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What drives people to collect things is anyone’s guess.
The level of commitment to building a collection can range from a hobby, which is often more about the fun of finding an object, to an obsession where time and money are no longer a consideration. It can start by accident or take the dedication of a lifetime.
And the range of items some people take an interest in collecting is limitless, from stamps and salt and pepper shakers to classic cars and works of art.
But whatever a person’s passion might be, and regardless of the value of the collection, there is general agreement that provision for the disposal of a much-loved collection needs to be on the agenda when discussing other end of life decisions.
Without direction, the burden of finding these objects a new home usually falls on beneficiaries at a time when they are already grieving and often dealing with other issues, as the following story demonstrates …
Cow collection mooving on
Raised in the countryside before marrying a farmer, Heather Lomas loved country living. She was also a great collector and this led the Warkworth resident to build up a formidable collection – of cows.
Soft toy cows, cow ornaments, snow-globe cows in pastures, glasses with cow motifs and cups. There were cow screw drivers, hats, umbrellas and even a child’s rocking cow.
Some treasures Lomas bought herself, with friends, family and neighbours also contributing to the collection. The cows were displayed in every room of the house including in the toilets.
They also filled specially built shelves in the hallway and could be found perched on shelves set up near the ceiling around some of the rooms.
While it is an impressive collection, its real value is likely in its novelty appeal as many of the pieces were bought from op-shops.
But when Heather died in early June, the collection posed something of a quandary for her daughter Lyndsay Pimm.
Pimm is based in London where she has lived for the last 20 years with husband Mark, and their eight-year-old son Daniel. They all came to New Zealand to help sort out Heather’s house after she passed.
Brand new when she bought it 20 years ago, the house was Heather’s pride and joy after moving off the farm she and husband Lindsay Ford once owned in Wyllie Road.
Pimm had a second-hand dealer come through the house and then a garage sale, where about half the household items were sold.
But it was what to do with her mother’s collection of ornamental cows that really had Pimm stumped. While she and Daniel each saved their favourite pieces to take back to the UK, they wanted to sell the rest of the cow objects as a collection if possible.
After looking at photos of the collection, a valuer showed no interest in viewing the collection in person because the objects weren’t old or valuable. Pimm had the same response from an auction house.
“I live in a tiny three-bedroom house in England so transporting them back to the UK has not an option,” she said.
Last week, the collection sold online for $700.
