Odd Collections: What Do You Collect? [Poll]

Don’t tell Marie Kondo and the other decluttering gurus, but there’s a whole subset of people who refuse to get rid of a lot of their stuff. These people are called collectors, and they often dedicate themselves to creating extensive collections of some of the oddest things imaginable.

For people who amass vast collections, the value of their collection is emotional, not monetary. People collect for many reasons, to relive their childhood or maintain a connection to a specific time or emotion. For some, it is the thrill of the hunt. For others, it’s the desire to own one of everything.

Who Are These Collectors?

The desire to collect spans the entire population, from your next-door neighbor, mine collects and repairs clocks. To celebrities such as Demi Moore (dolls), Sharon Stone (cashmere sweaters), and Jay Leno (classic cars). What’s collected also runs the gamut, from the treads from the bottoms of people’s shoes to old photographs, to china, chairs, and unpaired bookends.

And, believe it or not, there are names for people who collect things. A teddy bear collector is an archtophilist, a postcard collector is a deltiologist, a coin collector is a numismatist, and a clock collector is a horologist, to name just a few.

Some collect things for inspiration, the thrill of the hunt, or just because it makes them happy. So, GR8NESS community, it’s time to confess. What do you collect?