I’m watching CNBC this morning where the stock market is “limit down.” I’ve referred to the situation in the stock market and watching it on tv, is like watching a slasher horror film. Its gory and bloody but you can’t turn away. You can’t take your eyes off the picture. I’ve been asked what thing, if any, this means for collectibles. My short answer: “Most likely up.”
Comments made in the past day in our office.
Talking with my team – There are many under-collected, new areas to collect in our hobby. Means new areas of fun. (We were packing and pulling interpreter strips and square knots that sold.)
Talking with my team – There are not enough high-end patches. This hobby isn’t expensive enough yet.
Talking with one of my banker friends – We’ve gone through recessions before. The names may change who’s buying but the buying doesn’t.
Talking with my wife – After hearing about my son becoming the treasurer for one of his school’s clubs it was because they had a bake sale and were pretty unorganized but he had ideas on what to do. I told my wife that one of the reasons I support Scouting, and why Scouting is so valuable, is that it allows kids to learn by doing – doing things that most kids don’t get to do until later in life if ever at all. Sometimes the learning is learning from mistakes but its a lot easier to learn those lessons young than later.
Sure, prices go up and prices go down but the long term trend is up. Why is that? Because the fundamentals of the hobby are solid. These are legitimate collectibles because they weren’t made as collectibles. There is legitimate demand that can’t be met.
What’s gone on, is going on, in the stock market is due to folks borrowing massive amounts of money to make small amounts of money. That’s not done with Scout patches. People buy these with money they have.
The fundamentals of Scouting are sound. Is it changing? Yes but I’d be concerned if it wasn’t. The other week coming out of the local grocery store there was a group of Scouts and their parents selling popcorn to help fund their unit. They were preparing for their annual trek to the upper peninsula where they help maintain one of the classic lighthouses. Parents spending time with their kids. Kids spending time with their parents and not a computer or video game. Both learning from each other. Both creating experiences that they’ll remember for their life. A country that is sorely in need of leadership and Scouting being the premier youth leadership development program. Although there are challenges to Scouting from folks outside of the program, we need Scouting now more than ever.
As in the past, there are fundamentals that keep Scouting and thus Scouting collectibles strong.
Roy
