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I think a lot of what is being said regarding Vintage vs. Reproduction and the notion that Vintage prices are dropping pertains more specifically to the highest or at least the highER end of vintage. Yes when you are up in the $1200-$2000 range of jackets, there is substantially more risk buying a 70 year old piece off of a few pictures from a website than buying a repro. But Vintage jackets in this price range are edging into Collector territory not necessarily the realm of buy to wear often (or ever for that matter).
All very good points and I agree about the niche market dictating value. The big question for me is, "Is the niche going to shrink in the future, proportionately speaking." In other words, are there going to be less of "us." Gen Z as a whole is much less into physical things(beyond electronics) than past generations, per the chart below.
I am involved in collecting other things, and there has been a distinctive trend. More and more gray hair fills the seats of certain collectible societies and shows. With a shrinking middle class, I am afraid the kids of today are not going to have the disposable income of past generations. And I think most kids growing up in limited income homes today are going to choose a new iphone over a cool baseball card. There will always be rabid collectors...the question is, "How many?"
I'll give that a big AMEN!Point me to all the declining priced vintage halfbelts please. I’m not seeing it. And I look. A lot. I’ve seen more flaky, destroyed utter train wrecks with an opening bid of 5 bills than I care to count!
A perfect example, although this jacket looks to be in very good shape. It’s sat in my watch list for a very, very, very long time.I'll give that a big AMEN!
I’d argue the thread barely needs to exist at all. Fairly certain we all see the stuff posted here in our own baked in searches. I could be wrong but I’m rarely surprised. Not to say it doesn’t happen on occasion, but it’s exceedingly rare. That could speak to my own obsessive issues though…I’d also never dare post an item here I wanted, they’ve seen it too. Of this I am sure, and they know who they are!Not sure this is the right thread for this discussion.
I do not care if the youngsters think if I do not look cool. I feel cool and I do get looks and sometimes conversation from attractive women. Makes an old guy energizedOr old guys trying to look cool. Good news is it can be done. Bad news is it is not easily done. Much easier to look cool when you are young.
Well, put and close to my thoughts exactly. I lack your talent to express my thinkingI think a lot of what is being said regarding Vintage vs. Reproduction and the notion that Vintage prices are dropping pertains more specifically to the highest or at least the highER end of vintage. Yes when you are up in the $1200-$2000 range of jackets, there is substantially more risk buying a 70 year old piece off of a few pictures from a website than buying a repro. But Vintage jackets in this price range are edging into Collector territory not necessarily the realm of buy to wear often (or ever for that matter).
A $1200 Lost Worlds jacket has more of a quality value component and less of a collector component IMO. I mean to say that the prices paid for a LW vs. a Buco for example are perhaps being paid for different reasons and therefore sort of Apples and Oranges to compare the two. If you have a person asking how to best spend their $1200-$2000, you would want to know what their motivation is to answer that question for them. Obviously, Collectors are the minority so most people would probably say they want a quality jacket they can wear. But whether the jacket holds value or goes up in price is a different factor to consider. Some people (probably MOST) don't have an eye on future value when they buy things. Personally, future value is not a motivating factor for me when I buy old jackets. At the same time, I do know that what I'm buying is not made anymore and isn't found in abundance but I don't necessarily see it in monetary terms. I am not investing in leather jacket futures here.
I think that there will always be value in old things that are not made anymore. The fact that the Millennial Masses would rather wear Faux Leather Hoodies or whatever is looking at it upside down to a degree. Its not what the masses will pay for things. Rather it IS what the Niche market will pay. One marketing philosophy is that the devout few will be more passionate about their niche than the masses will be about mainstream products. I am not speaking of how this translates to profitability. My point is that in general, people who are hyper enthusiasts will still pay for special things regardless of how desirable these things may not be to the masses.
Like everything else, it comes down to your personal reasons for paying this money for these jackets and how you personally value them. I don't think any of us has any illusions that we are somehow cornering the market on old leather garments and setting the stage for a financial windfall later in life.
For me, buying a Lost Worlds jacket for $1200 is not a hobby---and there's nothing wrong with it not being a hobby because that's not the point of buying the LW. Trying to hunt down old Bucos, Monarchs, Hercules, Californians, Sportclads, Guidemasters, Block, Ralph Pugh, Rich Sher, etc. that might actually fit that you rarely see is a challenge you may never be able to succeed at and this makes it more of a hobby in my mind. Conversely, hoping to somehow find a grail jacket that is 70 years old that is in decent shape and fits well AND is in excellent condition is not the absolute that buying the $1200 LW is. With the LW, nothing is left to chance---But then CHANCE is not the goal for the LW buyer. You are buying something that you want and that will fit a need for you and the certainty of those things along with the known quality is behind the motivation of that buyer---hence the dichotomy --- the Hobbyist/Collector vs. the SANE person who just wants a Cool well made jacket and has the funds for it.
Really interesting dialogue on this topic. I think great points have been made by others I just think we may be talking about two different things to a degree.
Not sure this is the right thread for this discussion.