On 31 October 2010 Mike Williams gave us >My 2 cents on collecting >[…]
Thanks, Mike, for all that interesting insider info on collecting (as against hoarding). (More like $2 worth!) I hesitate to mention horses again, but you could say this was straight from the horse's mouth. :-) Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London allenester...@compuserve.com http://www.esterson.org -------------------------------------- [tips] Collecting Mike Wiliams Sun, 31 Oct 2010 07:48:30 -0700 My 2 cents on collecting. I have a rather long comment because I have been a collector ever since I started a coin collection when I was 10. I now have a large collection of Japanese woodblock prints, original news photographs, original props and costumes from Star Trek and books and other ephemera related to the works of JRR Tolkien. I even maintain a website devoted to collecting, Tolkiencollector.com. I have interacted with numerous collectors and dealers through the years so I think I have a unique perspective as a semi-professional dealer and collector. First, there actually is a difference between a hoarder and a collector. Hoarders generally keep everything in their lives of any value because they want control over their domestic environment. There are no more hoarders who are collectors than there are collectors among the general population. A collector is usually motivated by desire to posses objects that represent an emotional connection between the object and the original experiences of the object or associated experiences. The dealers and auction houses refer to this as "recognizable emotional value". Objects are associated with positive experiences and the object are desired. This is not hoarding. However, collecting can become a psychological problem when the collector becomes obsessed with being a completist. This is a collector who wants to have an example of everything possible and becomes far too involved in obtaining them. This kind of obsession is still not hoarding. Obsession is indicated when people run out of money during acquisition and when collectors can't sell their items. Ebay has actually reduced obsession by increasing supply. If I can't buy something this month, I know that it will eventually be available again on Ebay. Great collections are built by buying and selling. If a collector can't sell something, then obsession is likely. When it comes to gender, I have known many women collectors, and many women who are obsessive about collecting. However, my best guess is that the ratio of men to women is about 60:40. There are many women collectors ( watch them at the auction real life shows) but many more men. The content of their collections are different but there are many areas that overlap. For example, probably the most well-known Tolkien collectors are a husband/wife team, Christina Scull and Wayne Hammond. They have a collection that is amazing because they started early. Christina Scull edits a very detailed newsletter on Tolkien collecting and is presumably as involved in collecting as her husband. The point is that many collecting domains are shared by men and women. In my experience, men usually have larger collections than women. I associate this with a general interest that men have in objects and they also collect manipulatable objects, such as cars, motorcycles, calculating machines and cameras. Women tend to collect fine china, glassware, jewelry and dolls. These differences mirror the gender differences in the population. That being said, there are still a fair number of jewelry and glass collectors who are men. Although many of the Star Trek collectors are women, women tend to collect costumes and men tend to collect props. I have a theory that collectors are often interested in history. If you think of the great collections in museums, most take an historical perspective. Many collections have an historical time frame to them, especially coins and stamps. My collection of news photographs clearly stems from an interest in history. Finally, the person who mentioned that he has 15 guitars and she has 50 pairs of shoes, neither person is a collector. I have seven guitars but I don't collect them. Anyone who seriously plays guitar realizes that you need at least 5 to have a chance at mastering the instrument. Women need more shoes than men for the same reason that a guitar player needs more than one guitar. There is more fashion variability among women. Now, if she was collecting a pair of shoes from women leaders of the world, that would be a collection! Here is a link to part of my Star Trek collection. I generally focused on medical items. My key item is the blue lab coat of Dr. Beverly Crusher. The History channel did a documentary of the Christie's Star Trek auction. It was so popular that I had to buy tickets to the preview. While waiting in line, a crew from one of the New York TV stations was interviewing people as they waited. They asked the person in front of me a question and he responded in absolutely fluent Klingon. If you want to see an an excellent show about two guys who are treasure hunting for collectibles, check out American Pickers at the History Channel. http://www.tolkiencollector.com/startrek/startrekitems.htm Here is the discussion forum on Star Trek collecting: http://startrek.invisionzone.com/index.php --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=6149 or send a blank email to leave-6149-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
