Hoarders vs. American Pickers

[19Sandy]

I am watching an American Pickers episode and there is no difference in the properties in many cases from those on Hoarders. The hoard tends to be outside a home on the land or in outbuildings but it is still a lot of stuff piled everywhere. One guy had a ton of junk that led to his front door and the pickers searched through it looking for collectibles. However, the spin is on collecting rather than hoarding. Now it is true that I haven't seen piles of fecal matter or trash bags on American Pickers. But at some point, collecting is a low-level of hoarding. I wonder how law officials make the decision if someone has a hoard or is collecting? I guess if the person collecting lives in the country on a big property away from anyone else, then no one will complain.

[Ultralight]

Collecting is actually quite distinct from hoarding.

[19Sandy]

Collecting is actually quite distinct from hoarding.

Now on AP it isn't. Stuff piled out in the rain or in a barn - not in glass cases or on bookshelves.

[Ultralight]

Collectors organize, maintain, clean, and -- most importantly -- joyfully display their collections. They revel in others seeing and enjoying their collections.

Hoarders do not take part in this constellation of behaviors.

[Chicken lady]

And so I will always be a hoarder, as apparently an extreme introvert cannot be a collector.

i am having a really good time arranging and rearranging my dolls as I work on my basement space though. And I had a really nice conversation about doll designers at the pottery studio the other day with someone who may or may not be a collector. It helped that we were both glazing pots on opposite sides of a low partition. I find conversation to be facilitated by lack of demand for eye contact.

Re the shows, maybe it's a hoard if only you see value in it, and it's a collection if other people agree.

[Tybee]

And so I will always be a hoarder, as apparently an extreme introvert cannot be a collector.

Lots and lots of collectors are extreme introverts, CL:)

[Chicken lady]

Yes, but UA is determined that I must enjoy showing off my collection to other people in order to be a collector, and no one in my family has any interest in dolls and they sometimes tease or mock me, so there is no enjoying there, and there are few other people I want in my home at all, so there is no showing happening.

[19Sandy]

CL - unless your dolls are sitting outside in the rain or collecting dust in a smelly barn then you got nothing to worry about. On AP - most of the sellers have stuff piled outside or in outbuildings where there is degradation. We are talking apples and oranges here. Watch a few episodes of AP to see what I mean. There are some shows where the collectors are displaying stuff nicely but mostly, it is piles outside or in abandoned buildings.

Don't know what the introvert comment is about actually.

On hoarders there are extroverts, introverts and everything in between. Same with AP.

[Teacher Terry]

If you r family liked your dolls you would enjoy showing them and if they are clean, displayed, etc they are a collection. I would show mine to friends or my Mom who also liked dolls. Now I only have 2 so no collection. It took me a lot of time to maintain them, clean them etc as they will gather dust on their hair, clothes, etc. Some people use glass cases so they don;t get so dusty.

[iris lilies]

What kind of dolls do you all have?

I like fantasy character dolls, and have a couple small ones, but I dont collect with the idea of retaining them. I put them outside in garden poses and they freeze and thaw and last only a few years, but they are tougher than I thought they wouod be.

[Teacher Terry]

When I did collect I liked beautiful porcelain dolls. I have given all but 2 away to charity events for them to be used at silent auctions which felt really good. I also had a few antique dolls-one a baby (bisque) that cried when you laid her down and back up and a few antique small dolls.

[Tybee]

I have a few old cloth dolls, Swedish and Polish and Dutch. I love the old fabrics. Only have one out now on display, only have three or 4. Hoping to give them to my granddaughter if she likes them.

[iris lilies]

I have a few old cloth dolls, Swedish and Polish and Dutch. I love the old fabrics. Only have one out now on display, only have three or 4. Hoping to give them to my granddaughter if she likes them.
For antique dolls, I am attracted to.peg dolls. They are so inexpensive, I keep thinking I should buy one, but I wouldn't put it outside. So, what would I do with it? Ugh, more stuff in the house! But I do like them, peg dolls. They are all like Tottie in Rumor Godden's The Dolls House. i love that book.

[Chicken lady]

I love Rumor Godden.

I mostly have high end play dolls and low end designer (similar price point) in vinyl and resin. A few porcelain and cloth, some Madame Alexander from when I was a kid, a very few antiques. I am more into the structure and sculpting of the actual doll than the clothes, although I like well made clothing and more natural fabrics, less "adornment". There are designers I really like and have a lot of because they are aftordable (Heidi ott for example - which started with inheriting part of my grandmother's collection) and some I just wanted one representative doll - I lucked into an "inexpensive" Phillip Heath that I love.

[Tiam]

Collecting is actually quite distinct from hoarding.

It is..or can be. In some of the shows on American Picker you can see that some of the places are just valuable hoards. Or hoards mixed with valuable stuff.

[iris lilies]

I love Rumor Godden.

I mostly have high end play dolls and low end designer (similar price point) in vinyl and resin. A few porcelain and cloth, some Madame Alexander from when I was a kid, a very few antiques. I am more into the structure and sculpting of the actual doll than the clothes, although I like well made clothing and more natural fabrics, less "adornment". There are designers I really like and have a lot of because they are aftordable (Heidi ott for example - which started with inheriting part of my grandmother's collection) and some I just wanted one representative doll - I lucked into an "inexpensive" Phillip Heath that I love.


I looked up some of Phillip
Heath's character dolls, I like them.

I should do a Rumor Godden reading marathon this winter. She is very engaging when writing about children. I like her books for adults that feature children.

She is like Donna Tartt who writes adult novels about children.

[JaneV2.0]

I like fashion dolls--Robert Tonner, Vogue, Silkstones, Gene--for the clothes. I've been all about the clothes since I was a child.
My grandmother had the first Barbie with the lovely wardrobe; the collection pretty much went downhill from there.

[19Sandy]

I can't remember if Mike and Jeff have ever bought dolls. They tend to go for old building signs, motorcycles and oil cans. All of these things are sitting outside in the rain covered with dirt and rust. Then you have the piles of gasoline-themed things, metal what nots and boxes of bits and pieces.

A lot of this stuff is interesting and historic, but the folks on H might have interesting stuff too. Their stuff is usually tossed in the trash though.

And most of the AP people are male while on H it seems to be more females with a few families, men or couples.

[iris lilies]

I like fashion dolls--Robert Tonner, Vogue, Silkstones, Gene--for the clothes. I've been all about the clothes since I was a child.
My grandmother had the first Barbie with the lovely wardrobe; the collection pretty much went downhill from there.
I had the first Barbie too. Well, first-ish. The clothes were magnificent.that is interesting that your grandmother had the doll and some of her clothes, why grandma?

my mother ther was cnflictwd about getting this adult,proporti Jed, secualized doll. it mdnt thnk she u derstood that the draw wad the miniature couture. I never loved or even especially liked Barbie, she was a mannequin.

I own in my adult size, a red velvetine swing coat just like my Barbie had.

I dont remember what happened to that Barbie and her clothes. They would have been in quite good shape since only I played with them, no younger siblings to destroy doll stuff, my brother wasnt interested.

[JayPee]

I think it is about control. A collector controlls his/her collecting and collection, a Hoarder does not have control about the stuff and hoarding any more. Therefore, there is no strikt border between these two. A collector that gets addicted and loses control can become a hoarder.

Beeing a minimalist and collector seems to be a contradiction. For me it es not, as my collection adds value to my life. Class not mass, so I keep my collection small and every object is carefully chosen. 90% of my collection are acutally restored garbage, and it is a lot of fun restoring a model from just a pile of damaged parts. I limited the budget and have one rack in the basement for my collection - not more. I sell and trade parts of the collection from time to time, no problem to let go. I think I'm safe at the moment ;-)

[19Sandy]

Watching AP and what is with the really old guys (late 80s) hanging on to this stuff? Huge buildings filled with stuff and they won't let it go. Now if a woman does that, she is a hoarder, but when men do it, they are collectors. So, the son-in-law is just sitting there thinking how he is going to have to get rid of the stuff. Buildings that are as big as hospitals willed with random stuff. I love it when they are willing to let it go.