Barry, I don't think there's any part of LIFE where people aren't doing illicit things for profit.
But I think there are tons of places in this hobby where you can have an enjoyable experience.
A year or so ago I picked up a vintage glove from the 1930s. Vintage gloves close every single night on eBay, for very reasonable prices. This particular glove cost me something like $10.
I won the glove and then I consulted some of the glove collector forums to find the best way to clean up the glove and recondition the leather. I then took a Saturday afternoon and cleaned the glove, got it looking fantastic.
Then I brought the glove to the baseball practice of the team I coach - 9 year olds, mostly - and let them each have a turn trying to catch a baseball with a vintage glove. They were fascinated, and the few that actually managed to catch one got a round of applause from their teammates.
Finally, I boxed up the glove and shipped it to another collector friend of mine, hoping to turn him on to collecting gloves. He received the package and fell in love with it.
Best ten bucks I've spent in this hobby in years.
Sorry to hijack your thread, Dick, I just wanted to inject a little positivity into the discussion.
-Al
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