If you live with a non-collector, or have family or friends who don’t feel compelled to buy in quantities, you’re probably familiar with questions like these:

• Don’t you already have one of those? Why do you need another one?
• How many of those things do you have anyway?
• Don’t you think you have enough?

Those who haven’t been bitten by the collecting bug, just don’t get it. Those of us who have, however, know there are several reasons—and valid ones at that—why we think more is better and some is never enough.

In short, we collect because we like the things in our collections, because they make us feel a certain way, and because they represent something else.

However, as I’m working my way through that collection of prompts known as the journalists’ questions, I’ve come up with several more explanations that answer the question “Why collect?”

Last time, I shared one or two reasons why I’ve been a serious collector for more years than I care to admit. What follows now are my additional thoughts on why some people (myself included) simply aren’t satisfied with acquiring things in moderation or appreciating them from afar.

We committed collectors have several good reasons why we’re willing to invest time, money, and space into amassing multitudes of the things we collect. Besides, six or eight reasons are always better than two or three, so here goes:

Some of us collectors are tactile by nature, so having the ability to touch and hold and inspect interesting objects appeals to us. We like things that have texture (like fabric and oil paintings) or are mechanical (like tools and typewriters). More important, we like being able to have access to such collectibles, to be able to re-inspect them, and even to use them. We enjoy being able to examine them, to organize them, and to keep them together as the collections we are building.

A similar kind of collector is inherently visual, so he or she is drawn to things because of their artistry, craftsmanship, or other hallmarks of beauty. These collectors (like yours truly) are moved by the very sight of their collectibles, so they are happy to have them around and on display. Aspects of appearance, such as color, sheen, and motif, appeal to visual types, so, again, they collect because they appreciate the look of things—like sparkling glass, floral china, or intricate wood-working.

Another kind of collector takes a more cerebral approach and becomes fascinated by the objects of his or her desire. These scientific types like to learn all they can about their collectibles, such as their origins, design, and manufacture, and, if they’re like me, they enjoy having multiple examples of all that’s available. Each variation represents another specimen and is worthy of being cataloged in the collection.

Finally, some collectors are all heart, so they value reminders of their loved ones and their experiences. They collect souvenirs and buy romantic, nostalgic, or similar items because of the emotions they evoke. They collect because, for them, the items represent a connection to someone or something, and they simply love to surround themselves with things that have personal meaning for them (such as Grandma’s costume jewelry or Granddad’s fishing hats, or wedding cake toppers, baby dolls, or team memorabilia).

Of course, some of these reasons overlap a bit with others, and some collectors, no doubt, have multiple reasons for being attracted to things, wanting to own them, and generally being smitten by their collections.

That’s the nature of the game, isn’t it? The more collectibles, the better, so the more reasons, the better, too.

I wonder which ones will tempt me this weekend?

Patti
The Committed Collector

How about you? Do you know why you’re a collector? If so, leave a comment and share your thoughts about the reasons why you collect.

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum & Gallery.
All rights reserved.

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.

© 2018 The Collectors of Western New York Museum & Gallery.
All rights reserved.