The Psychology of Collecting: Part III –Some Fringe Group Collectors: - By: Bill Harvey

VICTIM COLLECTORS:
Don't know what else to call this set. There are a few companies that sell stuff so well –and with such frightening insight to their customers, and do so with such deliberate marketing plans carefully designed to exploit the poor collector's peccadilloes, that these collectors are victims of something –themselves - or the mean old marketing companies, don't know which.

Case in point is Hallmark Cards and their Christmas Keepsake Ornaments. Note particularly the word "keepsake" and compare it to the idea of "nostalgia". (Any research into collecting by the PhD crowd seems to hang on the word "nostalgia.") It is reasonable to collect things that speak from the past. This is no more nor less then any historic museum does. It is also reasonable to collect things that trigger -let us hope- pleasant memories of our own past. People of my age remember Chutes and Ladders and Candy-Land games. (This it the sort of thing Daniel Arnett writes about in her article Why We Collect, published elsewhere on this site.) But these things are authentic.

Hallmark has made millions -and I have nothing against making money- selling fake nostalgia to -and let us not mince words here- women. If you were to read the articles I have, it also seems clear that these women are not women with careers, educations, children to raise, or -and we are still not mincing words here- much else to do.

And what lengths will Hallmark goes to to get these poor women to buy the next ornament -or series of 5 or 10 ornaments? Seminars, conventions, news letters, autograph opportunities (the artists), and advance viewings. (Advance viewings for plastic ornaments stamped out in by the millions??? YEP!)

Not just Hallmark either. Consider Franklin Mint, Hummel Figurines, little ceramics of English cottages, memorial plates with Elvis painted thereon. Not for nothing are these things 'nostalgic'. When ever a kid's movie comes out either McDonalds or Burger King has little plastic toys / figurines / antenna balls of each character. Then kids of a certain age must be fed Happy Meals until they have the entire collection. (For kids "nostalgia" stretches all the way back to the movie they saw a whole week ago.)

ACCIDENTAL COLLECTORS:
My sister tells me of a fourth and final category of collector. This sort might might well be viewed as a victim as well, but I chose to call them accidental. She writes...

Someone mentions once that they like X and then for years later all their friends give them is X and then they really start to hate X. Loren and Bonnie [my nieces] once had a teacher that everyone in the whole school knew loved giraffes and collected them. I was talking to her one day and she said it all started years ago when she was explaining a project the kids had to do to tell about themselves. She used herself as an example and said out of the blue that she liked giraffes. Now this poor women has received every possible giraffe thing ever made. She told me that she doesn't even like the damn animals.

The psychology of these poor souls is easy to understand. They are the 'co-dependent,' ('accidental enablers'?) nexus of a mild mass-OCCD. They know to be well meant but they are too kind to get out say anything to get themselves out if it. Whad'y-gonn'a-do?

Then there are a few collectors who just can't help themselves. Simply t'aint their fault. They collect for reasons entirely out of their of control. There are what I call "Victim Collectors" and "Accidental Collectors."

Bill Harvey makes drawer and display cases for collectors and museums at Home-Museum.com.
He is also author of the COLLECTOR's HOW-TO series for dedicated collectors and hobbyists who wish to display and protect their very best stuff.