I find this thread very interesting. I really 
like to sit back and think about this hobby 
sometimes. There are just so many things unique 
to this hobby *only*. Granted - I haven't been a 
part of many "hobbies".. but this one is SO 
unique. 

Spending limit huh? It's hard to say - because i 
would say *most* people have various reasons for 
spending what they do on what. Yes - a couple 
people in this thread have shown great restraint 
on what they spend. Lucky willpower-having 
bastards... LOL j/k!. Anyhoo... there are a lot 
of variables. I recently "won" a cel from the 
Leigh "sale" myself. I wouldn't pay as much as I 
am for ANY OTHER CEL, if it wasn't my ultimate 
dream cel. THAT is my justification. It's my 
favorite show, favorite character and favorite 
scene. Yes, I admired many of the other cels - 
but they weren't worth as much to me as this one 
is. 

I also had to part with a lot of cels to acquire 
this dream cel. But the way I look at it - the 
others can be replaced eventually, my dream cel 
cannot. I know some people say "oh- well another 
one will come from that same sequence/episode, 
and will sell for far less than what you paid". 
That may be true, but the dream cel I will be 
getting is of Hotohori with his symbol glowing 
from episode 22. It is the ONLY cel in the entire 
episode where you see his symbol glow. Not even 
in the same sequence does it show up. Symbol or 
no symbol, i would have paid a lot for any cel of 
him from this episode simply because of how much 
i love the ep. All I wanted was one, and I will 
have it. Okay.. enough of that...

A note about investing. I think that collecting 
anime cels as investment is *okay*. But to be 
honest I can't imagine most anime holding any 
true value over the span of um.. 30 years? These 
aren't disney cels. I think collecting to me is 
90% "i want it for myself to enjoy" and 10% 
investment. I can't just *hope* that even a $15 
anime cel will hold it's value. I have to admire 
them myself before I buy them. 

My personal limits on collecting:
 - only buy cels from anime I have seen!
and
 - keep wishlist cels vague - so that any cel 
that comes up will fulfill the "desire". 

Allright.. that was long. Sorry. 
~Tara