Being the spouse of a collector isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Just ask my wife. When we first met, at least two walls of my bedroom were almost entirely covered with ‘Star Wars’ Power of the Force action figures and there were boxes of comics everywhere. In the intervening years, we’ve consolidated our living arrangement. And even though my wife shares in many of my geeky interests, some compromises have been made in the number of collectibles that are spread around our domicile. Even so, I know it’s rough living with someone who collects things. Apparently some people just can’t take it.
One fanboy (who has chosen to remain anonymous) e-mailed some photos to the Geekologie website that showed the horrible aftermath of a recent dispute over collectibles. The man’s ex-wife had tossed his entire ‘Star Wars’ collection out into an alley after an apparent quarrel.
The photos show that the collection contained mostly the same Power of the Force figures, vehicles, and creatures that littered my room all those years ago, and it looked to be quite a massive collection. Even so, the guy who sent the photos said that his collection was even larger than the images suggest:
“There were about 10 black trash bags with carded figures stuffed into them. 400-500 of them! Good thing the weather was cooperative and I was quick enough on the scene to detour the smokers in the alley.”
I hope that this guy got the majority of his stuff back and in decent condition. I know I freak out if one of my collectibles gets an odd bend or a fray in the packaging! If there’s a moral to be taken from this tragedy, it’s don’t live with anyone who doesn’t tolerate your hobbies. Even better… find someone who shares them with you.
