LINCOLN PARK — Some objects are made valuable—things like jewelry, cars, or large Persian rugs are slapped with gag-worthy price tags before even hitting the market. Other things accrue value over time. We’ve seen this happen with baseball cards, coin collections, and, more recently, cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
But now, in 2021, economists are wondering: what will be the next big vintage item to explode in value? One man seems to think that he’s figured it out. Meet Gus: the man who still keeps all of his old improv student IDs in his wallet.
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Talk about committing to the bit!
Gus Pilsner, 32, might be a sales executive at an ad agency now, but back in the day, he was quite the avid student of improvisation.
Gus carries an old leather wallet that is stuffed to the brim with over 70 different improv student IDs. He has so many improv IDs in that wallet that he can’t fit anything else in it. Therefore, he carries a 2nd wallet that holds his money and state-issued ID.
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“Some of these IDs are almost nine years old and they’re still in peak condition,” explained Pilsner. “Now that improv is dead, these are relics of a time gone. Eventually, improv superfans are going to be willing to pay top-dollar for IDs like these. Plus, if I ever get on Saturday Night Live, which I do believe could be in the cards for me soon, there will be some real celebrity power attached to these little business cards with Del Close’s face on them.”
“Improv and I have been in love for a long time,” chuckled Pilsner. “Back in 2012, Second City did a workshop at our office for a team-bonding day. I remember the CEO and I were picked to do a two-person scene and before he could say anything, I just shouted ‘Did you just fart?!’ as loud as I could. The entire office cracked up, completely lost it. I’ve been hooked on improv ever since.”
Gus left work that day and immediately signed up to take beginner improv classes at Second City, iO Theater, and Annoyance Theater simultaneously. But his improv education didn’t stop with those three programs.
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“After I finished those first three, which were a blast, I did some others around town,” Pilsner recalled. “CIC, LSI, LOL, HAHAHA, and a few others. Then I went to New York for a bit. There, I did UCB, PIT, TNT, NUT, SMH. I’ve been on dozens of improv retreats and done intensives in 10 different countries. And even though I never got added to a team, for me, it’s not about that. It’s about learning. And collecting IDs.”
