# Stuff that only exists for collectors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464 "2013-08-29T02:26:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/21 "2013-08-29T21:03:14Z")
Not sure if this counts, but this pair of watches (A Lange & Sohne Luna Mundi): [http://www.thepurists.com/watch/features/alexg/langeluna/](http://www.thepurists.com/watch/features/alexg/langeluna/) Was issued in an edition of 101 pairs for $53,000 a set. One watch had Big Dipper - the other the southern cross. The moon phase goes one way in one hemisphere & the opposite way in the other. I doubt most people would wear more than one of them, but who knows. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/22 "2013-08-29T22:32:20Z")
Guitars built as Limited Editions, e.g., reproductions of Clapton’s Blackie ($25,000) or Van Halen’s Frankenstein ($30,000). What’s funny is that Blackie was pieced together from the parts of three guitars that cost Clapton ~$100 each, and Frankenstein was built from castoff parts (I think he got the body at a discount because it was a 2nd) and painted with Schwinn bicycle paint. I hate the concept - and the fact that they are well-made custom-built guitars marketed and priced to go on a wall. Grr. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/23 "2013-08-31T02:58:22Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The best stories were the ones surrounding Lou Reed’s “Metal Machine Music”. Some years back, my brother told a record store owner, “When this comes out on CD, you will know the apocalypse is nigh!” 😃 Back in about 1989 or '90, I walked into my local record store (Vinyl Fever in Tallahassee, FL) and ordered a copy of MMM on CD. It was only being produced by a French company, MPO, so it cost me like $30 and everyone in the store thought I was insane. I still have it. Love that album. To be fair, tho, Neil Young (& Crazy Horse) did it better with the _Arc_ portion of the _Arc-Weld_ album. And Japanese artist Null really knocked it out of the park with _Sonicfuck U.S.A._. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/24 "2013-08-31T05:49:00Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Many, many, many stamps and coins and tokens never make it to the general public, but are sold pretty much exclusively to collectors. I’m a stamp collector and this is particularly true for African countries. Many of them feature American movie stars and musicians (living or dead) because they know there will be a demand for them in international philatelic communities, but virtually none for them at home–and every stamp that a postal service issues but doesn’t have to process is pure profit. Same goes for Disney stamps and royal family stamps, which are everywhere, too. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/25 "2013-08-31T13:09:32Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > . And Japanese artist Null really knocked it out of the park with _Sonicfuck U.S.A._. Well, of course he did. But does it sound like Satan under a lawn mower? 😉 Sir, your tastes are impressively catholic - I can handle about 1 minute of MMM before I say “I get it, but…enough.” But, then again, I edited out the first minute of **Gang of Four’s Love is like Anthrax** so I can play it without driving other listeners crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/26 "2013-08-31T14:21:23Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Well, of course he did. But does it sound like Satan under a lawn mower? 😉 Nah, that’s my schtick. 😛 > [@WordMan](#): > > Sir, your tastes are impressively catholic - I can handle about 1 minute of MMM before I say “I get it, but…enough.” But, then again, I edited out the first minute of **Gang of Four’s Love is like Anthrax** so I can play it without driving other listeners crazy. WHAT??? That’s the 2nd best part of the song! It makes the drums totally rock, the way they just come bursting thru the crust of that feedback! Plus you get that nifty 4 note stinger before the drums… and it just MAKES the bass line the focus of the song! (FTR, the best part of the song is the interplay of the different vocal lines.) What are you gonna tell me next, that you turn off the MC5’s _Kick Out The Jams_ when _Starship_ comes on? That’s crazy talk! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/27 "2013-08-31T14:35:16Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Nah, that’s my schtick. 😛 > WHAT??? That’s the 2nd best part of the song! It makes the drums totally rock, the way they just come bursting thru the crust of that feedback! Plus you get that nifty 4 note stinger before the drums… and it just MAKES the bass line the focus of the song! > > (FTR, the best part of the song is the interplay of the different vocal lines.) > > What are you gonna tell me next, that you turn off the MC5’s _Kick Out The Jams_ when _Starship_ comes on? That’s crazy talk! No, sorry - I left the last 15-20 seconds of the feedback for sufficient set up (to my mind) - and yeah, that drum blast is one of the best ever. The twin vocals are _perfect_… ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/28 "2013-08-31T20:11:40Z")
Okay, I’ll make a confession here so that we both have ammo against each other, brother **WordMan** : I detest the spoken intro to _Stop!_ by Jane’s Addiction and long ago edited it out. Purists be damned! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/29 "2013-08-31T20:33:08Z")
Lots of “action figures” are made just for collectors. [What kid wants to play with George Lucas in a storm trooper outfit?](http://www.amazon.com/George-Stormtrooper-Disguise-Action-Figure/dp/B000H79214) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/30 "2013-08-31T20:36:06Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Okay, I’ll make a confession here so that we both have ammo against each other, brother **WordMan** : I detest the spoken intro to _Stop!_ by Jane’s Addiction and long ago edited it out. Purists be damned! 😃 Blasphemy! 😉 Perhaps there is a thread here: What Parts Do You Skip? I also edited out Mike Ness’s spoken intro to Prison Bound off Live at the Roxy; I cut out the profanity so my kids can listen, and the talky parts get old anyway…but that version is THE definitive. Like Cheap Trick’s Budokan stuff vs. their studio equivalents… ---
**Author:** ![dasmili](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@dasmili](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmili)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/31 "2013-08-31T20:40:09Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Is there anything stopping me from buying the regular ones and just not letting my kid play with them, or are these cars coated in platinum or something? They tend to have more detailed paint jobs, and maybe rubber wheels instead of plastic, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/32 "2013-08-31T23:10:18Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I had a vision of a modern video game released on a pallet of 5.25" floppies. Things still get released for the Atari 2600. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/33 "2013-09-01T02:09:09Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Boy, there really isn’t an equivalent for other arts. A writer would be hard pressed to release a book in a form that only a few people could read. The closest thing I can think of is that the introduction to _House of Leaves_ indicates that an edition that’s partly printed in braille would be considered the perfect canon version, but afaik doesn’t yet physically exist. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/34 "2013-09-01T08:47:30Z")
I’d say all the old vinyl picture discs fall into this category. You could play them if you wanted to, but the picture on them made them sound like shit. Then if you played it enough the picture would start to wear off. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/35 "2013-09-01T21:02:35Z")
My friends the Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band released their album of Charlie Patton covers _Peyton on Patton_ [on both mono LP and 10" 78 RPM record.](http://www.discogs.com/Reverend-Peytons-Big-Damn-Band-Peyton-On-Patton/release/3444124) No idea if it was on vinyl or shellac. Both came with links to a digital download of the songs. Even people with turntables rarely have ones that can play 78 RPM. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/36 "2013-09-01T22:52:40Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Both came with links to a digital download of the songs. Even people with turntables rarely have ones that can play 78 RPM. Now that you mention it, even CDs are heading this way. The last few CDs I bought are still in their shrink-wrap. They came with a digital download, and that’s what I listen to. I’m not really a collector, but I have every other album by that band on CD and didn’t want a gap. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/37 "2013-09-02T00:10:02Z")
> [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](#): > > I’d say all the old vinyl picture discs fall into this category. You could play them if you wanted to, but the picture on them made them sound like shit. Then if you played it enough the picture would start to wear off. Never heard of that happening. All the picture discs I’ve seen were a sandwich of clear vinyl with a printed paper filling. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/38 "2013-09-02T01:10:49Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Never heard of that happening. All the picture discs I’ve seen were a sandwich of clear vinyl with a printed paper filling. The only picture disc I’ve got is [this Lily Allen record](http://eil.com/images/main/Lily+Allen+-+It's+Not+Me,+It's+You+-+LP+PICTURE+DISC-461897.jpg), which is clearly painted onto the record itself. And yeah it doesn’t sound good, way too muddy. Picture’s cute though. ---
**Author:** ![Renifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Renifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renifer)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464/39 "2013-09-02T01:11:46Z")
Most people don’t buy PEZ because they like the candies. At a doll store near where I live, there are _Buffy The Vampire Slayer_ dolls. _Buffy_ viewers tend to be past doll-playing age. There are also Mulder and Scully dolls. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-that-only-exists-for-collectors/667464.md?page=1)