1. Thou shalt not cut thy neighbor’[s fence in order to increase thy collection, without first obtaining his permission.

2. Thou shalt not manufacture wire to sell to thy fellow collectors.

3. Thou shalt not sell a one dollar wire to thy fellow collector for three dollars.

4. Thou shalt not alter or change wire in any fashion in order to increase thy collection.

5. Thou shalt not take unfair advantage of new or young collectors, even thee was once a beginner.

6. Thou shalt not tell of finding wire when thou knowest very well it was bought from a wire dealer and delivered to thee by U.S. Mail.

7. Thou shalt not question thy fellow collector about the location of wire, then mount thy vehicle and take it all without asking him to journey with you.

8. Thou shalt not boast of a 500 piece collection to friends when thou knowest very well thou hast only 100.

9. Thou shalt not keep to thyself names and addresses of infidels who sell fake and bogus wire.

10. Thou shalt not mount on thy board, the same wires, three times, in three different places in order to convince the layman of thy tremendous collection.

11. Thou shalt not twist two wires together and say unto thy friend “Behold, I haveth a factory splice”.

12. Thou shalt not hock the family jewels in order to purchase an 18 inch stick of wire for they collection. Thy wife and children canst not eat barbed wire.

(reprinted from NMBWCA’s “Wire Barb and Nail” newsletter, February 1995).