Why We Collect |
During a recent visit, my brother and sister had an argument. Voices were raised. Both were defiant.
The source of their disagreement: how many items are needed to constitute a “collection”? My brother, a collector of many things, insisted that one must have at least six items of the same sort. With six, he stressed, one gets a fuller picture of the matter at hand. Elements can be arranged in pleasing and informative ways. Smaller displays can be “curated.”
My sister, more a saver than a collector, maintained that three, or even two, items are enough. A small group suggests that one is clear what they are doing and that they are ready to acquire more of these things if they choose. At any rate, the gathering is something purposeful, not just an accumulation.
A consultation of machine-based summaries on the internet—I refuse to call these AI—suggests my sister is closer to the typical understanding. People who collect do so with the intent of identifying, arranging, and saving. They know what they have and why they have it. They take pride in those possessions. Indeed, those objects become part of their lifestyle and identity.
All this raises the issue of why so many of us have collections. Neuroscientist and collecting scholar Shirley Mueller notes that nearly 40% of us collect one thing or another. Very few of these collections—guitars, hubcaps, theater programs, teacups, and the like—exist for strictly utilitarian purposes. We maintain them for other reasons. Let’s consider some of those—presented as types of collectors—below.
Many of us believe that our collections have monetary value. We cherish the idea that they are worth more than what we paid for them and that this value continues to rise. That mindset is central to the “investor.”
Investors are those who understand collecting to be wealth-building. For them, value means market profit.........