I look at collecting from a slightly different perspective.  I don't
believe that we "own" our collections.  We are custodians who simply
hold these relics of the past for future generations.  The "seal"
I look at as an example of a new original stock roll.  I do not place
any particular premium value on these rolls.  They are novelties which
once played are never the same.  While there has been discussion about
preserving the seal and still playing the roll, I see the merit of both
views, whether to leave intact or remove and enjoy.

A few years ago I bought a collection of Welte-Mignon Licensee rolls
including 50 or 75 rolls which were new original stock with the
original wrappings around the roll.  The rolls were most likely old
store stock which had never been sold.  The folks from whom they were
purchased bought the rolls in the middle 1950's.  Some of the rolls
were opened and played.  Most were never touched.  The rolls which were
opened and played, I continue to play and enjoy.  The majority which
were placed on a shelf in a cool, dry basement and left undisturbed.
I have boxed and sealed them, to avoid my own temptation to play them.
I leave them for some future custodian to decide whether they will be
opened.

Is this the right choice? I don't know.  Others will have to make that
decision for themselves in the future.

Mark Reinhart
Charles Town, West Virginia