Why Do We Collect?

Much has been written about the psychological drivers behind collecting, even Freud and Jung wrote extensively about the ‘objects of desire’. Every persons experience is truly unique and drivers are rarely mutually exclusive. Regardless of the psychology, one thing is for sure - collecting is overwhelmingly associated with positive emotions.

 Collecting is believed to go as far back as when humans first started to move away from hunting and gathering and began to settle and for the first time humans could have no essential items.

 In their formative years most people will have collected something. It may have been shells from the beach or toys from a favourite TV show. Collecting is very much a right of passage and something we now instinctively do.

As mentioned collecting is a very complex process but I have split the drivers into 2 main areas – preservation and enjoyment.

Preservation

This can be split into 2 main areas - financial and emotional.

For generations many wealthy families, from Kings and Queens of Britain to industrialists, have used collections to to both preserve and grow wealth often using them to pass wealth down through generations (often via Trusts). In less politically stable times collections have had the added advantage of being easily transportable and, by weight and size, are some of the most valuable tradable assets available. For example King Caroll II of Romania fled persecution with his stamp collection selling it off to secure his safe passage.

On an emotional level collections are often used to create a legacy; something that is passed down and provides both enjoyment and fascination for the following generations. In the extreme collections create a form of immortality that eases an individual’s anxiety over death. Some of the most famous collections have been used as the basis for some of the most well known museums and galleries.

Enjoyment

For many individuals this is the most important reason to collect.

Some find joy by simply owning an item that no one else has. Others find the process of organising items into a unique and highly personal collection provides a sense of pride.

For many the motivation is provided by the pleasure that comes from finally finding a key piece that completes the collection.

In an increasingly international and fluid world a collection can ground an individual whether that be too a place, a period in time or an important person.

The journey a collector takes is as unique as they are. The difficultly many have is knowing where to start. The different fields, such as stamps, coins or books, have many intricacies and unique language so can be overwhelming – this is where we can help.

We are passionate about helping people build the collection that fulfills their needs and are on hand from the start to the finish helping clients to feel happy with the direction their collection is going and removing the inevitable stresses involved.