Especially the part of about "spending to amuse 
yourself."  The most that I ever spent on a cel 
was in the $350 range.  Even though I have a 
steady income and probably could go higher, I 
just can't bring myself to do it. Thanks to 
Drac, I can put my reasoning into words. For me, 
when it's gets to that point, I'm no longer 
collecting to amuse myself. I'm investing.

I'm going to admit something that will may elicit 
some adverse reactions or perhaps label me as not 
a "true" anime fan or collector. Everytime I 
consider purchasing an expensive cel, I think 
about reselling it. It is usually the second 
determining factor in my decision to buy or walk 
away. Now, I don't mean buying it only to turn 
around and sell it a month later. What I mean is, 
should I ever need or want to sell 
this cel, will I probably lose money? If 
so, just how much should I expect to lose? 
Am I comfortable with losing that much 
money?

I do this because I know myself all too well.  
I'm fickle. I always have to have something new 
and interesting to keep me happy.  Although I've 
been an anime fan for the last 5 years, there is 
no guarantee that I will be 5 years from now. I 
speak from experience.  8 years ago, I was an 
ardent Star Wars fan and action figure 
collector.  While I still love Star Wars, I no 
longer have the passion for it that I did then. 
What I do have now is a few big boxes of Star 
Wars collectibles taking up space in the attic! 
Do I regret it? Not really--I had a lot of fun 
and met a bunch of nice people.  That's what a 
hobby is all about.  I do admit, however, that 
part of me wishes that I still had some of that 
money that I spent on Star Wars stuff.

This is probably why I don't have dream cels.  
Sure, what Cowboy Bebop fan wouldn't want to have 
a perfectly centered, face forward, eyes open, 
last episode Vicious cel w/matching background? 
Nonetheless, I can guarantee that you won't see 
me standing in line at Celga's gates should that 
cel ever appear on Y!J.  I know what my spending 
limit can buy, and it certainly can't buy that 
Vicious cel. Somehow, I go on living knowing that 
I'll never have that Vicious cel in my 
collection.  And guess what? It's not so bad.  
There are a lot more serious things in this world 
that one could be forced to live without.

--rg the italics queen!