Collection - A Hobby

chillibreeze writer — Preena Deepak

Collecting has grown to be a pet project or hobby and the kind of items being collected have also grown in variety – from coins, stamps, and antiques to cars, toys, pens, model trains, clocks and even erasers! Newer articles seem to magnetize people and grasp their attention enough to invest considerable time, money, and effort into their precious collections. The hobby does have its rewards. Some very rare specimens of coins, stamps, antique pieces, books and pictures are worth a fortune and collectors who are well versed with the background of the items they collect, have a keen eye for these singular pieces. For example, the Inverted Jenny, a United States postage stamp issued in 1918, turned out to be extremely rare because of a printing mistake. The present estimated price of this stamp is a whopping US $825,000. (Source: Wikipedia)

A tricky situation arises with any collection when the collector wonders what to do with the cherished items gathered. Voluminous collections tend to occupy space and the question arises as to how these precious possessions can be preserved. While the answer to this question is completely based on the kind of material collected, it is important that the collector clearly understands the specific requirements of the particular collection. For example, a shell collector will need to spend considerable time and effort to clean the shells gathered from its natural surroundings to avoid foul smell. Similarly, an antique collector must ensure that the treasured piece is preserved in its present condition or restored to former beauty (in case the item is damaged). This emphasizes the need for detailed information on the subject collected.

One of the common methods to make space for collections and accommodate new items is to trade with the articles gathered. Auctions or even direct sales or supply to dealers is a good way to keep the collection in a reasonably manageable size. Some collectors also give away doubles or excess to other likeminded souls. This is a great motivator to amateurs who have just started collecting as a hobby. Another useful tip is to organize the items gathered according to similarity and storing in boxes, covers or other safe places according to specific needs. Ready to use pouches and albums are available for convenience and can be a great way to store and display collections. However, with newer articles gaining collector’s interests, not all collections can be accommodated in these.

Some collectibles like toys, antiques, shells etc can be delightfully displayed in showcases, as table pieces and to adorn different sections of the home. Some items can also be given away as gifts to family and friends for special occasions. Another way to use collections is to make objects of artistic value. Shells, for instance, are often used to decorate and add a magic touch to vases, lamp stands, show pieces and even in fashion jewellery. Large scale collectors with several exceptional items take pains to display their treasures and often host exhibitions to benefit the general public and earn as well. While this may not be possible and affordable for many, it is certainly a very effective way of gaining attention towards a collection besides sharing knowledge.

An important aspect that any collector has to bear in mind is to maintain ethics, irrespective of the kind of object gathered. Almost all collectibles are available for a price and a true collector who respects the essence of the hobby must refrain from duplication or other underhand practices. Such corrupt habits can prove detrimental to other’s interests and eke out the spirit of the hobby.

To conclude, collection is a gratifying and fulfilling hobby if taken up regularly and with a good amount of seriousness. Besides occupying time productively, collections can throw up new insights and evoke a sense of pleasure and satisfaction which makes this hobby unique and immensely enjoyable for the collector.

 

 

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in January, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

 

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—About our writer: Preena Deepak has been working with words for the last 5 years and is passionate about taking up challenging writing assignments. Her expertise is report writing, documentation, content development and corporate communication. Preena also enjoys writing articles and essays for publishing houses. She can successfully handle projects that are time bound and is skilled in creating high quality documents, reports and text.

 

 

 

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