Have you ever been discriminated for being a collector?

I am sure everyone has at least once in their life as a collector.
My friend always says I'm "obsessed" or "greedy" or I'm a "hoarder"
JUST because 2 of my book shelves and dresser have birds and prehistoric and sea life all over them.I was also made fun of by the same friend because I trade and buy them from and with people.Eventually,she was getting so mean and nasty about my collecting her parents had a "talk" with her.She still does occasionally bring it up and insult me,but not as much as she use to.
What's your story?
Have you ever been discriminated just for collecting?
Epilogue:
She's not any better than I am.She just wastes her money on American Girl Doll clothing and talking Justin Bieber dolls.        She has no room to talk!

Im ususally called childish and crazy :)

That's not nice! You are not childish.
At least we collectors know better about animals!
We may my crazy,but in a very enticing way.

I have never been insulted outright. My family claims they think it is a very interesting and unique hobby (which it is) and my friends are more impressed when they see my room with three bookshelves (not totally full of animals, some have actual books on them  ) and they spend close to ten minutes trying to look at them all. I am sure when I get older I might get some insults myself sometime.
On a side note, if your friend bothers you (which it would me a little) have you ever talked to her about her insulting you? In my college level English class this past year we talked about argument and valid points and being able to back yourself up when you make a statement. I don't mean to be nosy, but it doesn't sound like she backs herself up very well with the "childish" claim of your hobby, if she collects dolls as well. And again, I do not mean to come off as nosy or offensive, I just thought maybe a little advice might help you.
Getting back to the point, when I go to stores and buy like six or seven figures I always catch people giving me sideways glances... and I just ignore them completely.   

I feel awkward visiting the Safari Ltd isle at Hobby Lobby a lot.
Yeah I let her know she is silly and all and she just gives me the "But dolls are worth while!" lecture.
Hahaha. :)

Paige, can you posts pictures of your entire collection on shelves? i don't think i have seen it before.  

I've never been mocked for it, but that's most likely because no one knows me well enough to have learned that I collect (or sculpt, or paint, etc.), and the few who know of it are collectors themselves. Or, come to think of it, most likely it is because of there's such an abundance of easier excuses to pick on me about that mentioning miniature collecting would probably seem a bit besides the point.  

@ Lance, I will post a few pics of my entire collection in my new additions thread so I don't disturb this topic. :) 

Huh that is interesting.Nice to know you haven't been mocked quite yet.

I've never been discriminated, bur I don't think my family understands it and my sister in law asked me once if I got tired of them if her daughter could get it.  

Its a passion and i never sell my collection or give it away.

My boyfriend think i have a lot, but he accepts my hobby.

But i some time gets a little shy when i go in shops and buy horses, i don't know why actually.

Once i bought a collection from a seller and i told her i collected and she was very impressed and thouhgt it was pretty cool. :-)

That's neat! I am sometimes embarrassed when I enter the animal isles at the stores.

If we had a shop which had animal aisles, we'd never be out of it!

Here's a thought: be an expert! One cure for detractors is to bore the knickers off them, while appearing very knowledgeable on your subject.

For example, do you have any of the Mojo animals that Ana sculpted? Show them off and talk about this wonderfully talented sculptor who is on a forum that you use. You’ve actually corresponded with her and what a nice person she is; how accurate her work is; she will also do one-off commissions - etc., etc., etc.

We also collect wired latex horses. If anyone calls us childish, we not only growl and bite, bt we bring out Kari -



… this is Kari; and we point out that he was made and hand-painted by one England’s greatest living equine artists - she usually works in bronze, but back in the 1970’s she experimented for three years with wired latex and resin. So he’s forty years old and worth a lot … etc., etc.

We don’t know how things are in the USA but over here, dolls of popular singers and groups lose all value after three or four years, and stay that way for the next twenty or thirty years.
It’s a fair bet that some of your animals will be worth considerably more than Justin Bieber dolls in ten years’ time!

Sue & Lesley
castlerigg

Haha yes thank you bravo!

yes and always discriminated

A Justin Bieber ????    Does it live underwater ?  

Haha yes it does.It also has a tattoo on his thigh I think.
I remember when she wasn't looking I ripped all its clothes off a posed it next to a Barbie.
She got so mad.She needs to know how I feel!

Uoh, this is a very interesting subject! :) I once usually felt quite embarrassed when entering a toystore to check out their selection. Now, I'm older and more like; I'm happy doing this, why shall other peoples predjudices stop me?! No way I even spend lots of time looking at several of the same model, to find the better paint, and with Schleich I look at their bellies to see where they're made.

I also use a bit of the same method as Sue & Lesley if asked too much by an employee. I say I use them for models for my art(as I actually do sometimes) and that I dream of making such figures myself one day (true as well).

My family never really bullied me for my collecting. And my boyfriend either, he Is just a bit curious, like asking which one is my favorite and such. Also, he knows if I could not have my little animals, I will want the bigger real ones, and I think not he is too fond of that idea

Haha nice!

Yes sometimes because I collect fantasy figures and some are for childs  The figures are made by persons like us so why I can't get one if I like it.

Also when I go to Disney Store to see the new figures, and other things  

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

I have never been insulted outright. My family claims they think it is a very interesting and unique hobby (which it is) and my friends are more impressed when they see my room with three bookshelves (not totally full of animals, some have actual books on them  ) and they spend close to ten minutes trying to look at them all.
 

That is true my friends and my family also spend close ten minutes trying to look all the figures. :) 
Sometimes I go to my beddroom and my father or my mother is looking the figures   

Same here.   

I live in a distinctly non-collector friendly country, so while I haven't been discriminated against as such I certainly haven't been enabled much.
My friends know me as an unabashed dork, and sometimes buy me new hippos and pigs for my collections. My family, on the other hand, is less supportive. My grandfather was something of a hoarder, and I've inherited that mindset though I try to keep it in check. Unfortunately my mother is very aware of my cluttered lifestyle, and she doesn't understand the difference between collecting and hoarding...

castlerigg wrote:

We also collect wired latex horses. If anyone calls us childish, we not only growl and bite, bt we bring out Kari -



… this is Kari; and we point out that he was made and hand-painted by one England’s greatest living equine artists - she usually works in bronze, but back in the 1970’s she experimented for three years with wired latex and resin. So he’s forty years old and worth a lot … etc., etc.

Sue & Lesley
castlerigg

Holy crap, is that a Rydal? *faints*

Haha!

Not really, but it's not like I'm telling everyone at school :PMy closest friends are 'infected' by the collecting virus by me. I'm always a bit shy when I am looking through the children's toys in a second hand shop. Luckily no one has ever asked me 'aren't you too old to look for toys?'

When they ask me what my hobbies are, I try to explain repainting and customizing and they're always like: "what, you draw of paint the figures" and than I have to explain I actually put paint on the figure and that I also use clay to improve the figure. They always think it's quite cool

In my family they call my room a 'museum' which I think is quite nice and when I start telling them  "you see this horse? that's a schleich horse while this one is made my papo, which is a french brand. Schleich's made in germany just like these wolves from bullyland" I can't stop telling because there's so much to tell about the figures.

A-J wrote:

In my family they call my room a 'museum' which I think is quite nice and when I start telling them  "you see this horse? that's a schleich horse while this one is made my papo, which is a french brand. Schleich's made in germany just like these wolves from bullyland" I can't stop telling because there's so much to tell about the figures.

Here too, My father is sometimes like  And I talking about why I like that model, or why I must get one rare figure on ebay, Why now some brands don't exist....