The Psychology of collecting......

[october]

Still, there's just something that bothers me about having that drive to collect. It almost feels like baggage.

 

I agree. I get that urge to "simplify" my life all the time. Comics sometimes DO seem like baggage. Perfect word to describe it.

[goldust40]

I suggest everyone saves it in case they feel at some point that their collecting has reached crisis level.

 

The funny thing is, I've been seeking this kind of info even though my collecting is nowhere near that "crisis point". The 3 different collections I maintain are all small and I'm not heavily invested from a financial or emotional standpoint. Still, there's just something that bothers me about having that drive to collect. It almost feels like baggage.

 

Hence the article. Perhaps the word "crisis" was a bit strong, but it's all about scale with individuals. You're bothered about having any kind of collecting urge, and want to understand the basis for it. Meanwhile your main concern, personal freedom, is under threat from these inherently ephemeral (and perhaps contemptible?) objects.

 

If you're bothered by compulsion re this hobby, step back completely. The comics'll still be around if you ever choose to return.

 

That'll be $50, please.

[COI]

I suggest everyone saves it in case they feel at some point that their collecting has reached crisis level.

 

The funny thing is, I've been seeking this kind of info even though my collecting is nowhere near that "crisis point". The 3 different collections I maintain are all small and I'm not heavily invested from a financial or emotional standpoint. Still, there's just something that bothers me about having that drive to collect. It almost feels like baggage.

 

Hence the article. Perhaps the word "crisis" was a bit strong, but it's all about scale with individuals. You're bothered about having any kind of collecting urge, and want to understand the basis for it. Meanwhile your main concern, personal freedom, is under threat from these inherently ephemeral (and perhaps contemptible?) objects.

 

If you're bothered by compulsion re this hobby, step back completely. The comics'll still be around if you ever choose to return.

 

That'll be $50, please.

 

Check is in the mail.

 

Seriously though, I'm not bothered to the point where I need to step back. I've come to terms with the fact that this is part of my personality, for better or worse. I posted those articles in the hopes of getting an interesting discussion going more than anything else.

 

Maybe inserting the phrase PRESSING IS NOT RESTORATION will help?

[sterlingcomics]

sI find it interesting that with all the views of this thread in the last day, very few here have chimed in with any opinions, especially on a forum filled with so many people who seem to love to read their own writing. I think this is a tough issue for most of us to face because it requires serious self-evaluation, something I find that people are afraid/unwilling to do.

 

I find collecting a double-edged sword. My avatar from Ferris Bueller's Day off represents my step back from collecting...a vacation if you will. Collecting this stuff is nostalgic...as well as informative as I've researched a wider perspective on the comic universe. My step back is a way for me to rejuvenate myself, both for the rigors of collecting and also recover from the compulsive nature of it. It's been an evolving process for me.

 

Oddly, I find myself hoarding "things" and then cleaning them out as I hate clutter. Time will tell how I view my collection years from now.

[towards2112]

[Pirate]

i'll give my opinion in a second. first i must go wash my hands and make sure all my can goods are forward facing in the cabinets.

[sterlingcomics]

 

That's ok....Dr. Phil is just fine.

[goldust40]

i'll give my opinion in a second. first i must go wash my hands and make sure all my can goods are forward facing in the cabinets.

 

[lizards2]

i'll give my opinion in a second. first i must go wash my hands and make sure all my can goods are forward facing in the cabinets.

 

 

 

The Accidental Tourist - another movie I need to see again. Don't forget to alphabetize them.

[ArnoldTBlumberg]

About two-thirds of my doctoral dissertation was about the psychology of collecting, hoarding, the self-justification that accompanies it, the theories as to its true motivations. Muensterberger's book was a major source as were some other sources quoted here. It made for fascinating, and at times very sobering, research.

[Monkeyman]

I find that I enjoy searching for the comics more than actually owning them. Once I complete a run I don't know what to do with it as it seems kind of stupid to keep it in a box forever. I guess that I am a hunter more than a horder.

[Architecht]

We were discussing on the coin side the effect of registries on collecting. Some of the points might be universally interesting.

 

The thread:

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/sho...e=0#Post1414555

 

 

A post from that thread:

I don't know that I really agree that it's all that shocking, or even bad. I don't think the registry is the driver of how people collect in the way that you guys think it is. I think it's a reflection of the way many people collect.

 

When people were throwing coins in coin albums, do you think that it was uncommon for completionists to seek examples of lower grade coins just so they could fill the album up?

 

Who's to say what makes a coin worth collecting? Aren't they just little metal disks?

 

Colorful toning? Some dread it.

Blast white? Considered by some to have no character.

"Natural look"? That's nice, but some think there's no such thing.

Varieties? Who cares about an error? It's interesting, but why collect it?

Registry points? What for? Then it's all about the plastic.

Completionism? What's the benefit of just filling up a registry set?

Nostalgia? Why collect those junky low grade coins from pocket change just because your dad did?

 

Sometimes it's just plain odd to me how the levels of abstraction about what gives something value are OK in one type and not OK in another. I think it's like driving. Everyone who drives slower than you is a maniac, and everyone who drives faster than you is an *spoon*.

 

Here's what it comes down to, I think. People collect for alot of reasons and with a wide variety of priorities. The path they take to collecting coins comes from many different drivers, and in the end those drivers are just as valid as any other drivers. You could probably, with enough thought, even boil down the key drivers to a few major points, rank them in a particular order and then predict how a collector with those priorities will collect.

 

1. Return on investment

2. Design aesthetics

3. Completionism

4. Numismatic history

5. Cherry picking / the hunt for the hidden treasure

6. Competition

7. Sense of the "specialness" of the truly rare

8. Sentimental value

9. Hoarding

10. Coin condition perfection

 

 

Probably a few others. So if we rank these in the order that someone cares about these things (and probably all collectors care about each of these to some minor extent), then what does the guy who wrote that sentence look like? Maybe this?

 

3. Completionism

9. Hoarding

4. Numismatic history

2. Design aesthetics

8. Sentimental value

6. Competition

1. Return on investment

7. Sense of the "specialness" of the truly rare

5. Cherry picking / the hunt for the hidden treasure

10. Coin condition perfection

 

Here's a guy who enjoys just FINISHING things. This is the guy who loved putting model airplanes together. Or maybe likes nothing better than jigsaw puzzles. He also really just enjoys accumulating stuff. Who knows why, but he likes having things. He's also kind of into this coin series and thinks it's neat to have an example from every year in his collection and to look up what happened that year at the mint... but he doesn't need a 70 to do that. Hell, he doesn't even need a 64. He also really thinks that buffalo nickels just look neat, and remembers picking them out of pocket change with his Dad.

 

So here he is, collecting these cool looking mid-grade buffalo nickels, filling out his set, building up his possessions and learning a little something about history. And hey! As he adds coins, his set keeps bumping up the rankings and that's kind of a cool thing. Special for the grade? Who cares. This is his hobby. He likes it just fine to locate the specimens he needs within a decent budget, and can't be bothered to care about whether the cart wheel luster of a coin is primo for the plastic it's in. That's not where he gets his kick.

 

 

How does that guy's collecting look to this guy:

 

7. Sense of the "specialness" of the truly rare

10. Coin condition perfection

1. Return on investment

5. Cherry picking / the hunt for the hidden treasure

4. Numismatic history

2. Design aesthetics

8. Sentimental value

3. Completionism

9. Hoarding

6. Competition

 

This is a premium collector. If he's buying a coin, it's a rare one. And not just condition rare. It's got to be a low pop in general. The idea that there are only 40 of these in the world is exciting. Add to that the fact that he's got the one example in MS68 that exists and this coin is truly cool. But it's more than that, really. Staring at this unblemished pristine surface, knowing that this coin has survived the test of time to arrive today in this condition in his hand... that's unspeakably cool.

 

But it's not enough. He's a practical man. He's not just going to buy any rare high grade coin for any price. He's got to see some ROI. So he learns about grading and how to tell whether a coin is really well graded or maybe a bit of a slider. This helps him to cherry pick some nice values, and feel like his collection growing is also an investment. On top of that... this coin he's got... it's a very rare variety. And you know what? He snatched it from a dealer who hadn't been smart enough to spot the doubling on the obverse.

 

 

etc. etc.

 

Write a little biography in your head of the collectors that are out there who collect differently than you. Be kind and think of it from their perspective. They're enjoying the hobby with a passion about SOMETHING and having passion in life is a great thing. Maybe not the way you do, but collector isn't a term that defines one single way to acquire and appreciate collectibles. It's an umbrella under which many people fit. Why chastise them for enjoying what they enjoy? In the end collecting, like every other human pursuit, is more about human happiness than anything else.

 

[Bronty]

wow, that's a great post. Looks to be some thoughtful coinees out there

[mica]

wow, that's a great post. Looks to be some thoughtful coinees out there

That's what they want you to think.

[jduran1]

Psychology Today Article..........Explains a lot ..........

 

AN INTRIGUING NEW STUDY MAY help researchers understand why some people are compelled to hoard useless objects. Steven W. Anderson, a neurologist, and his colleagues at the University of Iowa examined 63 people with brain damage from stroke, surgery or encephalitis. Before their brains were damaged, none had problems with hoarding, but afterward, nine began filling their houses with such things as old newspapers, broken appliances or boxes of junk mail, despite the intervention of family members.

 

These compulsive collectors had all suffered damage to the prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in decision making, information processing and behavioral organization. The people whose collecting behavior remained normal also had brain damage, but it was instead distributed throughout the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

 

Anderson posits that the urge to collect derives from the need to store supplies such as food--a drive so basic it originates in the subcortical and limbic portions of the brain. Humans need the prefrontal cortex, he says, to determine what "supplies" are worth hoarding. His study was presented at the annual conference of the Society for Neuroscience.

[lizards2]

Psychology Today Article..........Explains a lot ..........

 

AN INTRIGUING NEW STUDY MAY help researchers understand why some people are compelled to hoard useless objects. Steven W. Anderson, a neurologist, and his colleagues at the University of Iowa examined 63 people with brain damage from stroke, surgery or encephalitis. Before their brains were damaged, none had problems with hoarding, but afterward, nine began filling their houses with such things as old newspapers, broken appliances or boxes of junk mail, despite the intervention of family members.

 

These compulsive collectors had all suffered damage to the prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in decision making, information processing and behavioral organization. The people whose collecting behavior remained normal also had brain damage, but it was instead distributed throughout the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

 

Anderson posits that the urge to collect derives from the need to store supplies such as food--a drive so basic it originates in the subcortical and limbic portions of the brain. Humans need the prefrontal cortex, he says, to determine what "supplies" are worth hoarding. His study was presented at the annual conference of the Society for Neuroscience.

 

I'd say that may be one way to catch the affliction...., or it may be some psycho-*spoon*-ola. I got it through heredity, best I can determine. My mom and sister collect food and grocery sale items (I had a can of 1995 chicken soup last time I was home...., two months ago. I was in my sis' garage two weeks ago, and she had a six year supply of toilet paper.) My dad and brother collect guns - lot's o' them. My other brother collects motorcycles and guitars - lot's o' them. And I'm the lame 'o what collects funny books....,

[jduran1]

Psychology Today Article..........Explains a lot ..........

 

AN INTRIGUING NEW STUDY MAY help researchers understand why some people are compelled to hoard useless objects. Steven W. Anderson, a neurologist, and his colleagues at the University of Iowa examined 63 people with brain damage from stroke, surgery or encephalitis. Before their brains were damaged, none had problems with hoarding, but afterward, nine began filling their houses with such things as old newspapers, broken appliances or boxes of junk mail, despite the intervention of family members.

 

These compulsive collectors had all suffered damage to the prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in decision making, information processing and behavioral organization. The people whose collecting behavior remained normal also had brain damage, but it was instead distributed throughout the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

 

Anderson posits that the urge to collect derives from the need to store supplies such as food--a drive so basic it originates in the subcortical and limbic portions of the brain. Humans need the prefrontal cortex, he says, to determine what "supplies" are worth hoarding. His study was presented at the annual conference of the Society for Neuroscience.

 

I'd say that may be one way to catch the affliction...., or it may be some psycho-*spoon*-ola. I got it through heredity, best I can determine. My mom and sister collect food and grocery sale items (I had a can of 1995 chicken soup last time I was home...., two months ago. I was in my sis' garage two weeks ago, and she had a six year supply of toilet paper.) My dad and brother collect guns - lot's o' them. My other brother collects motorcycles and guitars - lot's o' them. And I'm the lame 'o what collects funny books....,

 

At some point collecting becomes an addition............ like gambling ..that can't be stopped no matter what the cost...........I think I am getting there......................... .Based on everything I have read points ultimately (no matter what you collect) to the endorphins (sp) rush you get with

collecting................Imagine the rush of finding an Action 1 nm in your grandfathers attic..............

[lizards2]

Psychology Today Article..........Explains a lot ..........

 

AN INTRIGUING NEW STUDY MAY help researchers understand why some people are compelled to hoard useless objects. Steven W. Anderson, a neurologist, and his colleagues at the University of Iowa examined 63 people with brain damage from stroke, surgery or encephalitis. Before their brains were damaged, none had problems with hoarding, but afterward, nine began filling their houses with such things as old newspapers, broken appliances or boxes of junk mail, despite the intervention of family members.

 

These compulsive collectors had all suffered damage to the prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in decision making, information processing and behavioral organization. The people whose collecting behavior remained normal also had brain damage, but it was instead distributed throughout the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

 

Anderson posits that the urge to collect derives from the need to store supplies such as food--a drive so basic it originates in the subcortical and limbic portions of the brain. Humans need the prefrontal cortex, he says, to determine what "supplies" are worth hoarding. His study was presented at the annual conference of the Society for Neuroscience.

 

I'd say that may be one way to catch the affliction...., or it may be some psycho-*spoon*-ola. I got it through heredity, best I can determine. My mom and sister collect food and grocery sale items (I had a can of 1995 chicken soup last time I was home...., two months ago. I was in my sis' garage two weeks ago, and she had a six year supply of toilet paper.) My dad and brother collect guns - lot's o' them. My other brother collects motorcycles and guitars - lot's o' them. And I'm the lame 'o what collects funny books....,

 

At some point collecting becomes an addition............ like gambling ..that can't be stopped no matter what the cost...........I think I am getting there......................... .Based on everything I have read points ultimately (no matter what you collect) to the endorphins (sp) rush you get with

collecting................Imagine the rush of finding an Action 1 nm in your grandfathers attic..............

 

I am still in aftershock and quivers from winning this baby http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...p;rd=1&rd=1

I was so afraid drbanner was going to hammer my *spoon* at the last moment, because it's on his want list, but he never came out to play. Sad to say, I feel like I got it "cheap", as my top bid was way over what it went for. Still haven't got the book yet, and possibly there will be the inevitable CGC disappointment and remorse. But right now, I'm still flyin'!!! This was the only NM Hulk I was missing above 120, and was about the 6th Hulk I bought off the stands.

[n8kcomics-migration]

 

 

Write a little biography in your head of the collectors that are out there who collect differently than you. Be kind and think of it from their perspective. They're enjoying the hobby with a passion about SOMETHING and having passion in life is a great thing. Maybe not the way you do, but collector isn't a term that defines one single way to acquire and appreciate collectibles. It's an umbrella under which many people fit. Why chastise them for enjoying what they enjoy? In the end collecting, like every other human pursuit, is more about human happiness than anything else.

 

 

I think the 'ultimate' passionate collector was a man I read an article about in 'The Times' newspaper when I lived in the UK. In the early 1980's a man in Switzerland died who owned one of the world's best privately owned Impressionist art collections. He was a wealthy industrialist of repute, a family man, and to all who knew him a highly moral and religious individual. When he died his family were going through his personal effects and came across details and a key for a deposit box in a Bank. The executors of his estate, having provided the Bank with all the necessary proof to have access to his deposit box opened it only to find a painting by Camille Pissarro which had been stolen from a French Museum in the late 1940's. Whether or not the collector had commissioned the theft has never been proved, but he would have definitely known on acquiring it where it had come from as it was one of the artist's best works. He had actually owned it for 40 years, and for 40 years only he had seen it'; and with the possible exception of the orignal thief only he knew where the picture was.

[COI]

Psychology Today Article..........Explains a lot ..........

 

AN INTRIGUING NEW STUDY MAY help researchers understand why some people are compelled to hoard useless objects. Steven W. Anderson, a neurologist, and his colleagues at the University of Iowa examined 63 people with brain damage from stroke, surgery or encephalitis. Before their brains were damaged, none had problems with hoarding, but afterward, nine began filling their houses with such things as old newspapers, broken appliances or boxes of junk mail, despite the intervention of family members.

 

These compulsive collectors had all suffered damage to the prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in decision making, information processing and behavioral organization. The people whose collecting behavior remained normal also had brain damage, but it was instead distributed throughout the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

 

Anderson posits that the urge to collect derives from the need to store supplies such as food--a drive so basic it originates in the subcortical and limbic portions of the brain. Humans need the prefrontal cortex, he says, to determine what "supplies" are worth hoarding. His study was presented at the annual conference of the Society for Neuroscience.

 

When this study was done, it was clearly noted that by "useless objects" they meant objects with no aesthetic beauty, or nostalgic or artistic merit. That's a key point. Collecting comics, art, coins, etc.... is a far cry from hoarding newspapers and supermarket flyers. The latter "junk" does not require any kind of "hunt" to aquire, which is one of the payoffs of collecting objects with some value.