How many times have you been asked about your hobby/obsession? Well, now we have the best answer to give to these nosey-bodies.
I collect cuz it's in my DNA. Maybe.
Okay, seriously. The reasons for collecting are numerous. Some do it for pleasure; others to learn more about the objects; others seek status or prestige; and many do it to show loyalty to their team, country, or hometown.
Some just get attracted to a genre and form a habit.
In addition to the pleasant feeling people get from collectibles, many accumulate items because the objects represent something that they value or serve as a way to connect with others.
Research shows that in the 19th century, aristocratic collectors coveted rarities—such as fossils, illuminated books, and other objects—and displayed them, then later donated the items to museums. For the aristocrats, it was a way to show off their good taste and status in society.
Professional collectors continue to do that, of course, said Cristina Favretto, head of special collections of University Libraries.
“Many wealthy people collect as an investment,” she said. “They know the value of the objects and they know that the fact that they are collecting them often drives the prices up. If you know that a famous collector is collecting a specific artist, the ‘cache’ and visibility of that artist will go up.”
Many museums and special collections that we enjoy today come from wealthy families. The powerful Medici family was a banking family in Florence whose members collected art and sponsored artists in the 1500s. Their extraordinary art collection is housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
The University benefitted from a wonderful donation, the Jay I. Kislak Collection of the Early Americas, Exploration, and Navigation—a collection of books, manuscripts, and artifacts from the early Americas, that is housed in the Kislak Center at the University of Miami.
“We are so thankful to all our donors like Jay Kislak, but we also get donations from students and community members,” said Favretto.
Donors should not underestimate the merit of any collection. While a collection may not have a high financial worth, it can offer a treasure trove of history. She cites a collection donated to the University Libraries of local menus from Miami restaurants, which can be of great value to anyone studying the food and entertainment industry in Miami.
“Restaurants come and go but through this collection you can look at what used to be offered, the different prices and so on,” she said. “The wonderful thing about collecting is that anyone can do it.”
And to the second question often asked,. the value is incalculable to the collection and that is quite enough.
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Excerpted in part from: "Why Do We Collect Things?" by Barbara Gutierrez, University of Miami, 2021