Try To Be Impressed.

So with the All Blacks revered as the Demi-Gods of New Zealand, and having most recently won at the local sports stadium (Carrisbrook,  otherwise known to Rugby Union nations around the world as "the house of pain". I am sure it requires no real imagination from the readers of this blog, who, while they may be unfamiliar with the game of Rugby itself, to surmise how a sports ground could earn such an international 'unofficial' title.). Stephen, now proudly displayed to the class for show and tell, admittedly with some panache, a leather rugby ball covered in black pen squiggles, which he claimed was the ball used in that most recent of this international victory by the Demi-Gods themselves. This drew sounds of " oooooo " and Ahhh" from others in this school room audience. Myself, I was left a little uninspired, despite knowing my father's adoration of the team. It was a ball. And now it had been drawn on. I was yet to appreciate the value of signed sports merchandise to collectors of the world. Let's be honest, I still don't. 

I can understand the value of a singular work of art. A painting or sculpture or such, by an artist, whose work is revered or admired. When it is a single painting only. No other of it's like existing. Then, having that (particularly signed by the artist, discreetly in the corner of course, and not scrawled all over the surface of the object, as this ball was), and how, wanting that, could create a true sense of market value. After all the artwork would be unique. This ball however, may be one of several which could have been used in the game, or warm-up, if it was used in the game at all. And even though signed by the All Blacks (long may they be revered, - sorry, I should have been adding that after each time they were mentioned before, with a ceremonial tugging of a forelock in the direction of the home of Rugby), supposedly, then, unless this was the only time they played together and they never played again, the value seems to me to be fairly minuscule. But people will decide what they wish most to value, and collectors are the strangest of strange, when it comes to deciding what is of value and what is not. The greatest regret for many seems to be, they didn't hang on to something they had a s a child, when today it may well pay for their child's tuition through a college or university. Today, bizarrely, items are produced 'as collectables'. Manufactured as a set, series or collection. Pre-determined definition for the market, rather than decided by survival in the world. Hence they are not as rare as items valued previously. Items, whose value came about due to rarity, not profit.
(Continued tomorrow)