Rich Men’s Hobby or Question of Personality: Who Considers Collectibles as Alternative Investment?

Collecting is an inherent economic behavior that is neither characterized as pure consumption nor investment activity, while at the same time subject to various psychological aspects. Based on a unique survey sample of collectors and non-collectors, we study the Big Five personality traits of collectors who consider their activity as being linked to valid investment motives. Our results document that investor collectors are to about 70 percent represented by males and exhibit further demographics that include above average education, income and available financial assets, whereas age does not show a consistent pattern. Controlling for the dominating demographics, namely gender and income, we approach the underlying personality traits that relate to the possession of collectibles as a form of alternative investment. We find that high Openness and low Agreeableness significantly characterize investor collectors. They are open to new experience but distinct in the way they do business for potential profit.