In Defense of Collecting

Collections are much more than just an assortment of items gathering dust on a shelf. Whether it’s stamps, coins, or even TV show memorabilia, collecting can be a deeply meaningful and enriching hobby. But why do people collect? Why does it matter, and where is the line between collection and overconsumption?

Collectors collect a variety of things for a variety of reasons. Whatever you can imagine, somebody most likely collects it. It is the thrill of the chase, the moment when you feel whatever is in your hands, when you dust your shelves and place more additions onto it, and feeling that satisfaction, it is watching your collection grow over the years into something that you could never have imagined.

Ven Estrada ‘26 comments on their collection of bird figurines.

“Throughout the years, I have just been accumulating bits and pieces of bird figurines. I personally am fascinated with ornithology, and that’s why I keep getting all this bird stuff. It’s a way to express something that brings me joy in such a physical, easy-to-see way. Just seeing it while I’m going about my daily activities at my desk is something special, and I hope to collect more as the years go on.”

Estrada explains the feeling of collecting best. Just being surrounded by something that you love and something that comforts you can put your mind at ease, easily reminding you of that comfort and allowing something tangible to hold on to in a physical manifestation of that.

When asked for an anecdote about an item they love and cherish, Estrada shared “My sister is a college student, so not super wealthy. She asked if I wanted a small birthday or a small Christmas Gift, or a big Christmas gift. So I said two small gifts. I did not grow up with a lot of money, so I have always enjoyed having things. I grew up poor, so I like knowing things are mine and that I got them and that I get to keep them. For Christmas, she said ‘I know I said I would get you two small gifts’, and then I opened it and it was a signature from Alex Brightman, one of my favorite singers. It was just so special to me, and that is one of my most treasured items. Knowing that she didn’t have a ton of money and that she knew that it was important enough to me that she would regret it if she didn’t buy it.”

Rainer McCallum ‘26 hasn’t considered what he does to be a true collection before, but shared about his love for plushies and his forgotten accumulation of state quarters. “It kind of depends on the definition of a collection I suppose, it’s just that I see a plushie and I want to have it so I get it, and so then I end up having a lot of them. I also collected all of the state quarters, and I’m very proud of it. I found them all over the course of 6 years, all except the American Samoa quarter. I feel lame talking about the origin of the collection, because I just did it to prove that I could do it. My stickers could also be considered a collection, because I kind of accumulated them.” 

Ellie Lange ‘26 shares about her collection of Lilo and Stitch merchandise, and the reason for her collection. “I have a lot of Stitch things. I have an obsession with him, he’s so cute. I have ceramic plates, pom pom streamers, legos, stuffed animals, two blankets and figurines.”

Lange also shared about her ‘embarrassment’ towards having a collection centered around what is seen as a children’s film. “It’s just seen as childish. It’s everywhere, all over my room. Mine is a comfort thing. Lilo and Stitch was a comforting movie for me and it got me through tons of stuff, so now that it’s in my room, I feel safe in there.”

A prime example of a collection that is truly a heartfelt passion project is none other than the collection of @riverdalecollector on instagram, or Abby. Abby has been collecting and preserving Riverdale and Archie Comics memorabilia for 6 years, including various screen-used props and wardrobe, and has also met the cast and been an active voice in the fandom since. “Ever since I started watching Riverdale, it’s had a very, very special place in my heart. It’s gotten me through a lot over the years. The heart of my collection, the reason why I do it is really to preserve the history of this show. It’s very special to be able to put on an episode and point out something that I have in my possession. And it’s really for archiving, for preserving. It’s just really, really so special and it’s a feeling that you can’t really understand unless you are somebody that has something from your favorite show.”

But where is the line between collection and overconsumption? Overconsumption is defined as excessive consumption of goods and services, leading to waste and harm to the environment. The word “overconsumption” has plagued the internet for the past few years. Simply put, overconsumption is the line that cannot be crossed. It is the moment materialism makes us bleed, while collecting involves acquiring and preserving items based on a specific interest or theme. Collecting can be a passion and appreciation for objects, but it can also contribute to overconsumption if the focus becomes acquiring as much as possible, regardless of need, or if the purchase is devoid of the passion at the center of collecting. The line between overconsumption and collection is blurred, and that line is a tedious, precarious line at that.

Collecting, as a practice of love and appreciation, is the antithesis of over-consumption because it champions holding on to and cherishing objects instead of simply throwing them away and buying the next new thing. It takes passion, love, pride, and will power, not in the way that 100 dollar SHEIN hauls or buying the new Stanley Cup even though you already have 5 takes. Collections should involve personal connection beyond just the acquisition of things. Every item is tied to a memory or an interest. Collecting isn’t just buying stuff to buy stuff in the way that overconsumption is– collecting is preservation and collecting is passion. The answer to this question truly lies in intent and purpose, not just in ourselves, but also in the things we collect. Historical artifacts are not something you can just throw away- they are meant to be kept, to be seen, to prove that we were really there- but what is truly considered to be a historical artifact or an invaluable piece of a collection? What about baseball cards? They are intended for collection, intended for safe-keeping. They exist simply for those who care enough to treasure them, and pieces in Abby (and my) collections are artifacts even if they are from the CW’s Riverdale, Ven and Rainer and Ellies collections are too, because they mean something to them. Because they hold memories and feelings within them, even if the energy is only shared between the object and the collector, and nobody else. 

According to Abby, “Cole Sprouse once said to me that collecting is the purest form of passion. And I think that is absolutely true. Having something that you love enough where you’re going to go and you’re going to hunt and you’re going to spend all this money and you’re going to search. You’re going to do whatever it is to fuel that passion. I think that is really really important and I think that it’s really an admirable quality to have. Going all out was the best thing that I’ve ever done. So if you love something, go all in. Go all in. No matter what it is, if you love it and it drives you and it makes you happy, who cares what anyone else has to say about it?”

At times, this obsession with objects feels antithetical to my politics. But I cannot deny that I really, truly love things.