Curio Curators

Not long ago, Meridee realised that she had developed a peculiar habit. In a flash of realisation, she suddenly realised she had been unconsciously surrounding herself with ceramic birds for years. In addition, as an artist, she awoke to the fact that her paintings were mostly concerned with birds of all kinds. One might assume Meridee was some kind of ornithophile, but in reality, she admits to having no conscious interest in the creatures whatsoever.

But Meridee’s story is not as unusual as we might think. While many self-confessed collectors can identify the genesis of their chosen focal point, a special Glenferrie Times investigation found that a number of hunter/gatherers admitted to being ‘unaware’ they were collectors until it became too hard to ignore. Similarly, there are the deniers, who like one local man, refused to be classed as 'a collector’, yet admitted space was the only reason he 'only owned three motorcycles’.

Famed psychoanalyst Carl Jung said, the unconscious mind is genetically inherited and not shaped by personal experience. If we apply his theory to collecting, perhaps our subjects are guided to their preference by a bird or motorbike-loving ancestor. For many people, collecting is a habit and ritual; two things which often defy logic, but give us a strange sort of comfort.

Aside from subconscious collecting and straight up denial, our study found that the most common ways in which people become serious collectors is; through being gifted a collectible, inheriting a collection and through a school project which sparked an obsession. Some locals who shared the appeal of collecting explained that it provided a focus, a worthy investment and as a way to connect with others who shared their interest. Some concluded that collecting is occasionally a problem, which can encroach on one’s space, time and money. As to why someone may stop collecting, a former flavoured water bottle collector nominated ants as their primary reason.

Some items are simply designed to become collectables; eternal favourites such as stamps and coins never really fell out of fashion, as evidenced by the multiple numismatists (coin collectors) and philatelists (stamp collectors) we encountered. These items along with trading cards made up the lion's share of local collector’s stashes. Unsurprising when you consider the market for coins, stamps and cards can generate serious big bucks and the variety of collectables of this ilk is staggering. Miniatures and figurines were also popular, but relatively valueless themed beer coasters and matchboxes also found strong representation.

The coveted $5.275 million dollar Pokemon card

These items tend to be evocative of happy memories of travel, filling the sentimental value tanks. For younger collectors, trading cards such as Pokemon and Dragonball Z, doubtlessly scratch the same sentimental itch, while potentially acting as the most surefire investment anyone could ask for. Pokemon is recognised as the most valuable collector's brand in the world today, with a single card selling for a record $5.275 million in July 2021. Gotta catch ‘em all indeed. Meanwhile, in the world of comics, $5.30 million can snag you a copy of the first ever Superman - it’s enough to make one leap over a tall building in a single bound.

Fiona dives into her 172 strong collection of Archie comics

Local Archie comic collector, Fiona may not be aware that a copy of one such comic sold for $167,000 in 2011. She simply “enjoyed the cast and their adventures enough that I wanted to read more.” Fiona possesses 172 Archie comics from over 15 years of collecting. She inherited the interest from her mother who “had to give up her collection when she was young.” This passing of the baton has resulted in Fiona developing “a third eye trained in just spotting Archie comics.”

“I have to check a lot of second hand locations. Op-shops, markets, antique stalls and book sales are some of the main ones. You never know where you might find something good. I also have my mother and some friends keeping an eye out, just in case!”

While comics were traditionally lighthearted adventures which encouraged kids to read, local collector Dan’s hoard spotlights a time when comic art was used to denigrate, dishearten and dehumanise. As the Japanese and the Australians fought in the Pacific region during WWII, hundreds of brightly coloured pamphlets were airdropped over the battlefields. These often disturbing comic illustrations were classed as propaganda and their messages were far from subtle.

WWII Propaganda: Surrender for assured survival?

Coming from the Japanese, these pamphlets depict such things as Australian soldiers at risk from the US allies, while others promote the idea that surrender was a way to guarantee survival. This fascinating collection in Dan’s words “reminds me how bitter enemies Japan and Australia were, and it gives me hope that if two countries who hated each other so much can reconcile and become great allies and friends, there might be hope for our world today”. Dan’s collection is rare in the sense that it is complete.

“I spend 1-2 hours a month communicating with a network of people around the world to check if any new examples pop up, however I have not seen any I don’t have in nearly two years.” He developed an interest in these relics after walking the Kokoda Trail and conversing with returned servicemen. Dan sees his collection “preserving history” and “one day will donate the collection to the Australian War Memorial.”

Steve with a portion of his 70,000 calling cards collection

By sheer numbers, local business card collector Steve has to take the top prize, with close to 70,000 individual items in his possession. Not bad for 14 years work, but not enough to get him into the record books, Steve explains. “Honestly, it started off because I wanted to get into the Guinness Book of Records but that dream got crushed early on when I found out somebody in America had a lot more than me. So I started to collect from a historical perspective”.

“I keep all the general business cards from local suburbs. In, say, 50 years, someone could look back through the collection and see the businesses that existed on Glenferrie Road at one time. There are already a number of businesses that have disappeared since I began collecting, and these cards might be the only remaining physical item of their existence.” His collection has a strong Melbourne leaning, but also covers international icons like Barack Obama, Madonna, Fidel Castro and Elvis Presley to name a few.

As to what motivates us to hunt and collect, Steve surmises that “collecting becomes a game. It’s fun. It involves research and organisation, and you encounter many surprises and discoveries along the way. There is a financial or investment component as well, so I guess many people also like to collect in the hope things will appreciate in value.”

Given the uniquely human trait of placing value on pretty much everything, perhaps our most natural state is assuming the role of Earth’s curators; cataloguing, labelling, revising and legacy building for future generations.