Plumbata
Well-Known Member
For some time the question of "What is necessary in the making of a bottle collector?" has been an interesting item to ponder.
It seems that bottle collectors, or collectors of relics in general, are overwhelmingly and personally connected through their upbringing, culture and history to the objects so desired. Though I am sure they exist, I have never personally seen any American bottle diggers/collectors or dealers who are not Caucasian or Native American English-speakers. I have seen 1st generation Asian immigrants digging for minerals at mines here in the US but have never seen a single one interested in digging or collecting historical relics from this country. Westernized English-speakers, whether they be American, Canadian, British or otherwise, seem to have an inborn appreciation for eachother’s history and relics, probably due to similar culture and overlapping histories. I, however, have never personally met or seen an African-American or Hispanic collector or dealer, and though I am certain they exist, their numbers are likely disproportionately low relative to the populations they represent. I'd wager that it is a function of their sense of culture and collective history being quite different from our own.
I doubt that the urge to hunt, find, and collect old bottles is almost exclusive to whites, as it appears on the surface, but rather a result of one's personal connection to the history; the peoples and places of the past which are intimately intertwined with the objects we desire. I personally identify with the "mainstream" collective sense of the American and European past; I was brought-up immersed within the idea that this history was my history, and as such I feel a connection to the physical representations of this history which goes beyond the appreciation of superficial aesthetics and right into some sense of an abstract shared bond with the makers and users of the items deep in the past.
Collecting ancient artifacts, such as copper-culture tools made by the Natives in the great lakes area, or European and Asian artifacts ranging from the neolithic to iron-age is also very personally appealing. Often the sense of direct historical connection is present, but when it is lacking the connection is more broad in scope; these artifacts are manifestations of milestones in the refinement of inborn, uniquely human skills and abilities, and an increasingly advanced technological aptitude required to produce them. This, i believe, is a bond which transcends different cultures and histories and encompasses all people, by virtue of the fact that all peoples had a part in the development of modern humanity and the advantages we today enjoy. The drive to create and/or understand was strong in the people of the past, as it is amongst the modern progeny of those individuals now lost to the sands of time.
It also seems that the hunting/gathering instinct, an ancient ancestral trait, is another reason for collecting these nifty items, a reason which doesn't rely on a refined sense of personal connection but does mesh well with the sense if present.
Anyway, to bring this back to bottle collecting, I'd like your input and opinions regarding what forces have motivated you to collect and appreciate, and what you perceive as the forces which drive other collectors. Also, if you know of collectors who are atypical (according to my assumptions) please offer your observations and ana-lysis.
It seems that bottle collectors, or collectors of relics in general, are overwhelmingly and personally connected through their upbringing, culture and history to the objects so desired. Though I am sure they exist, I have never personally seen any American bottle diggers/collectors or dealers who are not Caucasian or Native American English-speakers. I have seen 1st generation Asian immigrants digging for minerals at mines here in the US but have never seen a single one interested in digging or collecting historical relics from this country. Westernized English-speakers, whether they be American, Canadian, British or otherwise, seem to have an inborn appreciation for eachother’s history and relics, probably due to similar culture and overlapping histories. I, however, have never personally met or seen an African-American or Hispanic collector or dealer, and though I am certain they exist, their numbers are likely disproportionately low relative to the populations they represent. I'd wager that it is a function of their sense of culture and collective history being quite different from our own.
I doubt that the urge to hunt, find, and collect old bottles is almost exclusive to whites, as it appears on the surface, but rather a result of one's personal connection to the history; the peoples and places of the past which are intimately intertwined with the objects we desire. I personally identify with the "mainstream" collective sense of the American and European past; I was brought-up immersed within the idea that this history was my history, and as such I feel a connection to the physical representations of this history which goes beyond the appreciation of superficial aesthetics and right into some sense of an abstract shared bond with the makers and users of the items deep in the past.
Collecting ancient artifacts, such as copper-culture tools made by the Natives in the great lakes area, or European and Asian artifacts ranging from the neolithic to iron-age is also very personally appealing. Often the sense of direct historical connection is present, but when it is lacking the connection is more broad in scope; these artifacts are manifestations of milestones in the refinement of inborn, uniquely human skills and abilities, and an increasingly advanced technological aptitude required to produce them. This, i believe, is a bond which transcends different cultures and histories and encompasses all people, by virtue of the fact that all peoples had a part in the development of modern humanity and the advantages we today enjoy. The drive to create and/or understand was strong in the people of the past, as it is amongst the modern progeny of those individuals now lost to the sands of time.
It also seems that the hunting/gathering instinct, an ancient ancestral trait, is another reason for collecting these nifty items, a reason which doesn't rely on a refined sense of personal connection but does mesh well with the sense if present.
Anyway, to bring this back to bottle collecting, I'd like your input and opinions regarding what forces have motivated you to collect and appreciate, and what you perceive as the forces which drive other collectors. Also, if you know of collectors who are atypical (according to my assumptions) please offer your observations and ana-lysis.
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