ANN on cel collecting as a "dying breed"

I've spend a fortune on EVA... Now I'm buying other items as well.

But it's not a question of money: it would never occur to me to manipulate my items while sweating, or to touch the paints once they've been safely stored.

I mean, it may occur by accident or when you have a "full painted" cel, when you manipulate them for storage, but you have to keep contact at minimum in those case...

Thus, no matter what the item price may be: before having a price, the item itself is a piece of art, and should be considered with all due respect for what it is. I'm treating the same way a several thousands Rei cel and a $15 cel.

We don't own this stuff. In fact, we don't own anything in this world. Once we die, it's passed to others. Everything we have is merely rented.

We have a responsability to our collections. It's not a big one, but if I could pass mine safely, that's the greatest pleasure I'd have (after enjoying them for my life ^_^).

Well said. Even items from less significant series than EVA deserve to be curated with respect. It should be a given that we commit ourselves to maintaining the items that pass through our hands in at least the condition that we receive them.