Have you ever been discriminated for being a collector?

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.

What a great way of looking at it! I use the museum metaphor too, and most people seem to get that concept. We animal collectors are really half art collectors, half naturalists. Of course we can't keep hundreds of live (or taxidermy) animals in our homes, nor can we buy expensive bronze or marble statues (even if one could afford it, that sort of thing takes up space), so plastic models is the obvious solution. And if people deride them for being mass produced, that's easily fixed with a lick of paint and a heat gun.  

Quite right, Sumo! Why should a beautiful figure be despised simply because of the material from which it's made?

Yes, Kari is a Rydal model. He is one of the last 1/12th scale Rydal Arab Stallions to be made.

Sue & Lesley
castlerigg

I never really had a proplem with freiends. Though my mom sometimes wonder why I must have collections from diffrent copaneys and we get into arguments. But in the end, it works out fine. Most of my stuff is now in my room, and a curio,because we often have freiend bring there kids over, and obviosly they don't see them as collectables

Haha.I sometimes play with my animals.

Hah me to. Just not as rough as a kid can be (the younger ones)

Yeah I just do Pachycelphlosaurus saves dinosaur city from battle droids or Longnose butterflyfish and Scythe butterflyfish get lost at Shark's Cove and stuff like that.

As long as I'm from a collector's family (my father is a lifelong collector of war miniature), my family never discriminated me. I guess my mother and granny don't like that I spend my money on 'toys', but that's my own business)) My sweetheart doesn't understand me as well, but.. well, he have to live with it:roll: 
As for others.. My close friends are collectors as well, and others just have no idea about lots of model horses in my house) And my colleques just make use of my hobby, as they can always ask me to help the clients and tell a few words about Breyer (I work for the Russian Breyer distributor now)=)

That's interesting!
My mom and dad don't like the fact that I have so many and spend my money on them.Im just trying to get to my goals and I'll be good.