hobbies and collectables

I am not much of a collector. I don't collect anything that is expensive or really all that interesting. But I do collect pens. I love pens, especially pens in bright colors. Some people say that this is a reflection of my personality, but I am not really too sure about that one. I have noticed that pens are not something that many people really collect. Most people use them and then toss them. I have a habit of keeping them for a while, even after they are used up and dead.

So, I decided to look into some other items that could possibly be my new collection items. Something that is actually a collectible, not just something that I happen to like because it's a bright color. In my research, I found this website. This website sorts the items into categories to make your searching/shopping easier. So there are dolls, sports memorabilia, die cast toys and beanie babies, coca cola products, and so many others that I was amazed what is considered a collectible today.

After finding some other items I could become interested in, I started thinking about why people collect stuff. In all honesty, a collectible is just something that sits on a shelf and collects dust. So what is the psychology behind it. So I did a little more research. I found an article by a gift shop owner, Patricia Twitchell. She had some interesting insight into this question for me. Another article by a company called Cabremigel also gave me a little deeper insight. This article stated that "collecting is a popular kind of hobby. A person can choose to collect almost any type of article, and they can continue collecting different examples of this object their entire life. The desire to collect usually starts early in life but sometimes a life changing event will create an interest for an individual. Collecting as a hobby often teaches the collector a great deal, because it demands a thorough knowledge of the article collected."


I must admit that I had never really thought about collecting in this way before. It is true that you must now about your items if you want to keep collecting them, just like I know which pens write better than others and which ones are more comfortable in the hand. I believe that I have come to a conclusion. While there are very interesting items out there to collect, I will stick with my pens. At least for the time being. I am content having my eighty pens in my drawer that I can pull out and use any time I want. To those of you that also have a collection, continue your search for new and interesting additions to you stash, and increase your knowledge of those items. You never know, it may come in handy one day ;-).