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Cameron Steiner - From Host To Guest, In Good Company
937 Plays1 year ago
Today’s episode is one that came together a tad last minute. My guest had to reschedule and so my lovely wife, Madelaine, so badly wanted me to put an episode out this week that she decided to interview me. So, she locked herself in our bedroom and decided to write down some questions to blindside me with. We poured some wine, cozied up in our new home and she hit me with some tough ones. Needless to say, she’s a natural. Back to regular programming next week, but for now, this is Madelaine Steiner, interviewing me, Cameron Steiner, for Collectors Gene Radio.
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Transcript
The Art of Letting Go
00:00:00
Speaker
I think the harder part is looking at your collection and saying, this isn't getting enough wear and tear, if you will, and this isn't getting enough enjoyment as it should be, and I'm not wearing it for a reason because I'm really in love with these other things, and this is where my taste has evolved. So it's always hard to get rid of something, but I think it's okay, and I think it's one of those things where the easier it is for people to understand that
00:00:27
Speaker
An evolving collection is a great collection because you can't afford everything. Makes you a better collector.
Collector's Gene: Myth or Reality?
00:00:35
Speaker
What's going on everybody and welcome to collector's gene radio. This is all about diving into the nuances of collecting and ultimately finding out whether or not our guests have what we like to call the collector's gene. If you have the time, please subscribe and leave a review. It truly helps. Thanks a bunch for listening and please enjoy today's guest on collector's gene radio.
Behind the Scenes: A Last-Minute Setup
00:01:00
Speaker
Today's episode is one that came together last minute. My guest had to reschedule and so my lovely wife Madeline so badly wanted me to put an episode out this week that she decided to interview me. So she locked herself in our bedroom and decided to write down some questions to blindside me with. We forked some wine, cozied up in our new home, and she made with some tough ones.
00:01:25
Speaker
Needless to say, she's a natural. Back to regular programming next week, but for now, this is Madeline Steiner, interviewing me, Cameron Steiner, for Collectors Gene Radio.
00:01:37
Speaker
Okay, so today's episode is extremely different because my guest tonight had to reschedule, which is what happens when you're in showbiz.
Pandemic Beginnings: A Personal Touch
00:01:50
Speaker
So my lovely wife, Madeline, said, why don't I just interview you? And I said, that's a great idea because you've never interviewed anyone before and why not interview me? So we have a bottle of wine open.
00:02:07
Speaker
We will do a little cheers to get started. She may laugh. She may cry. All the above. We'll see. He may laugh. He may cry. Probably. Time will tell. Okay. Cheers. Cheers. All right, Cameron Rassiner. Welcome to Collector Sheen Radio. It's truly so great to have you on. So although I'm the one doing the interviewing today, you are the creator of Collector Sheen.
00:02:37
Speaker
So tell me a little bit about how you landed here. How did you start this? Good question. This podcast started from obviously my love of collecting things in general, which I got from various family members, but I can definitely attribute it mainly to grandparents on both sides. During the virus,
00:03:04
Speaker
whenever I was at home, I figured I would spend some extra time starting something that I was passionate about talking to other people that are passionate about the same thing. So I figured I would start this podcast and many delays later. We're about 30 or so episodes in. This moment feels a little bit like COVID times, us sharing a desk. Very much
Family Influences and Early Collecting
00:03:28
Speaker
so. For those that don't know, Madeline and I just bought our first home, but before this,
00:03:33
Speaker
We were in a tiny little apartment in Scottsdale, Arizona, and we were sharing a desk during COVID, working with each other, separate jobs, but working at the same desk. And Madeline was lucky enough to take the head of the desk, and I sat at a little corner.
00:03:53
Speaker
got to stare at her doing her thing all day. So that's right. So growing up, you had two older brothers, two older sisters, wonderful parents and grandparents that as you said, they influenced you into the collector you are today. I was hoping you could share a little bit about these wonderful people and how they have brought you along and started you on this journey.
00:04:19
Speaker
Well, I guess it's best to start with the grandparents because they're probably the only reason that I collect anything. Both sets of grandparents, amazing people, lucky to still have one grandmother still around who is my collecting buddy. When we go to New York to visit her, we love to collect together. So her and I hit antique markets and
00:04:42
Speaker
Everyone laughs at us because they think I'm also an 85-year-old lady from New York, but maybe at heart. Both grandparents were influential in my collecting. One set of grandparents didn't collect as much, but they had certain philosophies to always have good things. If you're going to spend money on something, it should be something good and something that you love.
00:05:08
Speaker
I don't know why I always grasped onto that, but just kind of stuck from an early age. My mom always encouraged me to just be individualistic, as was she. She wasn't much of a collector herself, but she loved good things, and you know that, and I miss her very much.
00:05:34
Speaker
Although she wasn't a collector, she definitely played an important role in too. I would say I got my taste from her for sure. Very happy that you acquired her good taste. Yeah. I think I got my taste from her for sure. She had the best taste in everything, clothes, food, jewelry, homes, everything. So definitely got that from her. Two brothers, two older knuckleheads who
00:06:00
Speaker
didn't love collecting anything, I feel like, until I started collecting stuff. No, they'll probably hate me for that, but two older brothers who also both took their own paths to do what they loved. And I think that's also kind of part of having a collector's dream, whether you collect anything or not,
00:06:20
Speaker
having your own sort of path that you want to take and you follow that and you stick to it and you get there. So two great older brothers, two amazing older sisters that I'm very lucky to have. I don't think they collect anything specifically, but they themselves have also followed kind of the same path that the brothers have of doing their own thing and doing what makes them happy.
Family's Diverse Collecting Habits
00:06:46
Speaker
One sister and brother-in-law.
00:06:49
Speaker
love wine a lot and cigars. And so they actually have a pretty nice collection of that stuff, which is always fun to go and look at. So I guess they do collect. Yes, absolutely. So not only are you a collector of all things, but you also have great admiration for collectors. Where did this begin? Maybe who started this?
00:07:14
Speaker
I think I've had a lot of people on here in terms of people that I look up to as collectors. For me personally, grandparents, of course, were great collectors, but in terms of the people that I've had on here, each guest has been extremely well thought out. Obviously not myself included. But each guest that I've had on here has been extremely well thought out and really the list of people that have joined me so far have been people that I
00:07:44
Speaker
thought of from the beginning before I even had a first episode in this. So I look at all them as great collectors. I think Matt Ranink and his wife Yolanda are two of the greatest collectors of all time. It's not necessarily about personal value of things, but their taste I think is impeccable in everything that they do. Everything has a purpose. Everything is like
00:08:10
Speaker
So go with the flow, I feel like with them, but so intentional at the same time, I think.
00:08:17
Speaker
someone like Nate Bergus, who is obviously an incredible interior designer and his husband, Jeremiah.
Inspiration from Others: Taste and Style
00:08:23
Speaker
I mean, you just look at all the projects that they've done and it just looks, which I'm sure it's not because they've put in a lot of hard work to get to where they are, but everything they do seems so seamless. Put this here and that there, and this should go here and this color there. We've had the pleasure of Nate helping us a little bit with our home too, which has been really special.
00:08:43
Speaker
I think a culmination of all these people, you put them all in a room, whether they know each other or not, are of similar interests and they would all get along, no doubt. Over the years, you've had several collections. Mighty Beans. How dare you. Pokemon cards, coffee table books, watches, antiques, the list goes on.
00:09:07
Speaker
Will you care to walk us through maybe the evolution of your collecting? Starting at Mighty Beans, of course. It started a little bit before Mighty Beans, which if anybody knows what those are or doesn't know what they are, they are the dumbest little beans with a magnet in it that had plastic faces on them.
00:09:30
Speaker
And people would collect them, and they are so silly. And my mom bought me countless, countless boxes of Mighty Beans just so I could collect them also. She fueled the habit, but please don't Google them. They are extremely silly. I would say before that, it started with Hot Wheels cars. That was before you knew me. And I loved Hot Wheels cars, but I only wanted to collect Hot Wheels cars that
00:09:57
Speaker
were cars that you could find on the road for whatever reason. I don't know why, but those are the only ones I wanted. I didn't want any of the weird concept stuff that you would never see. So for whatever reason, I had intention and purpose and then it moved on to action figures and wrestling action figures and
00:10:15
Speaker
This is really making me love me more, isn't it? And then it turned into Mighty Beans. I still collected Hot Wheels throughout all that. Baseball cards with my brothers was a huge thing. I think they probably stole them all out of my book when I wasn't looking and replaced them with garbage that I had no idea. Well, I'm sure they have great collections of baseball cards right now.
00:10:41
Speaker
We collected all these things and it actually always happened when my mom was visiting and in town she would take us to the store and buy us these packs and packs and packs of cards and we'd go sit in the car and we'd all open them up and everyone would get excited about who got what. Kind of from there I was always into something but probably when I was at the end of high school is when I really got into watches. Obviously being a high schooler I couldn't afford anything crazy but I fell in love with
00:11:12
Speaker
Nixon watches, which was really popular at the time, and now I looked at them and I was like, I look like Flavor Flav with these massive watches on my areas. They probably could have been around my neck, but that was the thing back then. And then throughout college and all that, the watches then really kicked in. I wasn't really collecting too many, but I admired them. I learned about them.
00:11:33
Speaker
And then I met you and I figured... You were so slightly flavor fly when you met you. I still had some weird shit. Some big watches. Okay. Don't tell anybody. I'm sure there's some photos. But then I met you and I figured we would probably be together and get married at some point. So I might as well blow all the money I can now on watches. And you're probably wondering where all that money is. It's in the safe. So the...
00:12:03
Speaker
Hot Wheels, maybe that was due to your grandfather and his love of cars and the dealership and everything of that sort. And the baseball cards, I know you and your brothers went to baseball camp every summer. What started you in watches? Maybe it was a gift or a memory or a person.
The Allure of Vintage
00:12:25
Speaker
Would you be able to elaborate on that? Yeah, I always remember both of my grandfathers having
00:12:32
Speaker
great watches and a lot of times I didn't know what they were, but I started to learn more as I got older and learned more about watches. And I just always admired how effortless and cool they both were and still are to me, even though they're not physically here. They're still two of the coolest people in the world to me. And I just remember how effortless it was for both of them to
00:12:56
Speaker
dress up nice or dress casual, put a cool watch on and just go about their day, whether it was a small gold dress watch or my other grandfather had two watches. He had a Tissot T12, which on a steel bracelet, which I have. And he also had a gold Rolex Day-Date, your classic standard mobster drug dealer, gold Rolex Day-Date with a champagne dial that he never wore.
00:13:27
Speaker
No matter the occasion, once in a while he wore, but every day that I saw him, he wore the steel Tiso watch. And I just thought that was so cool that you have something that's worth a few hundred dollars and then you have something that's worth significantly more and you choose that other thing. And as I got older, he told me the story that they were on vacation and he really wanted to buy this Tiso. And I think they were in Puerto Rico. That was like a thing for all the New York people to go to Puerto Rico or whatever.
00:13:56
Speaker
No one in Arizona, I don't think, has ever gone to Puerto Rico on vacation, but that was a New York thing, I guess. So they went to Puerto Rico, and I think he was sweating about buying the thing. It was a family vacation, probably felt a little irresponsible, probably like I do when I buy a watch. But he went for it, and he fell in love with it, and he wore it everywhere, beat the crap out of it, has all his scratches on it upstairs. I don't want to put my own on it just yet, but
00:14:21
Speaker
I love that. And then my other grandfather dressed up no matter where he was going, if he was going to the grocery store, if he was going to work, he put on a button down in slacks at the very least every day and put on a cool watch. And he had a whole bunch of amazing stuff too. Turning to the next notes, you got a whole list over there of questions, don't you? For someone that's meticulous,
00:14:49
Speaker
slight OCD as yourself, how have you learned to appreciate the charm of vintage? I think for me, vintage is kind of everything. And it's not for everybody, but for me, it's kind of everything whether I don't only collect vintage, I collect modern stuff too. Matt Rannick, I think said it best. He said,
00:15:12
Speaker
I love vintage, he's like, but I also love a modern toilet and a modern oven or kitchen or whatever. And I think everybody should learn to appreciate both and find a good mix for both because unfortunately, a lot of modern stuff doesn't have the charm that vintage stuff does. And so I think vintage is the most important because everything that we have today is some sort of evolution of a vintage thing.
00:15:41
Speaker
a sofa, a pillow, a countertop, I'm just looking around our house, a book, a countertop, a painting, you know, a candlestick, a wine glass, everything is from something older, right? Cause it had to evolve from something. So I think people need to appreciate vintage more. I think some people look at it as like dumpster diving, bed bugs, sort of dirty things that other people used in a different lifetime. But I think,
00:16:12
Speaker
for a lot of people, vintage should be celebrated and appreciated. And if it's not for you to buy something, then that's fine, but to understand it and to appreciate it and just know the history, I think, is what would make someone a more well-rounded buyer of anything.
00:16:33
Speaker
Your father and grandfather taught you to take great care and pride in everything that you own and possess, which I do see on a daily basis. You're very meticulous. But when it comes to vintage, does that give you a little bit of a fear to add your own maybe scratch or piece of history to a piece that is now so fragile?
00:17:02
Speaker
Of course, I think especially when it comes to something like a watch, I'm always nervous to add a scratch. Once it has a scratch, a lot of times I let it go or I get it fixed. But I'm not too big on scratching things up. It's not really something I roll. If it happens, it happens. I try and be careful. Most people will probably be surprised, maybe not surprised now that you're airing all my dirty laundry.
00:17:32
Speaker
I don't wear watches in the pool. I don't wear them doing other adventures, which I'm not too keen on anyway, as you know. Hiking. Hiking, nope. So yeah, there is always a worry of, I would say I have the worry of more so breaking something. That's me knocking on wood. That's my worry. It's less of scratching something that's more so permanently, breaking, losing, damaging something that it can't be.
00:18:02
Speaker
reversed. And I know they're just things, and obviously you haven't insured for a reason, but certain things are more value, certain things have more sentimental value. I think it just depends, but I try and be a little careful. Sure, that's very valid. How do you curate your collection? How do you find the space and the time?
00:18:24
Speaker
The space is easy. I just move things from your side of the
Curating a Collection
00:18:28
Speaker
bed. This is true. And from your side of the safe, I just move them somewhere else. Our only pain point in our relationship. Yeah. Which is good. But I think there's always room for more, and there's always room for less, and there's always room to pass something off to somebody else if you're not enjoying it. It's not the easiest thing to do.
00:18:52
Speaker
I think the harder part is looking at your collection and saying, this isn't getting enough wear and tear, if you will. And this isn't getting enough enjoyment as it should be. And I'm not wearing it for a reason because I'm really in love with these other things. And this is where my taste has evolved. So it's always hard to get rid of something, but I think it's okay. And I think it's one of those things where the easier it is for people to understand that
00:19:20
Speaker
an evolving collection is a great collection because you can't afford everything, makes you a better collector because you're constantly chasing after the things that you want and working hard towards getting them or buying them or saving up for them or buying things just to trade up. You might buy something knowing that it's going to go up in value and it'll get you closer to the thing that you want. All these things are okay. People frown upon doing them in certain lights, but all these things are okay
00:19:50
Speaker
Let your collection evolve. That answer your question. I did, yes. For someone that toys worked from the moment he was able to. Have any of your jobs or careers shaped you as a collector or maybe your collection itself?
00:20:10
Speaker
You can start at Tasty Delight, it's okay. Screw you. Okay, well, if you want to start there.
Entrepreneurial Spirit: Custom Apparel Business
00:20:19
Speaker
My first job was at an ice cream shop called Tasty Delight. East Coasters will know what that is. I used to tell people that it was an ice cream shop turned strip club at night because no one knew what Tasty Delight was. I've never heard this story. It has the most promiscuous name for an ice cream store. No, all jokes aside, first,
00:20:40
Speaker
job to teach me about collecting.
00:20:46
Speaker
working hard to be able to get something or instilling those values. I think any job teaches you that, but one in particular was in college. We had a custom apparel business, which you were privy to, and we did all the fraternities and sororities on campus. We did other schools in the state. We did out-of-state schools. We did stuff for bars and restaurants on campus and other schools, and it really turned into this full-fledged operation for a college kid.
00:21:15
Speaker
running this business doing essentially door-to-door sales with all the fraternities and sororities. And that was the first time I've ever seen like some cash for our college kid roll in. And I blew it all on you and eating like shit at college restaurants and gaining 40 pounds, but that's for another day. Um, but that was the first time I was like, okay, like this isn't me working at a restaurant or
00:21:46
Speaker
Tasty delight. And it was working hard towards something. And that's when the watch has started, huh? That's when it got a little bit more serious, like a little bit more serious. But my first legit, legit watch was from you for our wedding. We postponed our wedding a year.
00:22:11
Speaker
And you kept telling me that you got me a watch and you were going to wait till our next wedding and you already had it. And I was like, I couldn't wait. I couldn't wait either. And on what would have been our one year wedding anniversary of the first wedding date, which happened to be in the same month that we do get married in it. Eventually you gave me the watch, which was a Rolex Explorer two 16, five 70.
Significant Watches and Their Stories
00:22:34
Speaker
You know the reference number.
00:22:36
Speaker
It's true. Polar dial, which is a white dial, full set box papers. You bought it from Crown and Caliber. Yes. Now owned by Hodinke. Oh wow. I don't know if you knew that. I did not. How cool is that? It's very cool.
00:22:55
Speaker
That's when it got serious. That actually brings me to my next question. Do I love you or the watch more? I know you often have stories that can sometimes be more meaningful to you than the actual piece in your collection itself. Do you care to share about something in your collection and maybe the story behind it? It could be funny, sentimental,
00:23:25
Speaker
We already shared our wedding date, so it doesn't have to be about me. If I wanted to be. Well, obviously that one means the most. That watch will absolutely never leave my collection. And there are other watches in my collection for sentimental value that will never leave the collection. The Cartier Santos du Mont, that was a gift from my grandparents for a birthday, and then
00:23:53
Speaker
After my mom passed, you got her handwriting inscribed on the back of the strap and gave it to me. And I cried like a little baby when you gave it to me. And now I wear it and think of her all the time and think of my grandparents. And that watch will absolutely never leave the collection. Don't ask me which out of the two, the one between you and them, I'd keep. I'm keeping both.
00:24:18
Speaker
There's no right or wrong answer. And then, of course, my grandfather's Tissot and Rolex and all that stuff is all very sentimental. And all the other ones I've just... Maybe a piece that's not a watch. A weird item that you've collected along the way may be from... I don't even know. You pick up pieces everywhere. Everywhere we go. Constantly pick up the pieces. Yeah. What else?
00:24:49
Speaker
We have tons of coffee table books and antiques. Okay. Coffee table book. Um, if you're listening, you probably listened to my episode with Glenn Spyro, who's an absolute genius and wizard with gems and diamonds and jewelry. And he's just insane. And if you didn't listen to the episode, listen to it just so you can hear him talk and look him up afterwards and look at all the
00:25:18
Speaker
things that he's built and done. It's incredible and remarkable. I collect a lot of books, coffee table books. This is true. Much to your dismay. He had done a coffee table book with Aseline, who I'm a big fan of, as is everybody. If you have coffee table books in your home, you probably have one from them, whether you know it or not.
00:25:43
Speaker
I collect a lot of their vintage books that are out of print. I collect a lot of their new stuff. Probably have over 50 to 60 coffee table books from Vaseline that you may or may not know about. He did a book with them. I always wanted to buy it. I just slept on it too long, as happens often with collecting anything. And when I had him on the podcast, I told him that story, how I just didn't buy it and I missed it.
00:26:12
Speaker
A week after we spoke, I got a package from London, DHL shows up, and it was a fully wrapped copy of that book.
00:26:23
Speaker
I just thought that that was the coolest thing. It's an expensive book. It's expensive to ship anything from London, even if you ship a feather. So for him to take the time and effort to do that was just the coolest thing. And that's something I will never get rid of no matter how big or small our home is. That one will always stay. I'll let that one stay. It's very special. And then a book that just arrived the other day,
00:26:49
Speaker
You're looking surprised. That's right on the coffee table. I have yet to see this, but I'll have to walk over. A gentleman by the name of Davide Parmigiani is one of the most well-known vintage watch dealers in Europe, specifically Italy and Monaco. He is a partner in an auction house called Monaco Legend Group. He's also like best friends with
00:27:18
Speaker
Aromontinari, AKA John Goldberger, who I know you know because I show you everything. And he put out this Patek Philippe book and sent me a copy. And it's a limited production he made for friends and family, which is really cool. And what I did, even though it's just a book, and this sounds crazy, but what I did to deserve that, I don't know, but he shipped it all the way from Monaco.
00:27:44
Speaker
to me and the book is just insane. It has some of the most incredible Patek Philippe's in it. It's all about Patek Philippe and nothing not to love. Wow. So there's lots of little stories like that. Yeah, that's quite special. Well, one more. Okay, that's it. Your parents got me a great book. Yeah.
00:28:06
Speaker
When we went to Venice, we were admiring all the churches and all that there. And an artist did a photo book of all the Venice churches. And it was a limited production, I believe. And your parents got me a copy. And that's another one that's not leaving. I love that book. Shout out to your in-laws, huh? That's right. All right. Well, what is a piece of advice that has shaped you as maybe a person or even a collector?
Lessons and Reflections in Collecting
00:28:34
Speaker
As disheartening as it is, never expect anything from anybody. I think is whether that pertains to collecting or not, I think that that's just an important thing to always have in the back of your mind is that no one owes you anything and you don't owe them anything, but never to expect anything from somebody else. I think the most important thing is the worst anybody's ever going to say is no.
00:29:00
Speaker
So never be afraid to ask a question, never be afraid to barter a little bit if you're trying to buy something. I know you...
00:29:06
Speaker
sometimes have to leave the room when I like to barter. It gets you a little flush. You're like, just overpay. Just overpay for everything. Just offer to also take him out to dinner. But I think that that's also an important thing. The worst anyone's ever going to say is no. If you're looking to buy something and you're bartering with somebody and you want to ask for five bucks and it was, I think also,
00:29:37
Speaker
or another guest I had said, I'm never, maybe it was Jason Fried, he said, I'm never looking, I can't remember, I'm never looking to barter enough so somebody doesn't have bread to put on the table. He's like, it's just that little extra ounce of satisfaction of, okay, you'll give me another five bucks done. Like now I'm happy. Everyone wins, you're happy, that guy's happy. So sometimes you get lucky and you get a big break on something, sometimes you don't. But it's worth asking.
00:30:07
Speaker
Very nice. All right, Cam. Well, I want to introduce you to something called the collector. All right. The one that got away. Hmm. Besides like every watch that was at normal prices when I was probably in like high school and college that I obviously couldn't afford still at the time, I would say,
00:30:35
Speaker
that there was a time when
00:30:40
Speaker
I probably could have got a lot of incredible Cartiers that were just being slept on that are now completely unobtainable. Like, Cartier crashed. Nobody ever wanted that watch. They were like, what is this shape? What is this thing? Cartier closures, which have always been on the rise. But I think that the missed opportunity was creating a relationship with somebody at Cartier a long time ago when things were
00:31:11
Speaker
Fairly priced and Now, you know the people that did that back then are now the ones that are getting all these unique pieces and there's still room and time for that to happen But I would say that that was a that was a big miss not having that foresight. Yeah and A dealer his name's Tim. His company's called fog City vintage he had a
00:31:35
Speaker
Patek Philippe 5167R, which is a modern watch, but it's a rose gold Aquanaut with a chocolate dial, which I love. And I love that combo. And he had one for an incredible price several months ago. And I just kept watching his site and watching his site and watching his site and eventually it sold and got
00:31:58
Speaker
Got kicked on that one. But you didn't. That's right. The on deck circle. What's next for you in the collecting world?
Beyond Watches: Expanding the Collection
00:32:09
Speaker
I'm scared to ask that. There's a package on the way. I'm sure there is. I always get nervous when we have to sign for something. There's a lot of things that I want, but I've been really focused on
00:32:25
Speaker
Furniture there's a piece of furniture that you and I both really want that I think has a Story behind it that will eventually tell at some point, but I think it's something that we're probably gonna end up going for and I think that that's kind of next on deck for me is just some Special pieces to add to our home besides watches. There's always watches on deck, but I can't reveal all those secrets
00:32:53
Speaker
I love that. Good answer. The unobtainable. Maybe it's in private collection. Oh, you're learning. Or too pricey. I don't know the correct verbiage there. You're learning. Again, there's a million Cartiers that are just extremely special that have skyrocketed. And they're all in good hands of people that deserve to have them.
00:33:22
Speaker
I would say one that really got away was one that I actually have now. It is a, and you'll understand why I'm saying this. It protectfully, 3796 R, which R stands for rose gold. It's Tiffany signed. It's one of my favorite watches that I own. And it got away because I passed up on it
00:33:53
Speaker
from the dealer that originally had it and he sold it to the collector that I bought it from. So I ended up paying more. So it got away in that sense, but I own it now. So it's, it's not one that totally is lost. I had about that unattainable. The unobtainable is something that's kind of ever changing for me because my tastes are always changing. And so,
00:34:22
Speaker
Of course, everyone would love to have a Patek Philippe 1518, which is just in the multi-million dollar range now. It's just obviously super unobtainable. I think right now what feels unobtainable are piece uniques from brands like Cartier and all that sort of stuff. And that's stuff that I would love to own and do one day and go through that process of putting my mark on something and
00:34:49
Speaker
going through that process of designing something. Probably everything rose gold with a chocolate dial, but they'll probably get sick of me. So no one will ever want to do it. No, I love that. The page one rewrite. If you do it all again, what would you collect and why? I think watches would still be a thing I would collect. I think I would probably, my list would look a little different. The things I would have bought early on would have been a little different.
00:35:16
Speaker
but that's kind of the process of learning. I think I would also collect some old cars and I would have learned about them because they were, a lot of them were the same price as some of the watches that get bought here and now they've skyrocketed to astronomical numbers and that would have been a fun market to kind of tell behind. But that's a little bit, that's a little bit riskier, but cars are obviously a personal passion.
Final Thoughts: Born to Collect?
00:35:43
Speaker
have a love for them for obvious reasons that, you know, but I think the only other things that bring the instant gratification like that are things that you can actually own and look at all the time. So other vintage bar where and, and glass like grandma has, and she's got a great collection of that stuff. And but was admired it. Now she's got me hooked on it. Yeah.
00:36:09
Speaker
That would have been fun to collect with her over the years, but I'm trying to catch up now.
00:36:26
Speaker
for me is, to be honest, every person that I've had on this podcast, because they're all so individualistic, whether they click the same thing or different things, they all have their own means and ways of collecting. And I just think that that's the coolest thing. Watch-wise, Aaron Montanari is the goat for just about probably everybody that I've asked that question to. He's got what Italians call sprezzatura.
00:36:56
Speaker
He just has the best taste in everything. His Cartier collection is incredible. There's stuff that he has that nobody even knows about. And he publicizes an incredible amount of his stuff. I mean, he's got books on it. And so he's hard not to look up to. I think that obviously people I haven't had on this podcast yet that I would love to have on Ronnie Feig from
00:37:21
Speaker
Kith is I think someone to look up to. I think just the brand that he's created with Kith and all the collections that he's constantly doing and the bandwidth that somebody can have to constantly put out new clothing collections. I mean, you look at clothing brands that put out new collections and it's a few times a year, right? Seasonal. He's constantly putting out new limited edition stuff and collaborations. And I just think it's super impressive. So he's obviously got great collections of sneakers and all the things that he puts out too.
00:37:52
Speaker
Another person I haven't had on yet, Lori Hershleifer, who's one of the co-owners of Hershleifer's in New York. They're basically like a retailer for lots of high-end brands. You look at her Instagram and just her style and her taste and everything and her bag collection and her jewelry and watch collection and the way she just like puts all this stuff together.
00:38:15
Speaker
It's like when you look at somebody and if they were to like lay out the outfits that she puts on and the stuff that she chooses to wear and stuff, you would think that you make, oh, it's going to be too much. And then she like does it effortlessly. It's really neat. Obviously Nate Fercus, who's been just super generous to us and helpful to us. And he's hard not to look up to. I mean, look at the homes that he's created for himself and other people.
00:38:41
Speaker
and his own collections of furniture and vintage frames and all that stuff. But all in all, everybody that I've had on here is probably the goat for me and there's a reason that I've wanted to chat for them selfishly. They're on here for me. This is for me to look back at when I'm 85 and look at how cool it is for me to have talked to some of these people who are super influential in the fact that
00:39:06
Speaker
They've said yes to chat with me as just super special, especially someone like Paul Feig, who I've looked up to ever since I was a chubby kid watching heavyweights and watching all the movies and shows that he's done. And, um, the fact that he even responded to an email to come on here is just super humbling. So awesome. Love it. All right. I think I know the answer to this one, but the hunt or the ownership definitely
00:39:36
Speaker
This is hard for me. I thought it was easily going to be the hunt. The answer is definitely the hunt. But owning the thing sometimes is just as good. Certain things are really easy to find. Certain watches are really easy to find. I'm not hunting the most rare watches in the world. Some of the stuff I have is rare, some of it is not. Hunting for it and finding it is great. But for me,
00:40:04
Speaker
enjoying the thing is sometimes just as good. When we're at an antique store and we don't know we're looking for something, we find something, that to me is the best part of the hunt. When you stumble upon something and you're like, wow, I found it. When you are searching so long for something that you know you want and then you finally found it. There's that fear of
00:40:26
Speaker
Is it perfect? Is it the condition I want? Is the price right? There's all these other factors, like just because you found the thing doesn't mean that it's the right thing. So there's always been discouragement of like, oh, I think I found it. And then you look at it and you're like, oh shit, it's missing half the things that it should have. So the hunt is always fun. The hunt is stressful. I think there's a solid mix between the two.
00:40:52
Speaker
I think it's very situational. I think all in all, the hunt is probably the best part, but ownership can be just as fun if you do it right. I love it. Good answer. All right. And most importantly, Ken, do you think you were born with a collector's gene? Absolutely. I don't know why. I think I know how. Yeah, I think I know how to. But 100%, no doubt about it.
00:41:17
Speaker
Nice. It was a pleasure having you on. You're taking over. Let's do it again. You're taking over. Why don't you just blow this up and get a bunch of sponsorships that I haven't got. They'll hire me to clean the toilets. How about you? What do you want to add to your collection? You have some good stuff. I do. I have some good stuff.
00:41:37
Speaker
A lot of mismatched socks. Yeah. Maybe some more watches. Yeah? Watches from your collection. Oh, you want them for mine? Yeah. No, that doesn't happen. I'll gladly buy you one, but it doesn't happen to just get passed over. Want to share. What's a watch that you want? You know, I'm putting me on the spot like this. I don't know. I'm the one doing an interview. I'm prepared. You're cutting me off? Yeah. Okay. All right. Love you. Thanks for the interview. Anytime.
00:42:08
Speaker
All right, that does it for this episode. Thank you all for listening to Collector's Gene Radio.