oooooh, time to sell all those whistles now ?? Tired of them ??? Ready to move on ???

Uh, Oh….. what to do ??

eBay ?? Etsy ??? Hmmm… not a ready market is there ??

So that is why thinking ahead is so vital.

That's not FAIR you say ( after all you spent so much time and money aquiring them all )

Ever watch Princess Bride ?? Great line from that movie…"get used to disappointment"

All better now ?? Probably not. But you may have to cut bait and move on, as they say in the fishing world.

Whistles are like watching a movie, eating out, going for a bike ride…………………. Just entertainment.

However you do have one very nice option to selling them off…

tomorrow….

something sobering to think about is….Is collecting whistles a one way door ??

In other words, since whistles are so inexpensive ( in general ) and a large collection is rather easy to build, what do you do with them next ???

Well, what do you mean by next ?? Dump them ?? — That would mean it is just a fling      🙁

On the other hand you may think it is an investment. …Could be, but not likely. They just don't appreciate THAT MUCH !!!

They are going up though – at least rare ones and police issues.

However one should really consider what one is going to do with all those whistles……hmmmm……suggestions ???

tomorrow….

still on the topic of avoiding buyers remorse when it comes to purchasing antique whistles.

As of late we are moving into research, yet we can become caught up in the moment and blow all our advance research out the window. Research really helps, but deciding ahead of time is very important too. If one knows what they are looking for the temptation to 'shell out' too much is easier to resist !! So, once again a sensible budget is critical in making decisions.

Take for example a siren that recently came up for sale. Terrific siren and definitely one to add to a collection. It rose to over 150 euros !!! Now one could just pay the sky and get it. OR reasonable limits can be set ahead of time. Thereby avoiding buyers remorse.

BUT you might feeeeeeel that it is such a great whistle that it should be stretched for and perhaps spend a little more?? REALLY ?? Would a calm and sensible decision ahead of time be your best decision after all ??

Let it go ( the whistle ) !!! Sooooo much easier if you learn about your whistle ahead of time, decide ahead of time how much it is actually worth to you. Don't let someone who spends whatever it takes push you into spending extra that could be better spent elsewhere. Just metal after all….

Now don't you feel better     🙂

No greed, just fun. AND maybe some great pictures !!!!

How does research play into buyers remorse and how to avoid it ?? — Look before you leap !!

Derrrr…. yes, a no brainer !!! Yet, do we shoot from the hip?? Do we buy on emotion ?? Do we lose our focus ?? Are we indecisive ??

Wow, that's a LOT of grey area isn't it ?? Plenty of moves that lead to BUYERS REMORSE !!!

So, first of all avoid impulse buyimg:

Probably buying over the internet is where this comes to the fore. We sell a lot of whistles at antique shows here and most of the whistles are felt, weighed and studied in a tactile way believe it or not. Can't do THAT over the internet. Can't roll them around and check every side, including inside.

Obviously impulse buying is loaded with pitfalls. As a side note 'if the price is too good to be true, it usually is'

What to do ?? Get LOT'S of pictures !!!! Write with LOT'S of questions. Simply, you have to do your homework and this work is literally from home now isn't it ??

Compare to what you already have. That will become a more important factor over the years as whistles are inexpensive enough to build a large collection and you can have buyer's remorse when you buy a whistle you din't really want, a whistle that is defective, made of something that you didn't look close enough at, or perhaps you already have it and now have doubles !!!

SAVE pictures from as many whistles as you can !!! And at some point you will have to organize those pictures so that you can look up in your 'library' a new whistle. It's almost as fun as collecting whistles. is collecting those whistle pictures. This is another way that as a buuyer you can avoid being remorseful over your efforts to have fun with your hobby 🙂

….even then, you can get caught up in the moment…how is this a factor ??…..

so what can we conclude abnout buyers remorse ??

contributors are

1) spending
2) motives
3) sphere of influence

what can we do to be positive about our collection of whistles ??

Stick to a budget ( do NOT buy on credit !!! )
Keep the hobby in its place ( second to who you are )
Connect with your team and try not to compete.

There you have the long and the short of avoiding BUYERS REMORSE !!!!

Now you are ready for the next stage…. homework
 

How do motivations play into the world of collecting rare whistles ??

Why do YOU collect whistles ?? How does this affect buyers remorse ??

Probably the absolute worse poison ?? >>>>  "my whistles are me" — Paula Cole sang in her song ME. about not being her song, her house, her car…. That 'they are just stops along the way'. Can we take a lesson from this song ??

When we identify ourselves by what we own rather than who we are as a person, we are straying a long way from happiness. Let's face it. Fires occur, floods, theft, health. Any one of these or other factors could cause years of eclectic collecting to go up in smoke and then who would we be ??

And how would you feel if a very important whistle became available and you missed it ?? Like a part of YOU was missed ?? Ouch !!! AW, gotta let it go….

You are more than that whistle….This is how deep it can go into our psyche if we cross that line from fun to taking it personal.

Now the flip side ?? Buying a whistle, thinking it is really YOU and then finding out it isn't YOU after all ?? Maybe it's a fake  or more 'common' than you thought it was or worse yet…has a defect and is damaged goods  !!!! Whoah !!! Now we certainly don't want what we own to define us do we ??

Buyers remorse big time. Why all the fuss >> Why so sssserious ????? It's NOT the collectibles that define you — not who you are… they are just whistles…..

Like spending, motives affect us and can cause buyer's remorse. Another factor is whether we work together or compete.

Are you a team player ??? How is this involved in buyers remorse ?? …Hmmmm….. tomorrow….

How do you feel when you find a whistle to add to your collection and it is too expensive ?? Better yet how do you feel if you get it and it is too expensive to add to your collection ?? Perhaps other factors enter in and you feel regret ??

Buyers remorse ??

Wow, what a subject !!!

Yet it is at the center of collecting whistles as it is in collecting anything is it not ??

What constructive thoughts come to mind ??

The word modesty comes to mind — strictly meaning that one is keenly aware of their limitations. One of which is …..

1) financial…

How much do you actually have to spend ?? Even if rich ??? Entire family fortunes have been spent on rare items of even significant value to the world. However was it ( is it ?? ) worth it to the family, your health ( both physical and mental ) and what you could be doing with your funds ??

So a realistic budget will tell you a LOT. In fact it can be your friend in another way. A budget can FORCE you take make the most of each purchase can't it ?? It can make you pass on one purchase and reach for another — making you much more shrewd, slective, decisive — therefore reducing buyers remorse 🙂

You may end up searching for better deals — again a bulwark against buyers remorse

Maybe a cap or ceiling limts your collection, true. BUT aren't all collections limited anyway ?? Controlling yours reduces buyers remorse….

Buyers remorse is a killer of fun. Financial stability ( well, budget anyway ) is a BIG start. Start there….

2) another limitation is motive… hmmm….tomorrow….

In considering the import of discovery of whistles previously unknown, whistle variations, models, catalogs, manufacturers, patents, the list goes on and on…

How important are these things ??? —- Not important at all really. Realistically they aren't medical breakthroughs, documents of high import, scientific significance…..just whistles.

Unless you are in that special small world. It could be a very obscure world ( and cheap ) like fingernail clippers prior to 1900, or ( expensive ) corkscrews that you collect. There are of course items of intrinsic value and then there are just items fun to collect. Either way there is study, discovery and learning.

In the world of rare whistle collecting, is it fun ?? Perhaps The Joker in the movie Dark Knight had it right when he said " Why so sssserious ? "

A couple days ago a whistle came up for auction. Probably Yates, a brass round with brass fipple. Previously unknown as it has a fully elliptical window, not seen on a Yates before  ( circa 1870-80 ? ) Now that is an important whistle to die for !!!! —– In fact we got permission to use a picture for you all to see !!! ( attached )

Really ?? To die for ?? Doesn't sound like fun anymore does it ?? Perhaps crossing the line ??

Well, hopefully someone will post it on facebook or something, tell us all about it. The down side would be never seeing it agian. The upside ??

We all have the pictures !! We all have seen it now !!! SUCCESS !!! Discovery, learning, sharing. Now it is FUN again !!!!!!!

I take it we crossed back across the line    🙂

How important is collecting whistles ??

VERY interesting question !! Underlying is the question…Is collecting an illness or good thing ??

It could go either way, or even both ways.

You see the more one is driven, the more effort is made to unearth new discoveries. Granted this could mean an illness to always find MORE !!

On the other hand what is found may contribute to the whole in a small or even a large way.

When researching great papers of historical, scientific, or of great literature value one can't help but be struck with how often 'collectors' are at the bottom of the pile.

Sure items eventually get to Museums ( sometimes not ) but the pattern is there.

Now, would this apply to whistles and how so ??

Let's say that research is done to find a whistle. Then it is 'discovered' — Eureka !!!!

….. just a whistle right ?? Hmmm gotta give this some more thought….

why are books so important when collecting rare, old whistles ??

Might seem pointless if you can look on line for free right ??

Nooooo !!!!!!

There are soooo many whistkles not covered on the net, that are pictured and discussed in the only three books written.

Besides that one can't flip through the pages back and forth as well when looking at a computer. It would seem that for study and visual impact of the variety and comparison we still need books.

Eventually the web may catch up. However there remains those pictural comparisons that Collecting Police Whistles did. The same can be said for More Whistles and evn the smaller booklet entitled Whistles has a variety not done on the web.

Martyn Gilchrist did an excellent job on those three books — that is standing the test of time. Beyond that his organizational skills is being appreciated more and more as the years turn.

Do you have yours ?? They are out of print and it is for sure that Collecting Police Whistles is not going to be reprinted !!!