Collecting

This article is about the hobby. For other uses of the general concept, see Collection (disambiguation).

Collecting
Collectable • Antique • Antiquities
Terms
Ephemera • Premium Prize • Souvenir Special edition
Topics
List of collectables List of hobbies

The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world. Others focus on a subtopic within their area of interest, perhaps 19th century postage stamps, milk bottle labels from Sussex, or Mongolian harnesses and tack.

Stamp album used for collecting stamps

The items collectors collect may be antique, or simply collectible. Antiques are collectible items at least 100 years old; collectibles are less than antique, and may even be new. Collectors and dealers may use the word vintage to describe older collectibles. Most collectibles are man-made commercial items, but some private collectors collect natural objects such as birds' eggs, butterflies, rocks, and seashells. Items which were once everyday objects may now be collectible since almost all those once produced have been destroyed or discarded are called Ephemera. Some collectors collect only in childhood while others continue to do so throughout their lives and usually modify their aims later in life. Philately, phillumeny, and deltiology (collecting postage stamps, matchboxes and postcards) are examples of forms of collecting which can be undertaken at minimal expense.

"Musei Wormiani Historia", the frontispiece from the Museum Wormianum depicting Ole Worm's cabinet of curiosities

History

Collecting is a practice with a very old cultural history. The Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty collected books from all over the known world at the Library of Alexandria. The Medici family, in Renaissance Florence, made the first effort to collect art by private patronage, this way artists could be free for the first time from the money given by the Church and Kings; this citizenship tradition continues today with the work of private art collectors. Many of the world's popular museums—from the Metropolitan in New York City to the Thyssen in Madrid or the Franz Mayer in Mexico City—have collections formed by the generous collectors that donated them to be seen by the general public. The collecting hobby is a modern descendant of the "cabinet of curiosities" which was common among scholars with the means and opportunities to acquire unusual items from the 16th century onwards. Planned collecting of ephemeral publications goes back at least to George Thomason in the reign of Charles I and Samuel Pepys in that of Charles II. Collecting engravings and other prints by those whose means did not allow them to buy original works of art also goes back many centuries. The progress in 18th-century Paris of collecting both works of art and of curiosité, dimly echoed in the English curios, and the origins in Paris, Amsterdam and London of the modern art market have been increasingly well documented and studied since the mid-19th century. The involvement of larger numbers of people in collecting activities comes with the prosperity and increased leisure for some in the later 19th century in industrial countries. That is when collecting such items as antique china, furniture and decorative items from oriental countries becomes established.

Age of collected items

A collection of Nutcrackers

Some novice collectors start purchasing items that appeal to them, and then slowly work at acquiring knowledge about how to build a collection. Others (more cautious or studious types) want to develop some background in the field before starting to buy items. The term antique generally refers to items made over 100 years ago. In some fields, such as antique cars, the time frame is less stringent-—25 years or so being considered enough time to make a car a "classic" if not an antique. Traditionally in the area of furniture, the 1830s was regarded as the limit for antique furniture. However Victorian, Arts and Crafts, and some types of 20th century furniture can all be regarded as collectible.

In general, then, items of significance, beauty, values or interest that are "too young" to be considered antiques, fall into the realm of collectibles. But not all collectibles are limited editions, and many of them have been around for decades: for example, the popular turn-of-the-century posters, Art Deco and Art Nouveau items, Carnival and Depression era glass, etc. In addition, there exists the "contemporary collectibles" category, featuring items like plates, figurines, bells, graphics, steins, and dolls.

Types of limited editions

• Limited by announced quantity, with each item numbered
• Limited by announced quantity, with items not numbered
• Limited by announced firing period, numbered or not numbered
• Limited by year of issue, restricting the quantity to the number produced during the year of issue
• Limited by an announced time period that may be more or less than one year

Secondary market

The retail price of a collectible is valid only at the moment it was purchased. Once the collectible comes into the buyer’s possession, its value is linked to what is called the secondary market. Once a collectible is purchased, most of the costs associated with the retail price (i.e. advertising, production cost, shipping cost, etc.) must be deducted from the retail cost to determine the object’s immediate value on the secondary market, thus, retail cost is not equivalent to secondary market resale value. Depending on several different factors, individuals, auctioneers, and secondary retailers may sell a collectible for more, the same, or less than what they originally paid for it. These factors include, but are not limited to, condition, age, supply, and demand.

The 1960s through the early 1990s were major years for the manufacturing of contemporary collectibles. While some individuals purchased contemporary collectibles to enjoy and use, many purchased them as investments. Speculative secondary markets developed for many of these pieces. Because so many people bought for investment purposes, duplicates are common. And although many collectibles were labeled as "limited editions," the actual number of items produced was very large. The result of this is that there is very little demand for many (but not all) items produced during this time period, which means their secondary market values are often low.

There is no secondary market for an item unless someone is willing to buy it, and an object's value is whatever the buyer is willing to pay for it. Industry leaders believe that the secondary market is important for several reasons: primarily to allow experienced collectors to upgrade their collections, to stimulate the market and encourage new collectors, and to provide a means for monetary appreciation. To upgrade a collection, a collector may wish to dispose of things they no longer enjoy to produce the capital to buy other things. To stimulate the market, collectors may obtain some good quality pieces that have been traded in the past. They have an opportunity to learn the history of the hobby by owning some of the items that have been favorites in the past. Another reason is to make money, by selling an item with appreciated value.

A price guide is a resource such as a book or website that lists typical selling prices. The first price guide was the Stanley Gibbons catalogue issued in November 1865.

Psychological aspects

Negative Aspects

Hunting and gathering

Necessary survival instincts of man from the time of hunter-gatherers appear today often critical in appearance and result in "hunting" for the missing individual pieces in the collection and gathering as an expression of possession .

Dominance drive

In Do-Do of collectibles expresses a demonstration of power and mastery wanting.

Obsession compulsion

Collecting often exhibits obsessive compulsive qualities and can be linked to both the disorder itself, and shares a vein with obsessive hoarding. When the hobby of collecting is seen to be passed down to children within families; rather than passing on a hobby, it may be that children have inherited the serotonin imbalance, which can be passed from parent to child when one or more parents suffer from OCD.

Avoidance behavior

People who are overwhelmed by their daily escape, often to collect because they are there to prove on a limited and manageable in scope, can. The fear of social interaction may lead to a retreat and a preferred employment with objects.

Compensation of unmet social needs

People who share their daily lives is not sufficient acknowledgment and recognition get this through their collection in the company of other collectors.

Compensation of unfulfilled sexual desires

Sigmund Freud - he gathered with enthusiasm scarabs, rings and statuettes - the collector's passion sees as a substitute satisfaction for compensation of unfulfilled sexual desires.

Management of unconscious fears

The collecting and hoarding may also be a subconscious fear of scarcity is based, which can be compensated with the collection. The collection is so common among people who have experienced in their childhood deficiency (e.g., poverty, war experiences, lack of war, etc.).

Collectors can get addicted to the symptom of acquisitiveness and self-neglect, the Partnership and other social contacts. In extreme cases, the as addiction cause not only a collection is created in a well-defined subject area, but that everything is collected: every piece of packing paper, any receipt, everything that comes to the collector in the hands (see, e.g. . Bibliomania and compulsive hoarding syndrome ).

Positive aspects

Relaxation

Collecting can be a relaxing activity that counteracts bustle and stress in ones life.

Pastime

In societies where people have more leisure time have used to collect certain objects to pass the time and prevents boredom and inaction.

Further education

Used to collect personal training in leisure, as collectors in general aspects of their collectibles deal, for example, historical, art historical, geographical and technical.

Contact with other people

In societies where many people against loneliness must fight, allowing the exchange with like-minded collectors contact and communication.

Social position

As the collector of a large collection on a specific collection area recognition is at least in cases like-minded collectors to improve his position in society. It can contribute to the dissemination of knowledge. Many collectors are considered experts in their field or estimated present themselves as lenders . Contribution to livelihoods In many societies, collecting things for a living being (for example, firewood or food) today survival. In industrial societies, this collection is usually a hobby, but it conveys a positive feeling of value and thus contributes to well-being.

On the Internet

The Internet offers many resources to any collector: personal sites presenting one's collection, online collectible catalogs, dealer/shops websites displaying their merchandise, Internet trading platforms, collector clubs, autograph club, collector forums and collector mailing lists.

Notable collectors

Forrest J Ackerman James Allen Raleigh DeGeer Amyx Miss Frank E. Buttolph John Gardner Coolidge Doc Corbin Dart Barry Halper

Donald Kaufman Geddy Lee Princess Lida of Thurn and Taxis Cordelia Mendoza Harvey H. Nininger Hans Sloane Hans Sachs Bella Clara Landauer Sam Wagstaff

See also

• Antiquities
• Autograph club
• Book collecting
• Collectable
• Hoarding and Compulsive hoarding
• List of popular collectibles
• Memorabilia
• Saving
• Singing bird box
• Souvenir

Bibliography

• Blom, Philipp (2005) To Have and To Hold: an intimate History of collectors and collecting. ISBN 1-58567-377-3
• Castruccio, Enrico (2008) "I Collezionisti: usi, costumi, emozioni". Cremona: Persico Edizioni ISBN 88-87207-59-3
• Chaney, Edward, ed. (2003) The Evolution of English Collecting. New Haven: Yale University Press
• Schulz, Charles M. (1984) Charlie Brown's Super Book of Things to Do and Collect: based on the Charles M. Schulz characters. New York: Random House, 1984, paperback, ISBN 0-394-83165-9, (hardcover in library binding ISBN 0-394-93165-3)

External links

• Journal of the History of Collections
• Center for the History of Collecting in America
• The Association of Cultural Economics
• "Amass Appeal" Essay by Richard Rubin, AARP Magazine, March/April 2008.