Thinking about this a bit. It took me three decades to conclude that I wasn’t just a bloke who shot who occasionally bought guns he was interested in, and for the most part kept them, but was actually what is known as a collector.
I mostly bought guns to shoot. I also bought guns that I’d had when younger, or wanted but couldn’t afford or didn’t buy then. Or just for a laugh, like my small “collection” of “classic” Chinese springers. I have had marque preferences, for Webley and Diana, but not to the point of buying Webleys or Dianas that I don’t like or am not interested in (e.g. Webley Hawks, Diana Mod 2s or tinplates).
But I’m not a classic collector in that, for example, for many years I had no interest in owning, rather than reading about, things like BSA LJs or Webley Services. Only recently has that changed, when all the good ones have become very valuable and can no longer be got cheap following a random chat with some old boy in country pub.
Also, I like pistols. But I shoot them. If an air/CO2 pistol won’t put 9 or more of 10 pellets into the black of a 10M target card, I rapidly lose interest. They have to be fairly accurate. But while I do like older match pistols and have a few, I’m by no way purely a collector of match pistols.
My theory is that most collectors probably have multiple motivations, like me, but many have a principal motivation that is more powerful than others.
My suggestions are:
1. Accumulator. Just buys anything and everything he likes with no particular overarching theme or specialisation (probably me).
2. Antiquarian. Loves the stuff from before he, or his parents, were born.
3. Nostalgic. Mostly collects things from their youth.
4. Marque specialist. Primarily collects a particular maker or maker(s). Or a particular model from a particular maker.
5. Typologist. Collects a particular type, irrespective of makers. Eg pump-ups, 10m match rifles, 80s springer sporters.
6. Technologist. Fascinated by design and operating mechs. Has no interest in owning every variant of the Webley Service, but desperately wants the one known Cumbeledge-Smythe swing-barrel, butt lever cocking pistol.
7. Other. There’s always an other.
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Originally Posted by harvey_s
