Thanks to the strong secondary market, there is no limit as to how many Hermes Birkins, Kellys and Constances can be acquired by one person. Perhaps the best way to do so for many is to simply purchase whichever bags are most personally desirable, and of course affordable, and many collections are created through this ongoing process of evolving taste. Desire and acquire. But some are prone to a more pointed mode of collecting. Selecting a set of traits and seeking out fitting examples to fill the gaps and move towards a goal. Completionists aim to finalize a collection by bringing together every extant example, even unique pieces if their chosen set of constraints includes them. Some speculate on the possibility of a complete collection being worth more than the sum of its parts, but when such rare groups come to market, the results rarely prove so. The limits of a collection can be refined or expanded at any point as the collector’s tastes change, and many collectors start by simply desiring and acquiring whichever bags they like, and later refine their searches and shed their earlier, now unqualified acquisitions. This can be considered the final step in the common climb many collectors make from Louis Vuitton to Chanel, to Hermes, and lastly to a refined Hermes collection.
Many collections are built on simple specifications, for example, only Kellys, or only Gold hardware, or only Black. Within these broad categories the possibilities are endless, and additions are easily found. These examples qualify more as tastes than pointed collections, as would a closet full of neutral bags, though the line defining a collection is more or less up to the collector. A closet full of neutral bags may come about subconsciously or as the result of a personal search for specifically desired shades. A collector can create their own ideal collection entirely of seemingly disparate bags, though if this group is desired by the collector, they will find satisfaction in seeking out the bags on their list. Some collectors choose to follow more pre-set paths, seeking examples from their favorite limited editions, or acquiring different styles in their favorite color/leather/hardware combinations. No one mode of creating a collection is superior, though understanding the market, the history, and the possibilities available allows appreciation of any bag or group thereof whether considered a collection or not.
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