Why do collectors collect?

Why do collectors collect things, from vintage cars to dolls to badges to car number plates? Collectibles have always been attractions for many people across ages, genders, backgrounds, and countries. Is there a psychological reason behind collecting collectibles? Psychologists say yes.

Psychologists say that different people, of course, have different reasons for collecting items, but that all have reinforcers that connect with their ‘pleasure centre’ – the nucleus accumbens – which sparks their desire for collectibles. The reinforcers themselves are therefore many and varied.

The commonality of ‘the collection’ is that they form a group of the same or similar items, or have some connecting link between them.

One contributing factor is pride in acquiring the items – often searching the world to find exactly the objects that will add to the collection. Finding a rare or unusual piece, or finding an item from another country, fills people with the pride of persistence, and with excitement. It also fills them with pride when other people admire their collection or recognize the importance, value or emotion tied to each item in the group.

Another factor is the bargain – getting something for the collection at a bargain price. Collectibles don’t have to be expensive, and many are found in second-hand shops, or stalls, or in unusual places. Many natural collections are found on walks in the forest, or along the seaside.

For others it is the goal to find the most desirable piece, or even the most expensive piece, rather than a bargain. Examples include purchasing the item, usually at auctions, at ‘all cost’ no matter the cost. It is the very fact that they have the one and only item is a matter of great importance – because they know that the item is going to a ‘good home’ and to a person who appreciates its value (whether it is a Rembrandt artwork or a baseball card).

For some it is a sense of history, and filling the historical gaps in the timeline of the collectible items. Seeing the similar items change and develop over time gives people a sense of their own time and space. And it’s quite fascinating to place items into historical periods. Some collectors only collect items from a specific period, such as the 1960s, and then place them chronologically within that decade. For others it is a sense of nostalgia and remembrance of their childhood, or another period in time, that is the motivating factor.

Another motivating factor is not looking to the past, but collecting ‘past’ items to carry into the future – to pass onto the next generation, within their family, or to another collector.

For many, collecting is an intellectual experience. Items require a great deal of knowledge and expertise to catalogue and record. This intellectual stimulation occurs over a period of time as the collectors learn more and more about an item or period or designer. Passing on, or transferring, the knowledge to others through publishing, museums, galleries, films, documentaries, photograph albums, and so on, also adds to a body of knowledge for others to share.

Another motivating factor is being part of a group collecting the same or similar things – and going to conventions together. The socializing and networking is part or wholly the reason for collecting. Friendships are forged when they are part of a group, or recognition is established when they see familiar faces at auctions or conventions.

Some people just love to arrange and rearrange, and categorize and recategorize, and record and organize everything in a collection. This takes attention to detail and organizational skills that can capture people’s time and imagination for ages, while it absorbs and immerses them in a complex task.

Often the motivating factors are combined and intertwined, such that there are many reasons behind a collector’s passion. Psychologists say it is also the anticipation of adding to the collection that is another reinforcer, or motivating factor. Sometimes just the seeking, without the finding, is part of the enjoyable journey.

http://www.hcplive.com/physicians-money-digest/columns/my-money-md/04-2016/the-psychology-of-collecting#sthash.I5pHnmzH.dpuf

MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).