lately i've been wondering why i collect things like cards or action figures. i get the thing. and then i've got it. there it is. and i put it away or display it. and there it is. just... there.

but even realizing this, i still buy the stuff.

i'm trying to discern why this interests me and why i feel the need to acquire these things and what the ultimate goal is.

let's say the goal is to complete the collection. ok. i complete the collection. and there it is. now what?

or let's say i'm collecting as an investment. i want the chase cards and autos to sell and making money is the goal. even then, the item is expected to be sold to a collector who will just put it there. and sellers who invest in items that don't sell have the similar issue. there they are, just sitting there.

i'm sure this is something most collectors think about this. i've just been thinking about it a lot in regards to an essay i'm working on and i was hoping to get some thoughts from some of you on this so i can get some different perspectives.

I like art and appreciate the skill and imagination involved in creating it. That's why my main focus is sketch cards. To me it's like having a small art gallery in your own home that you can revisit whenever you like and often see something new in a card that you had missed before..

I collect action figures also - exclusively from the toy lines that I had as a kid in the 80's. So for me that's all for sentimental reasons and nostalgia. It takes me back to my childhood and stirs up fond memories when life was all about playing and watching cartoons with zero responsibility. I like that feeling it gives me. For non-sport cards I mainly collect autographs. And for that, when I buy an autograph of an actor or from a particular show/movie that I like, it's all about owning a very small piece of it. When I buy an autograph card of Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones or Hugh Jackman from X-Men, I feel like I'm buying a small piece of the action. They are collectibles from popular franchises signed by popular actors. So that makes me feel good to feel like I own a small piece of it. I feel closer to those people and those shows/movies in that way. As unrealistic as that thought may be, that is how I feel and what I convince myself. Or else I wouldn't feel so good about spending so much money. I think subconsciously that's why so many guys spend $300+ for the hot new 20-something girl's autograph that hardly anyone has ever heard of. They think that if they spend that much it'll get them that much closer to dating her. To quote Captain Kirk from "The Man Trap", "Stop thinking with your glands!"

It's the collector's mentality. Some people just feel the need to own things. The things that are collected can change from time to time, but the desire to follow some hobby, some interest, is always there. I recognize that in myself easily enough.

Usually the economics involved restrict the activity of a collector more than anything else. Rich people can collect anything, including stuff like vintage cars and great paintings and houses, which are monetarily unavailable to others. If money is no object, almost anything can turn into a hobby.

Personally I have no great collecting goals because, as you say, once you reach your goal its over, and believe it or not many people get depressed. You always need something to look forward to and something that gives you pleasure to buy and own if you have that collector's mentality.

And you always need the common sense not to waste your money because hobbies enhance your life, but shouldn't ever take it over. There is that very old bit of wisdom about how your possessions can wind up owning you. It's true if you're not careful.

Personally I enjoy the hunt -- I like looking for and finding things.

I have a collection of a great number of diverse objects.

I read somewhere that the more erudite, intelligent, sophisticated and just downright good looking you are, the more you want to collect.

Or wait...maybe it was just the opposite...

I have collected something since I can remember I think I was 5or 6 when I started first it was cards till i was 18 then a hiatus for 8 years while I was in the Army when I returned home my mother said I thought that you didnt want them and gave them away so I started again then changed to Stamps and coins later Postcards then Trading cards now Promo cards and other things the thought of profit fleetingly enters my mind but now I am retired I have more time and I am a collector or hoarder or whatever you want to call it at heart

I have always collected something-Toys, cards, comics, graphic novels, dvds, etc. There is some weird need to collect. I can drop a collection and move on to another but I don't think there will be a time where I don't collect something.

Now to get clinical, I could say I have an addiction. I do not smoke, drink, do drugs, have a need for adrenaline or the likes but my mind likes to make lists, lot and lots of lists and the best lists are when I am collecting something.

For me, part of it is the hunt, the chase. A few of the cards that originally got me addicted have a story behind them, a challenge I overcame to get them. Another is a community. I would likely quit collecting without friends collecting with me, both those I've met and those I've not met 'in real life' . Part of it is the sense of connection it gives me. I have cards that were touched however briefly by the person bringing that character to life. I have cards that in some cardboard way 'represent' that character. It pleases me

I collect space flown memorabilia, comic book film memorabilia props busts,statues,Star Trek, sci-fi memorabilia, James Bond memorabilia and autographs etc. When I was younger, I could not afford such things. Now that I'm older, I'm having a second chance at acquiring items from tv shows, films etc. that made me happy when I was a kid. It keeps me young, motivated and I simply enjoy looking around my home at some of these items which at one time were either unattainable,unavailable due to no internet, auctions etc., or there were no companies that produced such things as autographed cards, film replica props etc. I don't collect for profit, just pure enjoyment. These things I collect are part of me. Just an example, I never thought as a kid that one day I would own signatures from all the cool actors and guest actors who were part of the original Star Trek tv series. Now companies like RA have fulfilled my dream of making it possible to own autographed trading cards and costume cards from a fantastic show that I've been following for the better part of 45 years. Also,I work with several judges. When I come home after a long day, I'm in an environment that is 180 degrees from that daily grind. Collecting is my way of wiping out the dull, uninspired world. I'm surrounded by things that fired my imagination and are just plain cool.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: space phantom,

There is a sketch card on E-Bay for a reasonable price, which I would buy in a heartbeat if the sides of the card did not have these inward facing arcs that cover a good percentage of the original drawing.

It's from the 2014 Marvel Premier set.

What is the point of this horrible design for the sketch cards?

It's a bad design, it gives the illusion of the picture being cinched in the middle. It looks like at least some artists attempted to paint over it, but you can still see the bordering even with those. No point to it, just a lousy art director.

Is it Storm that caught your eye? If so, with that coloring, I think that is one of the less glaring ones.

Nope, it was Ms Red She Hulk.

As you suspected, people collect things for different reasons or maybe for a couple of reasons. Most of us live within cities. We're walled off and paved away from nature in ways our ancestors couldn't imagine. We don't hunt or pick our own food but some of us still have that drive to go out and find something and bring it home.

Yeah, there's the collector mentality that many people have and some don't. Someone once told me he likes to collect but his wife doesn't collect anything and doesn't understand it. It's like wanting to read a mystery, train/practice for a race/game, finish a puzzle, go through a process and get to the end. It's work but it's work you assign yourself because it's fun to you.

It's also nice to get away from the grind as Space Phantom said. If you have a job in which you deal with tough decisions, difficult people, or other stressful work at least five days a week, you enjoy that afternoon or evening in which you can look for your collectible or do a little organizing. It's how some of us take a break.

quote:

Originally posted by mad hatter:
lately i've been wondering why i collect things like cards or action figures. i get the thing. and then i've got it. there it is. and i put it away or display it. and there it is. just... there.

but even realizing this, i still buy the stuff.

i'm trying to discern why this interests me and why i feel the need to acquire these things and what the ultimate goal is.

let's say the goal is to complete the collection. ok. i complete the collection. and there it is. now what?

or let's say i'm collecting as an investment. i want the chase cards and autos to sell and making money is the goal. even then, the item is expected to be sold to a collector who will just put it there. and sellers who invest in items that don't sell have the similar issue. there they are, just sitting there.

i'm sure this is something most collectors think about this. i've just been thinking about it a lot in regards to an essay i'm working on and i was hoping to get some thoughts from some of you on this so i can get some different perspectives.

quote:

Originally posted by cardaddict:
Nope, it was Ms Red She Hulk.

Ahh, She Hulk, I should have known.

quote:

Originally posted by STCardGeek:
For me, part of it is the hunt, the chase. It pleases me

Exactly!

I collect at the stroke of heart; the problem is money