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To those of us self-dubbed “Windies,” the possession of an item either directly related to or symbolic of our favorite 72-year-old phenomenon is something that we not only take pride in, but something we often compete with one another over for ownership. Since hitting bookshelves in 1936, individuals have clamored for memorabilia…an opportunity to touch something symbolic of the story we all hold so dear. With the release of the movie in 1939, collectibles became even more extensive as suddenly, there were faces and places to represent the literary images created by Margaret Mitchell. Pins, candy boxes, handkerchiefs, dolls, plates, jewelry…if it could be stamped with Gone With the Wind and called a collectible – we have to admit that we’ve all clamored for it.
I remember while once visiting The Margaret Mitchell House Gift Shop, I asked the cashier to see a premiere program in the display case. I did not have enough money to buy it. I was reluctant to charge it without the time and opportunity to cross-examine it to ensure that it was a first run program. There was a woman standing near me who overheard me asking about the program. I could literally feel this woman breathing down the back of my neck as I flipped the pages and debated with myself. I could feel my own heart racing…the financial dilemma…to invest or not invest... A cool voice of reason reminded me that I am a single mother and that unless I could verify some information very quickly, it was not prudent to lay down $80 for the program. I handed it back to the cashier and could barely contain my rage at the woman who was behind me. I know that the moment I took my hands off it, she made her grab for it and purchased it. As Scarlett would say, I was “pea green with envy.” I crossed Cresent Avenue to the movie museum and saw on display a mint-condition copy of the very program I had been drooling over only moments before. My rage was mollified somewhat when I recognized that the program I had been ready to pay $80 was not a first-edition copy after all.
I felt a certain vindictive pleasure that the woman behind me did not actually own a 1939 Atlanta-premiere program. But I couldn’t let it go at that. I mentally questioned her true interest in the story. I found myself behaving as though I was the only one who had the right to love the story of Gone With the Wind! I have had similar experiences on e-Bay. Bidding on something, waiting until the last minute, often paying too much simply to make sure that someone else didn’t get what I was after.
Recently, I’ve begun to catalog my own personal collection and it has occurred to me – I have memorabilia that I probably would have never bought…except for the fact that I was competing with other collectors.
Don’t get me wrong – I love my collection and everything in it. I’m not a huge collector mostly (and unfortunately) because my bank account does not keep up with my passion. But, I treasure what I have and have promised my son that I will come back to haunt him if ever he decides to sell what I have managed to amass.
I love everything about Gone With the Wind and as much as the material representations mean to me – sharing my love for the story means more. Truly, my friends and family are convinced that I could bring a conversation about pickle recipes around to Gone With the Wind. I bore them to tears with my endless prattle about facts, figures, and dates. No one will watch the movie with me unless they hide the remote control and have a roll of duct tape handy to cover my mouth if I break out into trivia or start quoting the movie with the actors. The good news is that they never have a hard time trying to figure out what to buy for Christmas or birthdays! If it has Gone With the Wind on it, it’s highly unlikely that I am not going to love it.
With all that said—I have made a decision. While I will still be adding to my collection as the opportunity and finances warrant it, I am no longer interested in competing with my fellow collectors. I do not want to be the type of person who views someone who loves the same story I love as a threat! In short, I do not want to compete with my fellow collectors. No matter how large or small our individual collections, we all share the same love and devotion to Gone With the Wind!
Let’s face it! To the world, we are all lunatics over a 70 year old story! I remember that I was once carrying one of my four Gone With the Wind purses. I stopped by a local coffee shop and the woman behind the counter told me how much she loved the movie. I began to talk with her and as is usually the case where Gone With the Wind is concerned – I had a hard time shutting up. Once I finally did though, she looked at me and said, “Well, I don’t love it that much.” We need one another if for no other reason, to validate our own obsessive behavior over Margaret Mitchell’s masterpiece!
I simply want the opportunity to surround myself with fellow-collectors who share the same passion I feel for the greatest novel ever written and the greatest movie ever made. To those with whom I’ve shared emails and conversations regarding theories and ideas about our favorite story, thank you! I have loved comparing notes and hearing your thoughts!
But all bets are off if a mint-condition, autographed May 1936 edition with dust jacket is up for grabs!
I remember while once visiting The Margaret Mitchell House Gift Shop, I asked the cashier to see a premiere program in the display case. I did not have enough money to buy it. I was reluctant to charge it without the time and opportunity to cross-examine it to ensure that it was a first run program. There was a woman standing near me who overheard me asking about the program. I could literally feel this woman breathing down the back of my neck as I flipped the pages and debated with myself. I could feel my own heart racing…the financial dilemma…to invest or not invest... A cool voice of reason reminded me that I am a single mother and that unless I could verify some information very quickly, it was not prudent to lay down $80 for the program. I handed it back to the cashier and could barely contain my rage at the woman who was behind me. I know that the moment I took my hands off it, she made her grab for it and purchased it. As Scarlett would say, I was “pea green with envy.” I crossed Cresent Avenue to the movie museum and saw on display a mint-condition copy of the very program I had been drooling over only moments before. My rage was mollified somewhat when I recognized that the program I had been ready to pay $80 was not a first-edition copy after all.
I felt a certain vindictive pleasure that the woman behind me did not actually own a 1939 Atlanta-premiere program. But I couldn’t let it go at that. I mentally questioned her true interest in the story. I found myself behaving as though I was the only one who had the right to love the story of Gone With the Wind! I have had similar experiences on e-Bay. Bidding on something, waiting until the last minute, often paying too much simply to make sure that someone else didn’t get what I was after.
Recently, I’ve begun to catalog my own personal collection and it has occurred to me – I have memorabilia that I probably would have never bought…except for the fact that I was competing with other collectors.
Don’t get me wrong – I love my collection and everything in it. I’m not a huge collector mostly (and unfortunately) because my bank account does not keep up with my passion. But, I treasure what I have and have promised my son that I will come back to haunt him if ever he decides to sell what I have managed to amass.
I love everything about Gone With the Wind and as much as the material representations mean to me – sharing my love for the story means more. Truly, my friends and family are convinced that I could bring a conversation about pickle recipes around to Gone With the Wind. I bore them to tears with my endless prattle about facts, figures, and dates. No one will watch the movie with me unless they hide the remote control and have a roll of duct tape handy to cover my mouth if I break out into trivia or start quoting the movie with the actors. The good news is that they never have a hard time trying to figure out what to buy for Christmas or birthdays! If it has Gone With the Wind on it, it’s highly unlikely that I am not going to love it.
With all that said—I have made a decision. While I will still be adding to my collection as the opportunity and finances warrant it, I am no longer interested in competing with my fellow collectors. I do not want to be the type of person who views someone who loves the same story I love as a threat! In short, I do not want to compete with my fellow collectors. No matter how large or small our individual collections, we all share the same love and devotion to Gone With the Wind!
Let’s face it! To the world, we are all lunatics over a 70 year old story! I remember that I was once carrying one of my four Gone With the Wind purses. I stopped by a local coffee shop and the woman behind the counter told me how much she loved the movie. I began to talk with her and as is usually the case where Gone With the Wind is concerned – I had a hard time shutting up. Once I finally did though, she looked at me and said, “Well, I don’t love it that much.” We need one another if for no other reason, to validate our own obsessive behavior over Margaret Mitchell’s masterpiece!
I simply want the opportunity to surround myself with fellow-collectors who share the same passion I feel for the greatest novel ever written and the greatest movie ever made. To those with whom I’ve shared emails and conversations regarding theories and ideas about our favorite story, thank you! I have loved comparing notes and hearing your thoughts!
But all bets are off if a mint-condition, autographed May 1936 edition with dust jacket is up for grabs!
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