Collecting is a common acquisitive and possessive behavior that is gen
erally regarded by society as more valued and less selfish than other
forms of luxury consumption. Based on depth interviews with 200 collec
tors, an assessment of collecting is offered considering its problems
and benefits for the individual collector, the collector's household,
and society. While extreme cases are found in which collecting is addi
ctive and dysfunctional for the individual and his or her family, it i
s more commonly found to be a beneficial activity, at least for the co
llector. But interpersonally, collections are found to be perceived as
non-human rivals for the affection of collectors in the household and
to leave a cultural legacy of material artifacts that over-represent
powerful social classes.