Why I’m a Collector – The Committed Collector

Several years ago when I would go antiquing, I occasionally picked up bits of china or glassware because they were the kinds of things my mother would have liked. I bought small decorative plates with romantic scenes painted on them, and I added to the 1950s’ etched glassware that I remembered in my mom’s kitchen.

I didn’t particularly like those things myself, but during the year or two after my mother’s death, collecting them was a way to keep Mom close to me. Whenever I spotted certain things in thrift stores or at flea markets, I’d say, “Oh, Mom would have liked that,” and if the price was right, I’d buy them.

Then, I’d pack them away to be used some day—some day when I had a house—when I’d find some use for them.

For only a short while, I collected certain things because they reminded me of my mother and I felt they kept her in my life; however, I held onto those things and kept them boxed up for much longer.

Finally in 2004, as I settled into my first real home here in the Rochester area and unpacked one box after another, I eventually came across those things that Mom would have liked. I realized why I had bought them and admitted that I really didn’t like them, so I reluctantly gave them up.

Deciding to give up those items was easy; letting go of them as tokens of my connection to my mother was more difficult.

I sold a few at a garage sale or two, and I donated even more to charity. Each time, it was another good bye, but it was a farewell only to the things, and only with a twinge of sadness, but it wasn’t a farewell to my mother at all.

Instead, revisiting each of those pieces as I gave them up, and seeing similar ones in the years since, has become a welcome reminder of my mother and her aesthetic sensibilities.

Mom wasn’t an actual collector and didn’t have large collections, but she certainly appreciated pretty things—feminine things—and I love being reminded of that.

Also, knowingly or not, Mom instilled that same love of beauty in me, which is surely one of the factors why I’m a committed collector today.

The primary reason why I’ve been a lifelong collector is because I love things. It’s that simple. I love beauty and I love artistry. I love human ingenuity and talent and craftsmanship and the great variety of things we’re able to create.

Another reason why I not only appreciate things but also feel the need to acquire them is because I catalog things. I collect not only with an appreciative heart but also with a scientific mind (if I may be so bold as to say such a thing about myself, untrained as I am).
Like a scientist, I value examples, samples, and specimens—and how they relate to each other.

I lie awake at night and try to design a schematic that will connect all the various kinds of teapots in my collection—just as all the known species in the plant and animal kingdoms have been classified in their own branching trees of life.

When people ask me what my favorite teapot is, I can’t answer because I can’t choose. How can I say that I value a traditional floral teapot more than a modern clean-lined model? How can I decide between a highly decorated side-handle Asian teapot and a homey English Brown Betty?

Scientists aren’t supposed to favor the things they study; they’re supposed to discover, identify, and document, as well as conserve, all specimens that exist, which is what many collectors try to do.

Some of us collect because we value the wide range within our fields, and we want collections that include—and, therefore, preserve—examples of every kind or type available to us. We are fascinated by the scope of and variety within our fields, and we want to build collections that are complete and comprehensive.

Each collecting excursion for us avid collectors is, generally speaking, an expedition, and our collections then reflect the discoveries we’ve made during our careers as collectors.

Of course, some of us collect for other reasons, too; however, we’ll save them for next time.

Until then, I’ll say, “the more, the merrier.”

Patti
The Committed Collector

If you take a scientific approach to collecting, please leave a comment and let us know what you’re trying to assemble and how you’re organizing your specimens. We’re curious about your discoveries.