In the case of the American Pickers (a show we enjoyed until we downsized to basic cable and no longer get the show), they find people who probably didn't have anything as children, so when they were older and had money, they bought all those things, and more.... It is also an age of individuals who learned never to waste anything. You know, the string savers of the world.

Sometimes it's the hunt for items in collections that is the most fun part. I was that way with books for many years. Growing up we had precious few books and eventually I was able to put together a rather large personal library. When we sold our home - with a separate library with floor-to-ceiling oak bookcases, the people who bought the house didn't have any books to speak of and wasn't sure what they would put on the shelves. Now, people don't need/want books. I've donated over half of the books I collected over the years. Most recently, delivered around 500 books to a small community who was starting a library in an old church the town bought for $1.

Many REAL "collections" lost value when everyone was able to look for things on the Internet, but it made searching much easier.