Teddy bear collecting can be a wonderful and satisfying hobby.  Unfortunately, too many collectors approach the art of teddy bear collecting as a shopping spree.  Compulsive buying addictions can be translated into collecting most anything.  Do you have 20 pairs of the same shoes in different colors? Are there clothes in your closet that still have the tags on after several years that you've forgotten you even have?  Are you still holding on to those outfits that you bought that don't fit but you're sure someday you be able to fit into?  What about your collections?  Do you collect teddy bears the same way?  Are you truly collecting or are you just accumulating?

Collecting is a very careful selection process based on personal preferences, goals, and parameters which you set to define your collection.  These may change or you may modify them from time to time, but a well thought out collection contains only the specific items that fit those parameters.  In contrast, an accumulation is simply items purchased randomly and piled up, so to speak, without any specific goals or parameters.

The number of items you have in your collection should be totally unrelated to the type or characteristics of the particular bears you collect.  An ideal collection should be the very best of whatever type of bear you chose to collect.  Attempting to collect the very best of anything requires some research and discipline.  Add to your collection only those bears that truly fit the criteria you've decided upon.  Set a limit on size or particular type of bear for instance.  Try not to acquire duplicates of any particular bear. 

There are two types of collectors.  The born collector and the latent collector.  The born collector is deeply passionate and utterly addicted to his quest.  The born collector is someone who generally prefers that the desired object be difficult to obtain, because if it's too easy to get it's a whole lot less interesting.  The amount of items in the collection or the rationale for their purchases are of no issue.  For all born collectors, there is never too much and the hunt is everything.  The latent collector starts out as an heir of grandmother's dolls or grandfather's toy trains - things they loved from afar as a child but were forbidden to touch or play with.  These types of collectors are not particularly interested in the history of their items or manufacture methods, nor are they more than simply curious about values.  The true value to them is mainly sentimental.  Should the latent collector discover that his treasures are truly valuable then he/she may become an educated, late blooming, full-blown collector.  However, unlike born collectors, the latent collector isn't usually driven to own all or every item that exists in his area of interest.  The latent collector, while now passionate, makes his choices based still more on love for the collection and interest in the particular thing as it relates to historical past - most frequently, his or her own past.

If you are a born collector you would probably keep it, but if you are a latent collector and you come across a particularly wonderful bear that captures your attention but is not suited to your own collection, donate it to a worthy cause or pass it on to a friend who would love it and give it a good home!