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53 Collector’s “I.” From the mundane to the exotic, from the useful to the useless, the collectible is tangible, and that is its point. You can see, touch, categorize, and name it. However, it is not the thing itself, but the eye cast upon the thing, that makes it collectible. Baseball cards, knives, rare books, African masks, ceramic eggs, hats, dolls, or nutcrackers in collections are not treated like common things, used to slice a melon or keep off the sun, but hung on walls, displayed in glass cases, protected in binders. They are often cataloged by collectors who proceed with full purpose, who have a view of what they are building, seeking specific items to fill in gaps and achieve complete coverage . But no collection is ever completed, because want of the desired object is the essence of collecting, and you cannot want what you already have. With some collectibles, say salt shakers , there can be no thought of completion, for they are stars in the limitless sky. But the same law of desire applies when the collected objects are restricted in number. A collector who gathered all the David Winter cottages, when they were a niche mania, waited eagerly for new designs yet to be issued. When new cottages ceased, so did the mania. In possession of each buffalo nickel, a numismatist would seek finer specimens of the coins he already possessed or widen his horizon to pennies and dimes. 54 With all collections, the desired items cast back the light of the eye that looks on them. The collector says, “I collect rare books” or “I collect African masks.” The collector says, “I am a collector.” ...

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