Dear Lee,

Collecting can bring joy or sadness. A New Hampshire church held a fundraising auction of donated treasures. A small painting of the Madonna and Child was donated by a parishioner to help the church. It sold for $3,200, more than anyone expected. The trio of buyers sent the 12 7/8-by-11-inch painting to Sotheby’s New York, where it was identified as one-third of a 14th-century triptych and sold for $489,600. Joy for the sellers! But some in their hometown are sad and think the sellers should give a portion of the profit to the church. Others say the sellers deserve the big profit.

Here’s another story: An Englishman visiting Australia bought a suitcase at a flea market for $36. When he opened the suitcase, he found what appears to be rare Beatles memorabilia, including unreleased tape recordings. If the photos, programs, and recordings prove authentic, they should bring great joy and thousands of dollars to the savvy buyer. The sad seller should have learned that you must always open every locked box, drawer, and suitcase before you sell it.

Recently eBay did a survey of 1,622 of its users. About 37% (600) said they were collectors. But only 24% (384) are “intentional collectors” who shop for things like pottery, glass, sports memorabilia, and holiday items. About 15% (57) of the intentional collectors say collecting is their hobby. Of that group, 40% (23) are “serious collectors” who admit to buying often. That means that only about 1 1/2% of the people surveyed are really searching for that special collectible. So how come someone else is always bidding against us when we want our special collectibles? That makes us pay more, which sure makes us sad.