A Perfect Collection

Be it antiquing or just regular old collecting, five 417-landers share their collecting stories and show that the process can be more about personal aesthetic appeal than intended financial gain.

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There is indeed an art to the art of collecting. For five collectors, the wisdom of time is one key to their success, allowing them to find that unique piece, and on the other end, watch its value increase. But surprisingly, the call to collect is less about striking gold than the visual pleasure these collectors gain from their objects year after year.

The “thrill of a hunt” is how Ann Hicks describes her passion for collecting. And the pure impact of “beautiful pieces” has Donna Towe on the lookout for vintage women’s accessories. The process of collecting, near and far, and not the event of being finished is the heartbeat of this ongoing pursuit. Not one of the collectors mentioned parting with their pieces.

I know their passion. In 1985 my husband and I started collecting original circus memorabilia. It started when we fell in love with the colorful posters announcing the circus was coming to town. As writers, we were amused by the run-on sentences of certain acts: “A score of razor-edged steel knives hurled through space outlining the figure of a beautiful girl strapped on a revolving disc rotating at terrific speed.” All this and a graphic, too. We couldn’t resist.

At the time we spent money we didn’t have, on items we instantly loved, to buy stuff that defined our décor more than we may have realized. Our kids begged us to put away the “creepy clown,” or take some posters down. “People think you guys used to be in the circus,” they whined.

But we continued collecting. And the 8-foot-tall original poster with the clown, polar bear and trapeze artist we bought with monthly payments 20 years ago is a rare piece today. It may even pay for a month or two of retirement. That is, if we ever let it go.