Hobby or hoarding: The psychology behind the drive to collect

Inspired by the likes of Marie Kondo and the Minimalists, many of us are trying to live with less. In a de-cluttering climate it almost seems profane to accrue but there’s a group who can’t be convinced to part with their treasures - collectors. KISS fan Paul Neilson started collecting band merchandise at age six.

He said in the late 1970s shops had aisles full of the band’s branded merchandise; they were on cereal boxes and had their own confectionary lines. “For me really it was the records I was buying, this stuff was just icing on the cake because there was just so much of it. “

Mr Neilson said as a lot of his collection was accrued as a child, he has things that are incredibly rare as few adults would have thought to keep them. “As a kid that is really hard because I did cut up magazines, I did put posters up on the wall,” Mr Neilson said. “And some of them are damaged but… some items are very well preserved because I just had the nous to look after them.”

Collectors are a special breed. “Collectors are different people,” said antique sewing machine collector Les Walsh, who has about 150 machines dating back to 1863. “People who don’t collect they don’t understand why collectors have such a passion,” he said.

Mr Walsh purchased his first antique machine 20 years ago to add interest to his sewing machine dealership. Since then, he has travelled to Europe and the USA to buy machines to enhance his collection.

The former aeronautical engineer said he finds the mechanics of the machines fascinating but it is the seeking and sourcing of his next treasure that thrills him. “Collecting is addictive to any collector, you are just keen to know what your next find will be.”

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