"possession obsession" fun facts

Collecting 101
What are People Obsessing About?
What Drives the Obsession?
Types of Collectors

Collecting 101

• Simmons reports that of 102 million households in the US, more than 40 percent indicate that a member of their household collects. In addition, 26 percent of women and 21 percent of men have bought a collectible for themselves in the past year.
• Today’s collectors are younger and have more discretionary income than those of the past. They are also highly discerning, demanding items that are truly special and unique. – "Why People Buy Collectibles: Analysis of Collector Behavior and Their Drives and Motivations to Collect," Unity Marketing, 2002.
• According to Unity Marketing, the average collector spends $510 a year on their hobby. Generation Xers spend more ($530) than Boomers ($490). Men spend considerably more than women ($620 versus $410).
• Men tend to carry their collecting passions from childhood through early adulthood and then on into maturity, while women delay active collecting until they reach 35. Men are more motivated by the thrill of the chase and view their collections as a long-term investment. – "Why People Buy Collectibles: Analysis of Collector Behavior and Their Drives and Motivations to Collect," Unity Marketing, 2002.

What are People Obsessing About?

• Collecting by gender: Women tend to collect ornaments, figurines, dolls and Disneyana while men tend to collect coins, diecast cars, sports memorabilia, comic books, stamps and antique toys. – Simmons
• Stamp collecting is an age-old hobby that holds the interest of millions of people the world over. An estimated 25 million people in the US alone and 200 million around the world still collect. – Articles2K.com
• Wired Magazine reports that the number of people who collect AOL’s free installation discs is small but growing. In the last couple years, the number has mushroomed to a few dozen nationwide.
• The United States Mint has estimated that 120 million Americans are looking for and setting aside the 50 states’ quarters.
• Popular collectibles in the US include: coins (37 percent), figurines (28 percent), trading cards (24 percent), memorabilia (22 percent), dolls (22 percent), stuffed animals (19 percent) and models (16 percent.) – "Why People Buy Collectibles: Analysis of Collector Behavior and Their Drives and Motivations to Collect," Unity Marketing, 2002.

What Drives the Obsession?

• According to anthropologist Margie Akin of the University of California-Riverside, people collect for five main reasons:
  • To satisfy a sense of personal aesthetics. People collect things they find appealing, visually or otherwise.
  • For a sense of control or completion. For young people, collecting rocks or bottle caps gives them a sense of control over their universe; for adults, the act of finishing something is profoundly satisfying.
  • To make a connection with the past. Items from the "home country" connect people to their ancestors; coins from ancient Rome make history come alive.
  • For the thrill of the chase. This gives people an excuse to buy that demitasse spoon to prove they were in the Virgin Islands. And looking to find that last pig saltshaker, or whatever, is just kind of cool.

Types of Collectors

Did you know that someone who collects stamps is called a philatelist? Check out the list below for some other types of collectors!

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