A Collector's Passion

The hobby of collecting is defined as the “seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector”, and the range of collections is well,….. unlimited because there are no rules in collecting and collectors’ passions are as diverse and unique as each individual collector.

Collecting also has a long history that can be traced to book collecting in ancient Egypt, art patronage and collecting during the Italian Renaissance period (14^th – 16^th centuries), and the acquisition by affluent scholars of unusual items (called “cabinet of curiosities”) beginning in the 16^th century.

There are many theories as to what compels so many of us to collect things. Like rubber bands — oh yes, @zeester must admit to a compulsion to collect rubber bands, sea shells, rocks and wine corks. The yen felt by collectors may be connected to the human ‘hunter – gatherer’ survival instinct, but could also be fulfilling some psychological need relating to aspects of memory, organization, or purpose. Whatever the reason, hobby collectors find fun in collecting as well as profit, and their personal stories are as fascinating as the collections they’ve created.

Billy Wilder (1906-2002), a legendary filmmaker, was an avid art collector. He described his passion for collecting as a “sickness”, and said, “I don’t know how to stop myself…………Name an object and I collect it.” There is no denying, however, Wilder enjoyed his hobby, saying it was “more fun than making movies”, and he acquired one of the finest and most extensive art collections in Hollywood. In 1989, a large selection of paintings and sculptures from his collection sold at auction for $32.6 million.

Edward Wharton-Tigar (1913-95), a decorated WWII British spy and business executive with a passion for cricket and collecting, amassed the world’s largest collection of cigarette cards (over 2 million). His entire collection which includes a rare T206 Honus Wagner card is held by the British Museum. After more than 75 years of collecting, Wharton-Tigar considered his “collector’s mania” an inherited trait. “My mother had it and so did my grandmother. If you have it, you have it. There is simply nothing you can do about it. You are driven by this desire to complete things.”

It’s a WOW — an old garage full of beautiful classic cars! Lenny Shiller from Brooklyn NY talks about his motivation to collect classic cars and the enjoyment he has working on his eclectic collection in the video Lenny’s Garage from Bullrush Films.

Ξ More collectors tell their stories ⇒ WATCH: Collector Confessions

In Heads and Tales: The Odyssey of a Medals Collector, art collector and historian, Stephen K. Scher, tells the story behind the building of his medals collection, including the motivation, temptations, mistakes, and successes. It’s a rare opportunity to learn from a collector’s personal experience.

We’d love to hear from you! Collecting, as with many hobbies, can lead to social connections and new friendships. You can connect with people sharing similar interests by joining the On2In2™ social network via the “Engage” page.

Information/References:
Wikipedia: Collecting, T206 Honus Wagner
The Los Angeles Times, November 14, 1989 (Wilder Auction)
The New York Times, August 30, 1989 (Wilder Auction)
The Independent, September 3, 1994 (First Hand: I constantly dream about my card collection)

Feature photo of a troll doll collector is courtesy of Grastisographry CC0