Why We Collect

By Maureen Winer

Oh the joys of collecting!  How gratifying it is when you finally hunt down that rare or one-of-a -kind item.  Even more gratifying is when you go to an auction and just outbid the other guy to get what you want.  Or what about when you’re at a flee market or a yard sale and suddenly stumble upon a beautiful painting or piece of art glass that you know is worth much more than the price it’s going for?

Sometimes, if you’re really lucky, like some of those folks you see on the Antique Road Show, you might be surprised to find that an item you purchased on a lark for $50 or $100 turns out to be worth five or ten times what you paid for it.  Have you ever wondered, though, what drives you and others you know to collect things?

There are a number of reasons people become collectors.  Some of them have already been noted above: the joy of discovery, the thrill of the chase, the appreciation of beauty, and of course the ever satisfying feeling we get when we land a great bargain or win a hot bidding war.

Other reasons we collect things seem to strike very deep chords within our psyches:

1. Preservation of our history (personal and cultural)
2. Nostalgia
3. Connection with something larger than ourselves
4. The desire to learn and share knowledge with others (social interaction)
5. The need to make a contribution (e.g., donating valuable collections

to museums, libraries, and/or charities for auction)

1. The need to leave one’s stamp on the world—to be remembered.

Another motivation for collecting is the desire to invest in something that may bring future wealth and thus financial security.  This particular drive may be reflective of our survival instinct in that those of our ancestors who proved to be the most skilled hunters and gatherers were the most likely to survive and to carry on through future generations.

Understanding why you collect and knowing what you want to accomplish as a  collector can be very helpful in avoiding some of the pitfalls of collecting (e.g., creating clutter and making costly financial errors) while maximizing its potential benefits (e.g., making a beautiful home and having something worthwhile to share with others).

My best advice for collectors – buy what you love. It’s better to save and buy one piece that you love than to buy twenty pieces that fit into your budget today but won’t stand the test of time.