The Psychology Behind Your Collecting Hobbies

An off line discussion with a new friend who has more training (master's college student) in this area of human behavior than I do generated this inquiry. Why do you collect?

There is no one reason but consistantely collecting seems to fill a needed gap in the human psyche of a person. For me, collecting is a relaxing diversion from chores and a bridge back to earlier members of my family. Why to you collect?

I am a human. Long ago, my ancestors gathered food to survive the winter. Since I can buy my food from many nearby supermarkets, my genes force me to gather something else.

Genetic

The thrill of the chase has something to do with it.

There's probably a cross-over point where it becomes a problem in that someone is not satisfied with what they have and constantly need to accumulate. Feeding the beast as it were.

Then if you're not careful you're venturing into Collyer brothers syndrome territory.

I come from a many generational line of collectors in the family tree, including some giants of philately and beyond. I was late to collecting stamps starting as an adult in my early 20's. I also enjoyed the fact that items + knowledge could equal money. My interest took off when I saw that postal history tied into the interest of US history, especially Western US. I also enjoy the science bent of sorting and describing what is in the world and the related explaining of same for others.

That said, I have not put stamps into a hole on the page much if at all beyond my first year or two, such activity does not drive me at all. I find that such simple activity does not provide much intellectual stimulation.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) which for me manifests itself in many ways including several that are hobby related.

I came home from my first day of school (age 5) and told my mother that I was never going back. She asked me why and I said, "I was there all day, and they did not teach me how to read". Thus began a lifelong OCD driven need to learn new things every day of my life. If I do not learn new things each day I stress, can't sleep, and feel totally non-productive. (My poor wife, bless her heart, has not had a decent vacation in 40+ years.) I use specialized/custom albums (both stamps and postal history) for this part of my OCD.

And my OCD is also appeased by 'filling spaces'; I have always maintained world-wide albums for this specific purpose.

Me, age 6, on the St. Lawrence river with the new boat that I won in a church raffle.


By the time that I hit 7 years old, I was collecting coins and stamps.
Don

Because it challenges some of my weaknesses.
Ive never had the ability to be organized, hyper focused or fastidious even…
My interests have always been ones that included physical activity.

So some years ago while driving my wife around to garage sales, always with the promise of Diner breakfast, I started to buy stamps anytime I saw them. It was just the treasure hunt at the point.

Then I discovered the 1851-57 3c US stamp. There's been so much study done and so much great literatureI available I thought, "ok maybe I can actually become a collector".

So I've spent the past few years trying and mostly failing to organize (I've plated stamps that I don't remember the results for etc.) and display (started a couple times building binder or album pages only to abandoned them) the 3c stamp. So taking on my weaknesses is still a work in progress but I stay with it because I think it's worth it.

The pic below could be a picture of how my brain works.

From something I wrote dated 2022. Not sure what iteration this is - probably not a final draft:

Ask stamp collectors their reason for collecting and many will answer that it is for recreation. In fact, recreation can be
considered a necessity and it takes several forms. However, compensating mental recreation is more difficult to find
than that of a physical character. Collecting is a form of recreation as well as a diversion and provides a valuable
service.

Perhaps the chief value of collecting is that it sparks so keen an interest in the objects collected, that research and study
concerning them, which otherwise would have been uninteresting, becomes a compelling recreation. The study often
becomes much more thorough and comprehensive. A prompt reward for the effort expended is a greatly increased
appreciation of the collected objects. Knowledge gained through an absorbing interest in the things to which it relates,
is fixed far more firmly in the mind than if acquired with no such incentive. The impulse toward the acquisition of
knowledge, thus given, will not easily exhaust itself as it will be constantly regenerated by the discovery of new
material.

The majority of stamp collectors likely commence their albums with the single thought of finding amusement, and
view collecting merely as a pastime but with no more substantial value than to employ agreeably a few idle hours. The
acquisition accidentally or otherwise, of one or more stamps or covers, which are at the time unknown and strange to
them may therefore arouse their curiosity, engenders a desire to possess other specimens with similar attributes - and
thus they become collectors.

At this stage they have no very clear idea of what they hope to accomplish; it is only when they have progressed
sufficiently that they begin to realize the magnitude and unlimited resources of the philatelic field that they perceive
the splendid and varying opportunities that stamp and postal history collecting presents. It is then that they can define
more clearly to themselves the objects and purposes for which they henceforth collect.

Naturally these will differ greatly and will vary according to the inclination of the individual, depending upon which
features of philately appeal to him most forcibly. Some will find the speculative possibilities the greatest attraction
and will collect only for the purpose of financial gain. Many collectors restrict their efforts to stamps issued by a
certain county or covers of a selected period or locality, or of a certain theme. Collectors self-impose a variety of
limitations. But all, no matter how much they have restricted their field, realize early in their collecting experience that
in order to proceed intelligently and arrive at a proper and thorough comprehension of their stamps, research and
exhaustive study is imperative. To the collector's zeal is now added a craving for knowledge, and his albums become a
powerful and valuable influence in favor of education.

The branches of learning to which the science of philately is related are numerous, and many collectors specialize,
selecting one or more of them, according to their inclination or interest. The study of stamps will include the study of
printing methods, paper making, devices used to separate stamps, cancellations, gum and also what a postal duty was
paid for by using the stamp. The closest related branch of science useful for collecting covers is certainly history. This
is where the piece of paper placed on an envelope gains its humanity.

The true philatelist, while he may specialize in a kind or class of stamps or covers, does not only research those he
collects, but strives to acquire a full knowledge of everything related to them. If a rarity, he investigates the causes of
its rarity and may try to document all the known specimens.

To the uninitiated, all of this may seem a formidable task, but in reality it is far from being so.

In a world that appears mad and uncontrollable, in which dark and faceless forces perpetually conspire to take what has been earned, and the relentless momentum of needless change propelled by entropy seem to forever devolve the home, the workplace, and other institutions into disorder, the album page comprises a square foot over which the collector exercises supreme and unquestioned power to achieve order, stasis, and therefore peace.

I have thought a lot about this since I've had the collecting bug since childhood. Whether it be trading cards, or coins, or jigsaw puzzles, or vinyl records, or stamps, something compels me to this behavior.

My dad was a collector and I wonder if it rubbed off from him. He always told my mom that it soothed (or maybe perpetuated) his OCD tendencies. I don't know enough to say if that's right or try and self diagnose.

My mom's brother is also a collector type, so it seems that some folks just have it. My brother on the other hand is the total opposite. He attaches no permanence to things. For example, once he has read a book he gives it away.

For me, I think the thrill of the hunt is a big part, as another poster said as well. I dream of treasure hunting and find modest ways to live that fantasy. I find a lot of joy in sifting through a big pile of stamps and sorting them one by one. But there's another part of my brain that's satisfied by the research, the organization, and the eventual cataloguing.

I may never fully understand the why, but it's undeniable that I'm a collector, for better or worse

Modified from an article I wrote in 2021:

If you ask a stamp collector why they collect stamps, many would be at a loss to give a simple explanation as to why they chase after small pieces of paper with ink and gum. They will say that they love the history, the intricate engraved detail, the realistic photo-like scenery, the people, or the thrill of filling empty spaces with each issue in their stamp album. Many collectors become devoted to the hobby, something that non-stamp collectors are unable to understand.

Of all the hobbies that people choose for leisure and relaxation, few can claim more lifelong enthusiasts than stamp collecting. Although many who start with small, simple collections as children tend to put stamps aside at one or more points in their lives, they always seem to come back to the hobby. Stamps can be appreciated everywhere in the world by people of all ages, all education and income levels, and enjoyed by the beginner or the advanced expert.

There is an abundance of literature dedicated to the study of stamps generally that is not found in other hobbies. Detailed studies of series of stamps, color, plate varieties, perforations, and more that can be enjoyed by collectors of different levels of knowledge. The sheer amount of literature covering the body of philatelic knowledge has been published in every major language and comes in every form including books, catalogues, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, and more recently electronic online content.

One of the many facets of collecting stamps in general is that there are many different options available to collectors. Some collect mint stamps while others focus on used singles. Other aspects of stamp collecting include plate positions and varieties, fancy cancels, commercial covers, counterfeits and forgeries, tagging varieties, First Day Covers (FDCs), and EFOs (Errors, Freaks, and Oddities).

When a stamp collector works on building their collection, it can be done as inexpensively or as extensively as they choose. Some collect only stamps that come to them on letters in the mail and what can be collected from friends and family. Others spend insane amounts of money to acquire rare and highly desired stamps for their collection. Most people fall somewhere between the extremes with most spending what they can afford. Many collectors choose not to view stamps as an investment as they believe that they will only get back a very small percentage of what they put into it. In terms of the enjoyment and relaxation that most stamp collectors realize from the hobby, the return on the investment isn't always monetary. There will always be that one person who spends too much on a stamp and then too much time complaining about it to whoever will listen. Other collectors are always on the lookout for unrealized rarities that they can buy at a bargain. Research, experience, and opportunity are the keys to making sound stamp buying decisions.

Stamp collecting is a deeply personal hobby and is often a solitary pursuit, the stamp collector working alone building their collection one stamp at a time. At the same time, it can also be a very social hobby with collectors meeting together in libraries or coffee houses or stamp shows to discuss newly issued stamps or the intricate details of one specific stamp issued decades (or a century) earlier. There are many great inclusive online venue for learning, sharing, and discussing everything related to collecting stamps. Many collectors have built friendships and bonded over some of the fine details of chasing the elusive pieces of perforated (and unperforated) paper.

Thanks to all for your comments. Whyever you collect enjoy the act of collecting.