by Addie Trudeaux

Created on: July 30, 2008   Last Updated: May 17, 2012

Collectors are a funny bunch. They buy toys, but never play with them. The buy PEZ dispensers, but never eat the candy. They purchase vintage records that they must be itching to listen to, but they rarely pull them out of the protective sleeves. There is something not quite right with their heads... I should know, I am a collector.

The urge to collect things comes from deep inside us. We are packrats who love to catagorize and label. We love to find treasures from long ago and prove that they are worth something. Our greatest dream is to one day find a million dollar painting at an estate sale that we paid 15 dollars for.

Some people collect to pass on a legacy to their children. In my case, my mother and father died when I was young. They were very poor and had few possessions. I never got to keep anything from my childhood. I don't have a great grandmother who passed her china collection to me. I don't have any treasures to call my own... except for what I have collected.

Now, I can one day pass on these treasures to my daughter and hope that she is as excited about them as I am! Chances are she won't be, but hopefully I will be able to share my passion for collecting with her and she will love it as much as I do.

Some people may think that collectors are just in it for the money. Let me tell you a little secret- you won't be successful at collecting if you don't have a passion for it. It is very hard work to keep things in great condition. It is usually hard to let good items go.

For example, I love my records. It is very difficult to keep them in good condition. I have to clean them, sort them, store them properly, and make sure nothing gets bent, scratched or poorly neglected. It would probably be better if I just stored them in a climate controlled vault and forgot about them for a decade (or two), but I can't. They are my babies. I am so proud of them. I love their shiny surfaces and their amazing sound.

Getting rid of any of my records is pretty hard. I imagine it is the same for other collectors. The only reason I ever let a good item go is so that I can get an even better one! There is money to be made, but if you ask most people, the monetary value of their collection is not why they continue to collect.

So, why do we do it? Some do it for monetary reasons, some because they are passionate about what they collect. Others do it because their parents were collectors. Me? Well, to sum it all up in a nice little vintage package... I do it for the pure joy of knowing I can.

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