FOREWORD by PIERRE BERG É

What does it mean to be a big collector?

In school we collect good marks and bad marks; later in life, lovers and sometimes police tickets or errors. Well we know that all of this does not make someone a collector.
The dictionary tells us, a collection is a combination of objects, which have been selected because of their beauty or value. Is that true?
That would mean to misjudge the essential character of a collector, his obsession, his persistance as well as his panic and his care. I know of people who collect corks or matchboxes which are neither beautiful nor valuable. The collector dedicates his life to his passion, he sacrifies everything for it or almost everything. If he decides to sell his or her collection in an auction, after several years, then this is rather a reason of his vanity than a reason to make a profit. In most cases he starts immediately to built up a new collection anyway. One object shows a certain interest, two objects can fit togehter, but three objects can be already a collection. From this moment everything is allowed to enrich this collection. To build up a collection one needs time, patience, abtitude and last but not least profound knowledge and expertise. Real collectors are as competent as some experts.