There are certain characteristics all collectors seem to have.
Regardless if they're into stamps, dishes, action figures, or lunchboxes, collectors seem to share unique attitudes and personality traits when it comes to their hobby.
Are you a typical collector? See if the following behaviors describe you:
Passion
- Not everyone in the world cares about the nuances of reproduced Star Wars figures or the double scrolled Currier & Ives teapot, but you do. You’ll scour flea markets and rummage sales each weekend until you find the piece de resistance to add to your growing collection. When you’ve got free time during the week you’ll browse the trade magazines and Internet looking for sale items and chat rooms so you can stay ahead of what’s new in your little piece of the collecting world. You can’t fake that kind of excitement.
Patience
- Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither were the best collections. While the advent of eBay has made collecting easier, it still takes time to find the objects of your desire. The greatest collectors don’t give up or behave rashly when it comes to their compilations. They’ll wait out prices and trends for years to obtain just the right additions to their collections.
Ability to Roll With the Ups and Downs
- Collecting can be enjoyable and at times, frustrating. Items you’ve ordered in hopes of rounding out a collection may arrive damaged or prove to be a knock-off. Other times you may be happily surprised to find an item in mint condition priced for just a quarter at a local rummage sale. Collectors ride out the extremes when it comes to the emotional roller coaster in the “hunt” for booty.
Aware of Trends
- Hot new collectibles can arise quickly with movies or top-rated TV shows. Times change and collectors seem to be one step ahead of what’s happening in pop culture. They’ll know whether toy companies will distribute action figures to coincide with a movie’s premier, or if a “new” figure released for the anniversary of Star Wars is really a reproduction in disguise. They pay no attention to what companies say are hot and instead listen to the opinions of other collectors and their own gut instincts.
Not Swayed by Peer Pressure
- A new item may be the hottest thing around, but true collectors know what they like regardless of what the rest of society thinks. The pieces they acquire please them, and that’s all they care about. Collectors like what they like, no matter what anyone else thinks.
The copyright of the article Anatomy of a Collector in Antiques & Collectibles is owned by Cherie Burbach. Permission to republish Anatomy of a Collector in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
