make them understand how valuable it will be to them when you you pass on so that they don't just scrap it all for pennies.
My kids know enough about my "stash" that they wouldn't let it go for scrap prices.

[ericr]

Originally Posted by hardtimes

Hey ericr,
Everyone has an opinion, eh, and I like reading each and every one for people's take on life and 'things'. Very revealing to read and contemplate.

My opinion, well first I do not believe that the people that are referred to here as hoarders , have anything to do whatsoever with 'newbies'. There is a heck of a lot more going on , IMO, with hobbyist , collectors and/or 'hoarders' than is understood here, as shown by a lot of comments given so far. If looking for 'reasons' , there are some, that people can be lumped into. One is older people, who save things that others would/did threw away, i.e.-in this case old cars and parts. Another category is... smart older people, who without a lot of resources , recognized (somehow?) that saving certain things, was prudent and maybe spent meager $ for scarce old car parts. Then there is the category of wealthy collector who loves a hobby and has the resources to buy any and all he sees.
Now I asked those whose opinions are against any of these category's of people...WHY such opinions ? If obtained legally and fruits of honest labor/investments...why call such car part collecting people derogatory names, i.e.-hoarders ? I've never heard collectors of coin/stamp/newspaper/stuffed animals/trains/whatever, called hoarders. IMO, people who do collect anything in large quantities have a personality quirk that can be psychologically classified, but that still does not make such behavior worthy of denigration/name calling !
Personally, I know LOTS of people , who you call hoarders, with huge collections of old car 'stuff'. Some have stayed with rare, exotic and hard to find parts..because that's what they have ALWAYS done and have the wherewithal to do it. Some have lots of old funky junky car parts that others cast off to them instead of sending to scrapper. Most of these collector people that I know are old ...and smart ! They do not sell, even though life's end is looking them in the face !! So what, I didn't pay for of work for their collections, so I would never presume to tell them that they are 'hoarders' ...and should part with their collection , so that I may have some part. Without getting political here, there is also a classification for one who has the ingrained belief that...hey, you have two of those and you don't need two of those , when I have none so I'll just take one ! Yeah , those exist in abundance today.
I will confess here tho that I have a prejudice against certain type of 'hoarder' personality. This could be the same one that some here profess not to like, and that is the one who boasts that he has umpteen tractor trailers full of those rare/scarce widgits and they are all not for sale, so you want to hear about and see them.

-an alternative and interesting point of view. Certainly, "hoarder" has a perjorative implication and every "hoarder" is first and foremost a "collector".

I think what causes some Model "A" owners to look askance at collectors is the intense desirability of original parts vs. poor quality repros, and a presumption that intense collecting makes extemporaneous acquisition of good originals more difficult. It may be an weak presumption. And as you say, some of those collectors may have been smarter, richer, more prescient, etc.

[Rowdy]

I am all done hoarding. The farm is going to be for sale sometime next year. I had always hoped to be in a position to buy the place when the time came. That did not work out that way do to things I have had no control over. Working hard to move one building off of the place and put it in the back yard for parts. Everything that will not fit in it will have to be stored in my shop until they can be sold. Will start with the T parts as far as selling, good chance much of it will be taken to Chickashae in March. Lots of sorting and dis-assembly this winter. Rod

[kelley's restoration]

i am sure brent can attest the difference between a hoarder and us (restorers for hire) you never know what car is next and you can only hope that you have the parts in inventory for the next car...to finish it so the next one comes in sooner
hard to find stuff constantly rotates....valve chamber covers stack to the ceiling lol
tk

[pooch]

My daughter will be my executor and even though she knows how much I like model A/s , she will still get a dumpster in .

She would have no interest in dealing with pickers offering a pittance.

[triumphleroy]

HECTOR THE COLLECTOR
I always add this additional Line at the end after every body called it JUNK

Hector said BUNK!......

My favorite question always asked by folks is :
What are you going to do with all this stuff when you die?

My reply to their ignorance is: can't do anything with it then!

If my kids want to get rich selling it after I am gone they will have to earn it by figuring out it's value and who to sell it to.................

Still collecting at 72, don't plan to quit...........

[J Franklin]

There was a nice fellow in my town who couldn't let go of anything. His farther ran a garage during the depression and there were acres of cars left on lien. some piles had been T Fords driven to the spot to decay in the 1940's. He had a few 60' barns full of the best stuff but would never or maybe, possibly rarely sell anything. He would lend you let's say a radiator, & Etc. but expected you to return it. I gave him a '41 Chevrolet and had to take it to the field the back way so his wife couldn't see it coming in. Well He died, and I have been to 1 garage sale that would put a good swap-meet to shame. There was even an Autocar truck, I would think about 1915 there. I once told him in front of his wife before he had gotten sick that there would be such a sale. This man enjoyed his hoard and I think that is the only answer to the question.

[dumb person]

Originally Posted by H. L. Chauvin

I knew a guy born about 1890 who in about 1955 bought a new 1955 Lincoln.

All he talked about was that he had (2) sets of new tires for it as well as about 25 cases of lubricating oil. His reason for storing same was because as a traveling salesman, he could not buy tires & lubricating oil for his car all during WWII.

Even though he was retired in 1955, he felt comfortable with his extra tires & oil -- I always thought, more power to him -- he was happy -- takes all kinds.

That sounds ok as he intendeds and is able to use those over the next 10-15 years. It's not hoarding, that is stockpiling.

[DougVieyra]

A good point has been brought up by a couple of earlier posts : When the 'Old Codger' dies - what happens to his 'stuff' ? The stuff he knew had value, generally means very little to others outside the hobby, and the scrap yard is certainly one very distinct possiblity. I am in that 'boat'. And I have given some thought of what might be the best way for me to feel good about how my 'junk' is disposed of.

In my 'Last Will & Testiment' I have given instructions that all of my 'old car' stuff be given to : (and I name a good friend who I know will appreciate the barn full of NOS Ford parts).

In the meantime, as I wind down both my life and my collection, I review all the "Parts Wanted" links in all the Old Car clubs : MAFCA, MARC, FORD BARN, Chapter News Letter, etc. When I see that someone needs something, if I have it, I contact them.

The less of this (unknown) stuff for my surviving kin to have to deal with the better. Meanwhile, while I am alive, I continue feeling good knowing that I have a comfortable 'margin of safety' as regards to original parts of my two Model A Fords.

- Doug Vieyra, Eureka, Calif. - Docent of Eureka Ford Factory