To collect
In Swedish, the word for collect, “samla” could mean “save” or “gather” or sometimes even ”hoard”.
To ”collect” is purposefully trying to get hold of things that fit in your ”collection”, however you define your own collection.
A popular way to define collecting is that, if you have three objects with some kind of connection to each other and are looking for a fourth.
A collection often begins with gathering, or as a gift. It may well be a collection without actively gathering, one can eg have inherited it and not knowing what to do with it but wanting to keep it. Or you may think it is decorative but you are not interested in expanding it.
The members of Samlarförbundet Nordstjärnan collect just about everything. However, the largest field by far is antiques and old peasant objects which splits up into many sub-divisions. Weapons and military objects are also popular areas of collecting. The thing all these collectors have in common is that they, in a small or big way, preserve objects for future generations, objects that are likely to be discarded. They are saving and preserving our cultural heritage. Many collectors have also donated collections to public collections and helped them with their specific know-how. Many museums, libraries and other public collections are Nordstjärnan members and a fair number can count their origins from private collections.
A true collector is not happy only to collect, so our motto is Collecting, Learning, Knowing.
To save
Many say “save” when they mean collect, but it is not the same thing. To “save” is to take care of something which has turned up or is regarded as a spare.
But collecting often starts as saving and you can of course say that you own a collection without being an active collector.
To hoard?
Of course, we have hoarders among our members. But not quite so often as the society around us like to think. It is not all that popular to state that you are a collector and the reason could well be all the television programmes about obsessive collecting.
We are convinced that we provide a sanctuary for people who perhaps are viewed by many as eccentric.
We believe that there is a hidden collector in every person. Were we not all collectors as children? When you ask someone why he or she is not collecting anything you’ll often find that they have loads of china cats or all Kitty-books or know everything about USA’s space programme. Perhaps the love to dress in 19th century cloths or restoring old steam locomotives or …
To love
Many are members just because they like things and the histories around them. And many of us really appreciate the social side, all the exciting meetings that occur.
