Slightly OT: Why We Collect

[PolarBear]

My answer is a bit OT, but I've have had many collections of different things over the years and have been a member of many different hobby forums.

It's amazing to see the exact same language being used across different hobbies as diverse as pipes/tobacco, cars, coins, guns, cards, etc.

In a word, it comes down to this - OCD. Collectors are compulsive by nature. Collecting is of itself a compulsive act. They may collect different things and have different interests but the driving factor is the same.

Also, I've noticed an offshoot of the OCD types in the collecting world - the hoarders. Every hobby has that minority as well, probably somewhere in the 10-15% range. It's amazing to see the similarities in those types of people across different hobbies. The guy with 200 pipes he'll never smoke, the guy with 80 guns he'll never shoot, the guy with a closet full of cards he'll never look at.

The underlying similarities are amazingly consistent.

[Leon]

We are what we are. Some of us collect for the girls!! I would guess most of us played baseball growing up. I had no ancestors who played MLB. Mid life crisis got me started again.

Originally Posted by PolarBear

My answer is a bit OT, but I've have had many collections of different things over the years and have been a member of many different hobby forums.

It's amazing to see the exact same language being used across different hobbies as diverse as pipes/tobacco, cars, coins, guns, cards, etc.

In a word, it comes down to this - OCD. Collectors are compulsive by nature. Collecting is of itself a compulsive act. They may collect different things and have different interests but the driving factor is the same.

Also, I've noticed an offshoot of the OCD types in the collecting world - the hoarders. Every hobby has that minority as well, probably somewhere in the 10-15% range. It's amazing to see the similarities in those types of people across different hobbies. The guy with 200 pipes he'll never smoke, the guy with 80 guns he'll never shoot, the guy with a closet full of cards he'll never look at.

The underlying similarities are amazingly consistent.