Mr. Cancer, or can we call you Saturn?
...you may have exactly (NO MORE THAN) two copies of some items.
However, it seems to me that You are not a true collector...
Or at least not seriously so
Some or most of us are.
I own multiple copies of some items for (
IMO) Very good reasons.
Quality is the number one reason for me.
That is Quality in the final results of my continuous search for this or that.
I strive to obtain the very best possible copy I can of each item that I wish to collect and like you I also almost always want a backup copy to read and/or play with while that search continues to its eventually happy ending (happy for me).
But unlike some folks, I must do that (seemingly) never ending search a little bit at a time.
I take baby steps, continuously working my way up from the bottom of the barrel many times, and eventually rising to the top, or close to it.
I might find a cheap basically trashed out copy of some obscure item that for some reason strikes me as something that may interest me.
If so, I would try to buy it to read and study it.
After my study of the item I can then deicde if I wish to continue searching for a finer copy of that item.
THIS IS A SMALL PART OF THAT COLLECTING RESEARCH habit that another member mentioned above.
Once I get a nicer copy, I might (eventually) sell that first reading copy and keep that nicer copy until I can upgrade once again…
Baby steps.
Sometimes when I am doing my searching (buying) I will observe large lots of items, with perhaps one or two items in the big lot of stuff that I actually want.
If the other things are items that could be re-sold easily enough, then I might try to purchase that large lot with the intent of upgrading that one item and eventually re-sell the rest.
That means I sometimes have several copies of some items on hand.
NO I AM NOT HOARDING.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.
I almost always have to go through HOARDS of the same items; continuously upgrading my personal collection while feeding that same habit (monetarily) by knowingly and on purpose purchasing more items than I actually want or need.
Eventually re-selling (or trading) those items I do not want or need so that other collectors also can enjoy them, or perhaps follow my baby steps in that persons collecting process.
BTW: the members of this site also tend to trade with each other and buy from each other when possible.
Safer than E-Bay as we know the other party better than some unknown individual seller on E-Bay.
Another thing members of this site do is protect the other members of this community by reporting bad experiences on E-Bay and other places.
My biggest problem is keeping track of what I have.
I HATE making lists.
This is a true community, with true friends and members who want to be nice to each other (most times).
YES we have fights with each other on occasions and sometimes they get pretty danged nasty, but in the long run, we stand up for one another and stand together against outsiders who seek to disparage our friends, or this community.
Be careful... and have fun in your collecting… and gaming… BOTH!
One final note.
30+ Copies of the Rules Cyclopedia (or almost anything) goes right into the danger zone of obsession (
IMO).
I think eighteen copies is the limit; anything above that and you are quite possibly a danger to yourself, your family, your friends and perhaps even the world at large.