Hobbies Involving Collecting

The hobby of collecting involves the acquisition of certain items to build up a collection. These items can be anything that interests the collector, from coins, stamps and comics to Star Wars memorabilia and antique muskets. Collections vary widely in terms of the breadth and width of their subject matter; they can cover items related to a general area (e.g. military memorabilia) or they may relate to a very specific subtopic of general interest (for example, British medals).

Whilst some collections can be completed (e.g. a copy of every book by a particular author), others have no real limit to the number of items that may be collected (for example, stamps from around the world). If a collection is completed, the collector may begin a new collection of a different interest, or they may simply continue with the original interest, but expand it to include more general items. Collectors who specifically try to assemble complete collections are known as 'completists'.

Collections are often highly organised, carefully catalogued and attractively displayed. Many of the most popular areas of interest are served by specialised commercial dealers that trade in the items being collected, as well as related accessories.