Collectors get it together

So many collectables, so little time

We’re all guilty of amassing stuff. This is called hoarding. It’s a disorder in which we can’t bear to part with possessions. As distinct from collecting: while collectors may feel anguish of their own at the thought of parting with a prized collectable, their activity has its compensations. Collecting is often satisfying, methodical, and, for the astute, lucrative.

You are greeted by your childhood when you step into Sergio Pereira’s home. There’s Batman, The Joker, Wolverine and every comic book hero or villain you could think of, or, at least, that a 31-year-old like Pereira could think of.

Pereira has a love for comic books and graphic novels, overshadowed only by his passion for explaining the difference between comic books and graphic novels.

“Comic books are single issue, usually have about 24 pages and come out once a month. A graphic novel is six comic book issues together, released usually every six months. Graphic novels are more expensive, but far easier to collect,” Pereira explains.

Pereira’s collection spans a good two decades, with most of his comic books coming from events and conventions, and online stores.

Pereira grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series and the Dark Knight remains his favourite superhero. The others are just wimps, anyway.

He started subscribing to comics in 1996. They were then much cheaper than they are now. “A comic book can cost between R60 and R70,” says Pereira. “I’ve had to develop relationships with stores in order to get what I want, when I want it. I didn’t collect as much during my varsity years because of the cost.”

Comics might be expensive, but Pereira could make a nice sum of money selling a few of his pieces as well. “I have an X-men comic book that could be worth around $4 000. But selling is not an option.”

Pereira keeps most of his 500-strong collection in storage to save the books from wear and tear, which can happen to flimsy comic book covers. “If you want to start collecting, go to a comic book store and speak to people, get their opinion and do a little research. Read previews to see what storylines you would like to read,” Pereira advises aspiring collectors.

In no need of such advice is Art Pereira (no relation), a graphic designer and drummer for rock band Victoria Walls. Art’s a collector by nature: his house is a treasure trove of comic books, memorabilia and Hot Wheels cars. His true passion, though, is collecting DVDS; in fact, video in general. At last count, he had a total of 658 DVDS and 30 VHS tapes plus a few TV series box sets and music DVDS.

Art arranges and sometimes chooses his vast collection by year, genre and actor. He is a fan of classics (think Casablanca and

Citizen Kane), but will buy a superhero movie, good or bad.

Art was given his first DVD in the early 2000s: the 1978 Vietnam war drama The Deer Hunter. He didn’t consciously start collecting until he realised ld that his DVDS were turning into, well, a collection. Now he searches online, scours stores and occasionally receives DVDS as gifts from his friends. He doesn’t just fondle the boxes, either: somehow Art has actually found the time to watch his movies. “I watch a DVD maybe about four or five times. There is usually an original cut, special cut and a director’s cut. I like to watch the different versions and compare,” he says. “Special editions are great, because I can watch the commentary, which gives the viewer a greater experience.”

Art struggles to get VHS tapes and is starting to have a hard time with DVDS as well. “It is unfortunate that discs are dying out. It is a struggle to find certain old movies digitally.”

The most valuable piece in his collection is the 1986 fantasy action movie, Big Trouble in Little China, a gift from an English friend. The gift is an original copy encased in a steel book, the most soughtafter packaging for DVDS. “If you want to get into collecting, you need to find what interests you and start small. If you are collecting movies, try to look for them based on cinematography, direction or actors,” says Art.

Antiques are what got 60-year-old Grenville Liepner into collecting. Liepner collects hat moulds and radios.

“As a child, I was at auctions almost every weekend and that’s where my love of an antiques began,” says Liepner.

Radios – “wireless” – came first. Many of Liepner’s childhood hours were spent listening to radio stations from all over the world in the depths of the night at his window, where reception was best. Because they are so hard to come by, Liepner does not collect radios as avidly anymore.

The hat mould thing evolved out of a job lot he obtained at auction. He now owns Cape Malay hats that date as far back as the 1800s.

Proving that collecting need not break the bank, Liepner has never paid more than a R100 for anything in his collection. It helps that he’s developed the ability to beat down the ambitious prices of countless antique-shop owners. At the same time, he says he’s invested too much time, effort and money to allow himself to be beaten down. “It’s taken too much effort to collect everything. I could get a good R20 000 for one of my radios from a movie studio or a restaurant looking for décor, but I will never sell. I’d rather give them away.”

Liepner’s advice to wannabe antique collectors: hang out with old folks. (Not to collect them, of course: they either have or know about old stuff.) PM

Unzip the handlebars and pop out the foot pegs and this R20 000 carry-on suitcase becomes a small electric motorcycle you can ride all the way to Gate 27. An hour of charging gets you a 10- to 13-kilometre range and speeds of 8 to 13 km/h, depending on how much you packed and your body weight. Sounds fun – and it is. But it’s also ridiculous, like something Kim Jong-un would ride if he didn’t already have people forced to carry him. The tiny pegs barely keep your feet off the floor, so you have to hope you don’t ride over anything that could snag a heel. Plus, your eyes are at approximately navel height, which makes it tough to see in anything less than a wide-open terminal.