Picker, Collector, Hoarder… Where do you Fit In?

I explore abandoned houses and such places. The rule is not to take anything (or leave anything, like garbage). I photograph the outside of old farm houses mainly, seldom entering them at all. In more than five years exploring the only thing I have ever taken was a green Pyrex bowl which I found out in the deep grass, full of rotting weeds. It took several bleach washings to get the smell out of the bowl. I kept the bowl and I have no desire to sell it. I kept it for the house, the history of the place.

My Mom and I go to auctions, flea markets and thrift stores. We also pick up stuff from the side of the road if it looks good. But, we don’t sell it. Most of it gets refurbished and then we give it to family members and friends who need it. We repurpose. The odd time something ends up being left at the bottom of our own driveway for another picker to pick it up and see what they do with it.

A few times I tried selling old things we don’t still use or have space to keep around. But, it was annoying to deal with people who wanted to shop, rather than buy.

When does collecting become hoarding? I think a lot of people forget the actual pleasure of having something you enjoy. Instead they just want the hunt, the finding of  so-called collectibles and then they just want to own it. Not to enjoy it, but just to own it, like having the right number in their collection. They forget to actually enjoy having it. Someone could move all the items and they could never see them for years and it would make no real difference. They might even prefer to just collect it again rather an feel the loss of it.

I like to watch the shows about antiques, collecting, the storage locker buyers and even (less often) the hoarders. But, I don’t think I will take it on as a business. That would take the fun out of the picking up of junk and turning it into something of value. Plus, I don’t want to take on more stuff. There is only so much space available and only so much time I want to spend on dusting and maintaining stuff.

• HubPages: American Pickers: Who Has the Money to Buy This Junk?
• HubPages: How to be a Picker of Antiques and Collectibles
• Daily Motion: Pickers Inc.
• Yard Sale Shark
• Snip.it: Antiques, Vintage Collectibles and Collecting
• Entrepreneur: Four Tips for Getting Started in a Collectibles Business
• Mother Earth News: How to be an Antique Picker
• HubPages: Would you Be a Great Picker?

The above photo is upcycled jewellery from The Key of A.