Dear Lee,

There are eight kinds of collectors according to psychologists and behavioral scientists.

  • Most seem to be “Memorabilia” collectors who want things they remember from childhood, including toys, furniture, dolls, quilts, and souvenirs of places and events.
  • “Squirrels” search for the best source of nuts, find a lot and take them to a hiding place to eat later. The most efficient squirrel lives the longest because it has stored food for snowy days. We know collectors like that. They search garage sales and flea markets and buy and store a variety of collectibles they might need some day. They often change into serious collectors or dealers and prune the collection.
  •  “In the genes” collectors go to the same sales but buy for a special collection to be displayed on open shelves. This usually means advertising signs, pressed glass, Staffordshire figures, paintings or figurines of horses, cats, or angels. This type of collecting seems to be inherited from parents or grandparents.
  • The “Historian” collector focuses on a place or time in history, studies old records and pictures, buys a photograph or belt buckle and records where it was bought, the price, age and history of the piece found by research. They discover how the objects relate to their family history and, after years of collecting, create a special room for display.
  • “Decorators” read the popular magazines with pictures of movie stars’ homes and search for less expensive look alikes for their home. It is usually something made since 1950.
  •  “Social Climbers” buy old portraits and furnishings and claim they are old family heirlooms.
  • There are even “Secretive” collectors who buy antiques to hide money from tax collectors or ex-spouses.
  • And unfortunately there are “Hoarders” because the collecting bug sometimes goes awry. You can see them each week on the TV show Hoarders.

Whatever kind of collector you are, remember as you go from shop to show you are getting hours of exercise walking, having fun, and just maybe you will find that perfect antique for a price you can afford.