People can collect anything they deem collectible, but as a car enthusiast, collecting model cars is very common.
It's nice picking them up, looking at them, checking the details, comparing different brands... Some even play a bit with them on the desk every now and then.
It makes you feel like a child again. Briefly imagining settings while at it.
That's just one of the things I personally collect. The rabbit hole goes deep.
In this article we will be talking about:
- What is a collection and who defines it
- What is the difference with owning
- What is the "sense of community" of collecting
- Is collecting stupid?
Collecting vs owning
I want to kick this off with our friend Andreas here, who kindly replied to the #QOTW2 about who of you collected anything.
And this begs the questions:
- Who defines a collection?
- What is a collection?
- What is the difference with owning?
I'd love to read your answers about this (you can reply to this email if it's in your inbox, or find me in social media), but here are mine:
Who defines a collection?
There's many levels about this, but my quick answers would be:
- The manufacturer? No.
- The community? Yes and no.
- The collector? Yes.
The manufacturer
I think the manufacturer "likes" to define collections or sets of things, because that's how they get in your head. It's very hard, if you collect a certain thing and have "3 out of 5 from the set", to not get the other two, "just for the sake of it".
I know this very well because it's how it is with many Hot Wheels set I collect. But I collect exactly what I like and don't care at all about the pre-defined sets by the company.
This is just one of the tricks they use to get you. Some others include:
- The "Chase" item: it is not very common or even present in all boxes, making it more rare even. It's just "the same as another one but in a different colour". It sounds crazy how people are tricked to want this, when you think about what it really is.
- Fake scarcity: self explanatory and related to the one above. They release things with different numbers in lower volumes.
- Re-releases with minor differences: people who "need to have them all" are destroyed by this manufacturer technique. Since the manufacturer decides what a collection is here, they can release the same thing with a minor change and "make them" buy it again.
And all these are the scalper's favourite. Scalpers are people who don't collect and they just buy everything other people want, to sell it at a higher price for profit, ruining the experience for everyone but themselves. I will not get more into this topic because they don't deserve anything else than hate.
The community
In the spirit of "collect what you like", then I have the "Yes and no" answer for "the community defined collection".
You 100% will enjoy your collection more if you collect what you like. That's why you want it in the first place. But then there's the "sharing your collection" aspect of it. This includes a community of like-minded people who love what you love.
In these moments you find that the "peer pressure" is a bit higher because your friend got 5/5 so why are you going to stop 3/5 instead of sharing the joy and having yet another thing in common?
The answer is "because you collect what you like and you don't have to like the same things".
The collector
Absolutely yes. Going back to our friend Andreas here.
You can collect whatever you want.
As long as your collection makes sense to you and makes you smile, that's enough. But thenβ¦
What defines a collection?
It doesn't have to have a number.
It doesn't even have to be something limited.
It has to matter to you and no one else. If it does matter to someone else, that's a bonus, but you shouldn't be driven by that. It's how you purchase and regret.
Does the size of the collection matter? Not much.
Every collection started with 1 thing. Then 2. Maybe you are at that point. Or you are very picky and it takes years to get another item in it.
As I said before, the collector defines what is a collection to them, and there's no wrong answer.
What is the difference with owning?
Well, the fact that you have more than one of a certain thing, definitely does not mean you have a collection of it.
Like Andreas mentioned above, a collection needs a thought process attached to it. It must mean something to you. You must be on the lookout for maintaining the collection, adding new things if it makes sense, and have a sense of pride for owning it.
If you own 2 laptops and 3 TVs that doesn't mean you collect laptops or TVs.
Unless of course, you say that you do, and that would be perfectly fine. It' just not automatic.
The real reason why I collect die cast: community
I already mentioned a bit of this above, but it really is it. The sense of community.
First you start collecting "on your own". You just buy the cars and store them. It's not until a while later, that you start stumbling upon other people that value the same thing you collect, that things change.
When you start relating with other collectors, you feel understood.
The passion for the hunt
You look forward to the next time you have an excuse to go to the shop and "since you're there", go and check the cars. Especially if you mostly go to physical stores and not only buy online.
You get excited when your friends find that car they were looking for, and they do the same for you. You share tips on what is good, think about what's coming soon.
You even might get into model customising later.
But this is a story for another time. Let me know if you would like to read about Hot Wheels customisation (like wheel swaps, repainting and even adding new parts).
I think it's super cool and an even better way to engage with other collectors.
Is collecting stupid?
Here's our buddy Mike Shaw's take, that I fully agree with.
Maybe stupid was a bit too harsh on me to ask, but as Mike says, there are a lot of things that really are stupid and pointless, yet helps us a lot to navigate our day to day. Some may even be what keeps us able to get through the rest of our obligations.
Maybe "not rational" is a better take, like our friend Michael Seaword mentions here.
Unjustifiable in terms of economy of both space and money.
Most of the time, collecting gives you no "tangible" benefit unless you're very hardcore collecting, which means you are collecting and also speculating with values going up, to then sell for profit.
Collecting takes a lot away from you, but it also gives you joy when adding new things to it. The kind that might be worth everything.
Is it relevant if the things are open or not? Used or new? Are they still collections in the former?
Everything can be a collection.
A collection is not about monetary value. You can collect old used die cast, or classic cars. They might keep value higher if they are used less, but honestly using them brings a kind of joy that the extra money will never get you. It gets you to experience it. To generate memories with it.
It's not just another entry in a list of possessions.
It's a part of your life.
Do collections "expire"?
Maybe.
Many things can happen that makes a collection reach its "end of life".
You may grow tired of collecting, or feel like the phase is behind you. Your life may have changed enough that you don't have what it takes to keep it, like money to get something new, or space because your family got a new member and you need the space, or even time to maintain it clean, just because of life.
You may end up selling because of this. And it's fine.
As long as you felt it gave you what you wanted at the time and enjoyed the process of going through it.
QOTW#2 What do you collect and why?
This week I asked you about your collections and here are some of the answers.
N30NPUM4 collects video games and physical movies on top of model cars. He does not really go out "to hunt" them, but gets them when he comes across one he deems a classic.
Andrea collects cars (big ones!) and also books. I wish I could collect cars! But I do collect books too (more on that below).
Ash collects books without knowing he collects books haha.
But as I already knew, he's the biggest Jaguar nut I know, and he of course has all sort of Jaguar related things in his collection.
Humberto collects, on top of 1/64 die casts, 90s car ads/booklets! That's a really cool way to save some car history.
Our friend Stuttgart Archive (sorry, don't know your name yet!) has started to collect 1/64 and has a part of his wall filled with them. Of course, mostly Porsche as you can see.
Spottyroo is another one that collects real cars. And has a really nice collection as well! More pictures in the post linked.
Finally, Michael here has been a collector for more time that I have been alive. These kind of things blow my mind. As does the amount of cars he had at one time: 800!
I should do some inventory of mine, but I don't think I have even a third of that. Impressive!
Other things I collect
As Andrea and Ash mentioned, I also collect books (and magazines).
I have around 40 books in my home office. I think probably 70% are car related, 20% video games related and 10% art related (artbooks from independent artists and movies I love).
The magazines portion is more like half cars, half video games.
Holiday's are in
I usually promote my course at the end of my emails in some way, but today since the end of the year is close, I want to share my apparel store.
Many of you might not know it even exists, but here are some of the t-shirts you can get there.
If you like any of them, feel free to get them through this link.
It will not get in time before holidays, but you can get a really cool shirt with original artwork to gift yourself or your loved ones.
And it makes sense to clarify that I do not sell anything I would not wear myself, so I can assure you they're as enjoyable to wear as they're cool to look at.
Maybe it's even the start of your newest thing to collect?
βStart your 2025 in style!β
That's it for today. If you enjoyed it, let me know! See you on the next one.
All the best,
Juanma from Creating Lightly
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