Syfy’s latest reality show is something you want to add your to your TV viewing collection and I was recently on a call with Elyse Luray and the host of Collection Intervention explained why the show is a must watch tonight and every Tuesday at 10p.
We all know people who love to collect things like Star Wars toys or comic books or Barbie Dolls. Almost all of them know how to keep it under control, but some people’s obsessions gets to be so great it takes over their homes and their wallets. Each week Elyse visits two collectors and helps to show them what they can get rid of to make some room and get some money back.
First the host explained how the show is about helping collectors and not making fun of them as someone on the call thought it might be perceived as, “You know, it’s important I think for everyone to have passions and have collecting – and to collect. What the show really tries to do is to curate, streamline, and focus. So how do you display your collection? How do you curate your collection? How could you get rid of some of the things that don’t add to your collection? And at the same time, not let it overtake your life.
So you know, the first thing is to really focus – to look at what are you focusing on? You know, what are your main things that are really collectible? What things don’t fit into your collection? Are you displaying it properly?
“And then to really take a hard look at the economics of your collection. Are you spending too much money? Do you have the money for it? You know, how can you streamline that? Are there things that you can sell that maybe add to storing the collection properly or you know, getting the collection appraised and under insurance. So it’s really more about helping people who have large collections focus on how to curate their collections the best.”
So what is the difference between a collector and a hoarder, here is how she detailed it “You know, hoarders are people that collect anything with no focus and doesn’t really have as an emotional attachment as a collector does.All the people on this show collect with a focus. Their collections have just gotten very big and out of control, and they just haven’t had the time, or maybe the space, or maybe the economics to get it back under control. But, they’re not collecting everything under the sun. They’re not collecting – you know, they’re not going out and not throwing away things just because they have maybe the image of something that they haven’t. They have boundaries and they have a focus.”
Now what if you are a collector, what is the best way to preserve your collection. Here are her tips, “Oh, there’s a couple tips. I mean, one is display is really, really important. And depending where you live in the country, you need to know the humidity, sunlight, you know cold, hot. But you need to just – and you need to really be careful of dirt. I mean, there was a lot of – there was a Flintstones collection we also did and the guy had amazing, amazing Hanna Barbara toys but they were so filthy. And the plastic from that time period – so you actually went from cellulite to heavy plastic from the ‘60s to the ‘80s, so plastic actually changes and it absorbs – in the earlier toys, it really absorbs dust. And it can change the plastic and really damage the toys. So display is very important on how you take care of your objects.
“The second thing is know what you have. You got to know what you have. You got to know where it is. Where you have it. Every collection I walked into, they knew they had it, they just couldn’t find it. You know, so I think curating your collection, inventorying it, knowing what you have is really important.
“And then – and really focusing. What’s the focus of your collection? Don’t stray. And those pieces that you stray with, get rid of them at some point because, you know, you need to sell off or put money towards your collection. Because at some point, a collection is worth money if you (come to) responsibility.”
For me as a viewer, I am just fascinated by everyone on the show’s collections. I am just in awe looking at all the cool stuff that they have and how much they care about these items. I feel bad that they have to part with some of it, but then again you understand why they do. So watch Syfy’s best reality show so far tonight at 10p.
