Desperately Seeking Xena -- Collector Types Part 2

In Part 1, I described a type of collector that I call "the Aggregator", a completist collector whose goal is to collect every possible item related to their collection subject. I realize now that I didn't put forth a definition of "collector". One definition that I find particularly useful:

"We define a collector as a person who is motivated to accumulate a series of similar objects where the instrumental function of the objects is of secondary (or no) concern and the person does not plan to immediately dispose of the objects. Thus a person who accumulates a variety of toasters but does not use them to make toast is a collector of toasters. A person who buys and sells old books but never sets aside any of them for a personal collection is not a collector. Collectors of both fine art and bottle caps fit our definition, and we suggest that while the resources at the disposal of those who collect these two classes of objects differs greatly, the social-psychological motivations underlying their behavior do not" (McIntosh and Schmeichel 86).

You are a collector if you accumulate related items, do not plan to use the items, and do not plan to dispose of the items. That's a pretty basic definition of collecting.

Several Xenites have told me that if a Xena movie were to be made, my props and costumes would come in handy for the film makers. Of course that would render my collection defunct: it would no longer be a collection but would be working props and costumes.

Other types of collectors are identified by different sources:

1. Passionate collectors, who are obsessive and emotional. They will pay any price for the right item (see also Belk, 1991, on irrational aspects of collecting behavior).
2. Acquisitive collectors, who see collecting as an investment.
3. The hobbyist, who collects purely for enjoyment.
4. Expressive collectors, who collect as a statement of who they are. These types suggest some overt motivations for collecting: profit, the emotional thrill of acquisition (intense but short-lived positive affect), pleasure (mild but consistent positive affect), and self expression or aggrandizement (Saari 1997).

Among Xena collectors I've seen examples of all 5 types (including the aggregator). I'm not sure which type is most prevalent among the Xenaverse. What kind are you? Vote in the poll on the right.

Works Cited

Belk, R. W. "The ineluctable mysteries of possessions". Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 6, 17–55, 1991.

McIntosh, William D. and Brandon Schmeichel. "Collectors and Collecting: A Social Psychological Perspective". Leisure Sciences 26:85-94, 2004.

Saari, L. "Those crazy collectors". The Orange County Register. Tuesday, April 15, 1997.