Page 51 - April 2024

Child Collectors

Beatrice In one examination, parents were mentioned three times as
Beatrice is seven years old and in first grade (she also takes advanced frequently as friends and family when examining the child’s wish to
courses with older children throughout the day.) Though her name collect. Grandparents were also cited. In Beker and Gentry’s paper,
may sound old-fashioned, it is making a comeback and Beatrice herself Kids as Collectors: A Phenomenological Study of First and Fifth Graders,
is anything but conventional. She excels in her schoolwork, takes piano Tony, one of the fifth graders, told one of the interviewers he started
lessons, and is an excellent artist. She also collects objects, not just his collection of sports cards because:
anything, but specifically Magic Mixies. These are kits that enable “My Grandpa had some cards and I just started to like them, and I
children to learn magic as they blend ingredients. Each Mixie is just kept adding them and adding them to my collection … ‘cause I saw
different, with unrelated elemental powers. For example, one changes them at his house and then I started to collect them.”
color when water is added; another opens its eyes when a magnet is John Lennon was a child collector too. Interestingly enough, a
nearby. And yet, a third can create a new furry friend. relative, Stanley Parkes, gave John a classic stamp album when he was
The collector, Beatrice, lovingly displays her collection proudly as 10 years old. This started Lennon on his childhood philatelist collecting
well. In fact, when the family built a new bookshelf for Beatrice, she journey, his first passion, well before he developed his second, that of a
said to her mother, “Mommy, this shelf is for collecting.” singer-songwriter.

Children
Who Collect
The reported
incidence of chil-
dren who collect
varies from 30
and 40 percent to
perhaps 80 per-
Beatrice’s bookshelf displays her collection of Magic Mixies.
cent. Part of this
photo courtesy of her mother Front cover of Lennon Mercury stamp album and Lennon album p 34-35
disparity is that
the literature in this area is sparse. We do know, however, that natural John Lennon’s boyhood stamp album—including 565 stamps on more than
150 pages—was on display at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum
items are commonly collected (possibly related to a lack of financial from September 2018 to September 2019.
resources) and that there is a difference in what the two genders collect.
Girls are more likely attracted to visually appealing items and boys to
objects connected to war or sports. Summary
Psychologists have noted that collecting behavior in children often It is clear the urge to collect begins early in life. Not only that
begins around 6 to 8 years of age. This correlates with the time children but there may also be more child collectors than adults. Though
begin developing executive skills and a sense of control over their information overall about child collectors is anything but complete at
surroundings. Developmental psychologist, Jean Piaget (1896-1980), this point, child collectors appear to have many of the same motives
even designated collecting as belonging to a ‘concrete operational stage’ as adults.
in children. This is when they begin to understand logic and use it in FYI, there is a YouTube channel for Magic Mixies named “MooseTube
reasoning regarding objects in their surroundings and experiences. Squad” here: https://www.youtube.com/@MooseTube Squad.

Children’s Motivations to Collect References
Lekies, Kristi S., and Thomas H. Beery (2013). “Everyone Needs a Rock:
The instigating factors for children to collect include escaping Collecting Items from Nature in Childhood.” Children, Youth and
boredom and reality, curiosity about their collectibles, and learning Environments 23(3): 66-88. Retrieved [date] from http://www.jstor.
more about them. Other reasons include fulfilling a passion for the org/action/showPublication?journalCode=chilyoutenvi. Stacey Menzel Baker
objects they desire, wanting to distinguish themselves from others, and and James W. Gentry (1996), “Kids As Collectors: a Phenomenological Study
expanding their social world by possessing objects they collect. Often, of First and Fifth Graders,” in NA - Advances in Consumer Research
more than one motivation was revealed in surveys. And some children Volume 23, eds. Kim P. Corfman and John G. Lynch Jr., Provo, UT:
had more than one collection. Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 132-137.

Shirley M. Mueller, M.D., is known for her expertise in Chinese export porcelain and neuroscience. Her unique knowledge in these two areas motivated
her to explore the neuropsychological aspects of collecting, both to help herself and others as well. This guided her to write her landmark book, Inside the
Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play. In it, she uses the new field of neuropsychology to explain the often-enigmatic behavior of collec-
tors. Shirley is also a well-known speaker. She has shared her insights in London, Paris, Shanghai, and other major cities worldwide as well as across the
United States. In these lectures, she blends art and science to unravel the mysteries of the collector’s mind.
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