I’m not a live or die by the survey guy. Having slaved through a decade of research-driven grad school hell I have come to appreciate how much we can overextend data in terms of what it is actually telling us and to whom it actually applies. That being said, I can also appreciate the interesting peek into people’s perspectives they can bring, especially when it’s on a mindless topic that can do little harm by just glossing over. As a psychologist, my hobby interests fall solidly into the domain of mindless, allowing for some very passive and light reading when survey results around collecting pop onto my radar!
In light of the boom in the collectibles industry over the past two years, as widespread Covid lockdowns saw people re-directing their disposable incomes into hobbies accessible through online options, it is a pretty timely exercise to put a finger to the pulse of the public and glean some idea of where collecting currently sits for folks. While not the most extensive “deep dive” ever conducted (just over 1500 online respondents), the data do reflect a decent sample, while also allowing for the researchers to have a ice breakdown by gender, generation (Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers) and income.
So where’s the beef? Here are some of the interesting pieces for me at least:
- 61% of respondents identified themselves as a collector. A pretty decent chunk. Standing out for me though, and admittedly a possible bias from being a Gen X’er, was that the highest proportions of collectors came from the Gen Z and Millennial groups, with 76% and 72% self-identifying as collector respectively. I guess my old brain assumed younger groups had moved to other shinier interests than collecting. Makes me the ass I guess!
- The identified hobbies: The most commonly identified collectible? Coins! While my first instinct was to place this on being driven by the Boomers, it’s actually the case that they are the most commonly collected item amongst Millennials (20%), Gen X (16%) and the Boomers (16%)! As for Gen Z? It’s jewelry believe it or not at a solid 27%.
- Break the overall sample between men and women and we see the most popular items being coins (23%) and jewelry (14%), respectively.
- Following coins in popularity with the overall sample are toys, trading cards and jewelry at 12%, music at 11%, tv and movie memorabilia at 10%, art, sports memorabilia and sneakers at 9%, and comics at 8%.
- A significant 83% or collectors believe their collection will be worth something in the future, with 51% feeling it will be worth “a little”, and 32% feeling it will be worth “a lot”. At the same time, when asked “Why” they collect, while 32% of respondents do report hoping to make some money off their hobby, significantly more (59%) cite their love for the product in driving their collecting.
- While household income was certainly associated with estimated money spent on one’s hobby over their lifetime, gender appeared to be a more discriminating factor, with men ($6560) reporting having spent significantly more than women ($1660) across their lives. A likely factor here: hobby of choice.
Just a few of the more interesting pieces that jumped out to me! Feel free to jump over
to the original report to take a further look at the findings from this cool little piece of work! I would love to hear what jumps off the page for others, so hit up the comments!
Positive vibes and love to you and yours my friends. Let’s all take care of each other, ok?
If you or someone you know is in crisis and suicidal, please reach out! You are not alone, people care, and people want to help! You are loved and worth the time! Go
here to Wikipedia for a list of international suicide crisis hotlines and reach out to the appropriate one.
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Do you have a piece of treasured memorabilia that has a great story behind it? Let me know and you can be featured in an article. Doesn't matter how big or small the piece is, how valuable it may be, or whether it's a common item or more oddball. If you think it has a story, contact me via the information below and we'll chat. In the meantime, check out some previous "Display Case" articles via the links below to see what others have submitted in the past...
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Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Facebook: ShawnMcShawn
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Previous “Off The Ice” Articles
Jordan, The Fonz, and Hefner’s ED Issue
Previous “Ultimate Set Build” Articles
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1980-81 O-Pee-Chee
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