Clients who stroll through my life sometimes ask me why we collect things when they have no practical use. I have often pondered over this while beavering away in my base at Mitcham, or out in the field in the South of England and Wales. However, I generally answer clients along the lines of ‘because of an embedded urge in our subconscious minds’.
So Where Did Collecting Things Come From?
It seems to me obvious we share some behaviour with higher order creatures. Here, for example I think of the desire to socialise, and to find reliable sources of food. There are many other drivers naturally; but my focus here is we share a habit of collecting things with some of these creatures.
Mind you, this is no idle chatter dreamed up on a lazy Sunday, when I needed something for Monday’s post. I earn my bread and butter valuing other people’s collections, and clearing houses of deceased estates.
Western Scrub Jay Caches Ground Nuts (Image Ingrid Taylar BY CC 2.0)
Some of us find ourselves involved in clearing homes of friends and family, after they pass on at the end of their days. HM Revenue and Custom’s enforcement has the right to intervene, where it suspects assets are undervalued to avoid incurring inheritance tax.
A professional valuation, such as those carried out by Avery Associates helps avoid the possibility of committing an accidental offence. Especially since this could lead to a skewed distribution of assets to heirs to an estate.
Why Animals Collect Things for Future Use
Creatures of the wild, and hunter-gatherers past and present create caches of food they conceal from others of their species. The commonest reason is to store food from times of bounty for future periods of relative shortage. The second most likely motive is to allow it to mature, or ripen as a dog does with a bone.
Thus hoarding can be a short-term or a seasonal custom, with food consumed after a few days or months later. Some creatures store their caches in central locations. However, other creatures scatter their supplies in multiple places as human investors do with diverse portfolios.
Does This Help Explain Why We Collect Things?
Wikipedia editors distinguish between several behaviours related to caching and collecting I found helpful when preparing this article.
1… Guarding is the act of keeping food secret so other co-creatures cannot steal it or take it away. This seems to relate to compulsive hoarders hiding their collections behind closed doors. It may also help explain why they are so defensive when others want to clear their hoarded homes.
Interestingly, some creatures including carnivorous ‘butcher’ carnivorous shrikes openly spike their prey on sharp thorns. They seem to be boasting ‘look at me – you will never have this’ as some classic car collectors may do. I found this line of thinking interesting as I continued to explore this angle.
2… Shared hoarding is a rare phenomenon only really evident among acorn woodpeckers and beavers. Although many humans seem to prefer the relative safety on investing in funds. Shared property title has some resemblance to collective lairs and nests. By contrast, compulsive hoarding among humans seems to be an entirely solitary phenomenon like this:
A Hoarded Home Can be a Challenge to Clear (Image Avery Associated©)
Some birds including carnivorous ‘butcher’ shrikes openly spike their prey on sharp thorns. They seem to be boasting ‘look at me – you will never have this’ as some classic car collectors seem to do. I found this line of thinking interesting as I continued to explore this particular angle.
Caching shared investments for future use is the basis of all collective investment schemes. These allow a broader – and supposedly safer spread we are told. Beavers and acorn woodpeckers apparently create shared larders. This does bear some relationship to collectively salting money away for future use.
Relating This Further to Compulsive Hoarding
Compulsive hoarding takes the form of irrationally accumulating a large collection of items, plus household waste of no apparent value, although we can probably assume the hoarder considers they have some future or current value. I have seen this phenomenon across the South of England and Wales including Beckenham in Greater London.
Psychologists and social workers generally agree a traumatic event such as loss of a loved one triggers the syndrome. This insight could help explain why the compulsive hoarding response is so deep-seated, and also impossible to reverse even with deep therapy.
Where Does Collecting Fit Into All This Theory
To my mind there are two aspects of collecting to consider here, on the basis that collectibles can prove a great investment.
Hoarding or Collecting – Jeffrey Avery Knows (Image Avery Associated©)
1… True collectibles are a store of value in other people’s minds. They are willing to pay good money for them. I have seen large sums of money exchange hands for items I valued for clients.
2… Antique furniture, jewellery, art works and so on are a great way to store cash. When we collect things like these for future use, we have the added pleasure of having lovely things to adorn our homes.
How May I Be of Service to You?
I am Jeffrey Avery, professional experienced valuer, and founder and MD of Avery Associates in Mitcham, London. We also offer a responsible house clearance service in the south of England and Wales. You may never know what is in the garden shed, or in the attic until someone knowledgeable has a good look.
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PREVIEW Hoarding or Collecting (Image Avery Associated©)
