That is my new favorite phrase ever.
Joking aside, I’m so glad you were able to get it back.
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Maybe 8 years ago or so my local record store had a copy that was black and white marbled. Probably a changeover from between the two variants. I was still new to vinyl and passed on it.
Ouch. That sucks…I was hoping this one had some of the marbled effect…even just a bit.
Wonderful to see all these collections! Definitely feel like an imposter saying I’m an AFI fan now - I have next to nothing! My collection just consists of the basic UK versions/re-issues of the albums (on CD, including Blaqk Audio), the IHAV DVD (US edition - no idea until I came on this thread that there were any other editions), an STS poster that is most likely a re-print rather than from that era and a signed edition of Pop Kids.
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Hey! I know I say this a lot, but collections (which cool and impressive) are not the only way to show your passion for a band. Just listening to them is enough. 
Don’t worry! I DEFINITELY do not have this much, and I’ve loved them since I was 11, so…
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Ok, I feel better now
shameless pun intended 
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Love that song. 
And yeah, don’t worry. feel free to post, too, if you want to start a discussion.
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Some collections go after different items. For example, some go after vinyl hard. I have over 60 AFI shirts… I might have the most AFI shirts out of everyone but others have a more impressive AFI demo CD collection.
They all vary. In the end, we all marvel over our collections. There’s no competitive nature to it.
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I really wish I could post a picture of my collection. It’s quite small but I love it. Stupid old piece of crap phone.
Sigh
I have a few semi-rare/rare items. I recently acquired the black on black Sing the Sorrow tour version of the CD. Still in the shrink wrap, mint condition. I paid a high price for it (over $100) but considering it’s in perfect condition I think that’s actually quite reasonable. I also got the Black Sails EP, although it’s been opened. I bought it anyway, I figured I probably wouldn’t come across it again. I’ve got the Sing the Sorrow/Clandestine collectors edition, that was still in the shrink wrap as well. Those are my rarest items.
I have the CD versions of Answer That, Shut Your Mouth, A Fire Inside EP, Black Sails in the Sunset, Drowning, All Hallows, Sing the Sorrow (the regular red on black lol)…I used to have Very Proud of Ya and Decemberunderground as well but they were destroyed.
Hmm…let’s see…I have an East Bay Hard Core patch (the black cat one), I have a sticker from Sing the Sorrow, I have a Nephilim button, I have a t-shirt from I think after Drowning but before Sing the Sorrow…I also have a magazine insert from 2003 when they were in Alternative Press…otherwise I have maybe 30-40 pictures of them, mostly from around 2003, some earlier ones though…
I keep all of this in a box with some other things that I’ve come to associate with them - a black rose (yes, indeed) and a lot of incense…so now whenever I open it, it smells like…some combination of dragon’s blood, frankincense, and cloves. I mean, fuck, that just sounds like it smells like AFI to me lol. It’s seeped into my Sing the Sorrow book as well, so if I pick it up and smell the fabric it smells like, well…them, to me. It smells like my memories of them and their music. It’s a very nostalgic, emotive thing. 
Oh, I also have a Sing the Sorrow era poster.
Maybe if I ever get a newer phone I can post a picture of it all. And my photo collage, hopefully.
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Your STS items are quite rare. I would say the tour edition CD is the rarest. I have two of them: one opened and one sealed.
Like I’ve mentioned before, I think they had a limit of 2 per person at their shows back in 2003.
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Yeah and along with the vinyl now too I kind of feel like I’m hoarding valuables in my apartment lol. I actually had a fleeting thought a few days ago that maybe I should open a safe deposit box. Then again I don’t think I’d be able to let them out of my sight like that. THESE ITEMS CANNOT BE REPLACED.
What’s crazy is that these three items together have cost me in total under $300. And all unopened (I did open Clandestine when I got it because I just had to, I had to look at what was in the book lol). And what’s even weirder is every time I’ve been able to acquire them, I wasn’t even really looking for them. I just happened upon them, and my immediate thought was always “Shit…I better snag that before it’s gone. Wait, damn, can I afford this? Uuuuhh…not really. Fuck it, I’ll eat cereal for the next two weeks.” I’ve been very fortunate that each time I’ve actually had the cash. I’ve been living pretty much paycheck to paycheck for god knows how many years, pretty much my entire life…I’ve yet to have a full time job, I’ve been working two or sometimes three part time jobs at the same time for years, even when I was still in college.
And this is what I blow the little money I have on: fucking Sing the Sorrow.
I don’t think I need to say anything more about the type of fan I am lol.
But in all seriousness, that album is my favorite. I don’t think I will ever feel the same way about any other band or album. It’s just so perfect in every way - the mood and atmosphere it sets, the album art, the lyrics, Davey’s voice, the guitar tone, just everything. It’s perfect.
I’ve been putting off for many years about getting a tattoo with the album art, I keep telling myself I don’t need it and/or what if I don’t feel the same about it in 10 or 20 years or whatever. I really think I’ll eventually just give in and do it. That album has…we’ll say preserved me…I can’t tell you how many times. It’s journeyed with me through really truly hellish experiences, shit that makes me nauseous and upset to even think about, to this day it feels like the only friend in this universe who understands me, who understands exactly what it’s like to suffer. I thoroughly believe I would have become a very, very different individual had that album - and this band - never found me. What a sad thing that would have been.
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@Vanished I’m seriously just happy you found this place and are able to share these thoughts with us.
I can relate to it all… and I hope you get that tattoo soon. My only warning is that once you start, damn, it’s hard to stop.
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Thanks…I’m glad you made this message board, and I’m finally able to speak to people again who don’t treat me like I’m crazy or annoying by expressing how much I love this band. 
Today really sucked…I totally bombed a job interview this morning. It was made on short notice at five yesterday afternoon, and I don’t get home from work until after midnight. The interview was at 9:30 am. It was by phone, so I didn’t have to actually go anywhere at least, but even though I had prepared as much as possible in so short a time I still bombed it. I was all ready to talk all about what I know about sales (it was a marketing position) but she asked me really mundane questions at first that should have been easy to answer but instead just totally threw me off. Stuff like “where and how did you grow up?” and “what do you do in your spare time?” I mean I had to fabricate lies on the spot for some of these questions, and meanwhile in my head I’m shouting JUST ASK ME WHAT I KNOW ABOUT SALES. It didn’t help at all that I have terrible anxiety when speaking on the phone, because I have PTSD, and it freaks me out when I can’t get a good read on someone via nonverbal cues, body language, etc.
So I’ve been pretty depressed today, angry at myself that I couldn’t just do the damn thing without coming across as stupid or rude. I really, really need a job that pays me enough. And I know that I took myself right out of any consideration because I just couldn’t keep it together and answer questions in a calm and logical way. I start floundering and saying “uuhhh” a lot, it’s terrible. In person I’ve been told I’m well-spoken. Over the phone is another story entirely.
Of course, my boys been helping again, even if it’s just a small way. Very few things make me happy, but AFI is one…
Sorry for the word vomit. I usually don’t share anything personal about myself with anyone because everyone has used it against me at some point or another in the past. I’ll quit hijacking the thread now. 
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Hey! Keep your head up. I know how that is with interviews. I usually have to spend a day rehearsing with about 200 questions I’ve come up with myself. Forget when I have meetings; thankfully my boss knows I have severe anxiety, so she has a tendency to let me be and ask me questions privately. It’s the reason I got into academia. For the most part, I can hide in libraries and do research; I really only have to teach two days a week, so only two days a week of socialization. LOL.
But, seriously, if you ever want to vent, you can do that here. Or you can come find me on Twitter (same username), Insta (same username), Tumblr (bellandpuck), or Facebook (ask me to DM you here, and I’ll tell you how to find me).
And I’m glad AFI can help a bit. They’ve also always been a constant for me, as I’m sure they have been for most, if not all, of us here.
Hang in there!
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Nice. Still haven’t pulled the trigger on All Hallow’s yet.
Yeah, I have been waiting for years to land this one, seems like these rarer items don’t come around too often anymore…on eBay or Discogs. I really want the original 1st pink pressing of Eddies Picnic…I’d pay good money for one of them. Have you gotten anything new lately?
I’m in a bit of a slump financially right now, so I haven’t been buying much. Grabbed some of those Russian flexi bootlegs because I think they’re hilarious, but I’m still waiting for those to come in.