In the last week I've seen several posts on Facebook along the lines of "How do I start collecting X?" "I want to collect X, what should I buy?" which always seems so strange to me because surely collecting is just buying stuff you like until you have a lot of it? The idea that you'd need someone else's opinion on what to buy is just bizarre, if you like the thing, you can afford the thing, then buy the thing.
Which is why I'm here today to say this very important message
You don't have to have it all figured out
Your collection doesn't need a goal or a plan. It doesn't need to be perfect, or the right thing or 100% show stopping pieces. It doesn't even have to be all horses, you can just own things with no purpose and that's OK.
The harsh reality is that a large proportion of what you buy is probably not going to keep its value. Generally speaking a regular run Breyer will not fetch as much as retail price on the second hand market (there are some exceptions). All models will get damaged, particularly if you show. You can try to avoid it as much as possible but rubs, marks and breaks are inevitable when you are shifting models back and forth every weekend. At some point your Springer Spaniel will eat a horse and a cat will knock one off the shelf. One day you are going to smash one of your best show horses putting it back in the cabinet. Some things will increase in value and some will be a decent investment but a lot of what you own won't. And that's OK. The point of collecting isn't to get rich at some mysterious point in the future at which you sell the items, the point is to buy beautiful things, that you love and fill your life with richness.
So if you're not sure where to start, or want to start collecting something different, here is my advice. Just buy a thing. Anything. There. You started.
I shall leave you with a picture of the beautiful Plum, who one day will hopefully be able to go off to a repair artist and be made whole again.
