When "Buy What You Like" Backfires

 No matter what someone collects, collectors who are just starting out are often told to, "buy what you like". The reasoning behind this seems to be that since novice collectors are inexperienced, they're also more likely to pay more for something than it's worth. When this happens, it's a lot easier to accept the outcome as a learning experience and move on if what you overpaid for is something you don't mind being stuck with. This doesn't seem to be as much of an issue with keychains as it is with some other collectables. After all, I've never heard of anyone collecting keychains for investment purposes.

However, the problem with 'buying what you like' is that there are times when it can backfire. If my personal experience is anything to go by, then a collector who buys whatever catches his or her eye is also more likely to buy too much. This can not only result in storage issues, but can also cause the collection itself to lack any sort of unifying theme or focus. My own collection is very...eclectic, to put it politely. Below is a list of some of the stranger reasons why I've added a particular keychain to my collection.

1. I liked the color or the color combination

I've never listened to the Smooth Jazz radio station that is being promoted on the keychain at the top of this photo. Jazz isn't one of my preferred music genres, unless you count Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas, and I'm not even sure if the station still exists. However, I was drawn to the purple design on this particular keychain. Purple is my favorite color. I am also not familiar with the Health Alliance that's advertised on the keychain below it. But I really liked the dark maroon color of the text, especially against the stark white background. And while I know nothing about credit unions, I know that the number one shaped, credit union advertisement keychain pictured here is a beautiful shade of blue-green.

2. I liked the shape and/or the design

I bought these two keychains second-hand at different times. But I think they make a nice 'matched' set, thanks to their identical flower shape. However, I have no idea what the 'message' on the pink flower is supposed to signify.

The two keychains pictured above both feature guitar designs. One is for a radio station that I've never heard of, and the other one is from the Hard Rock Cafe restaurant at Niagara Falls. There are actually two Hard Rock Cafe locations at Niagara Falls, one in the United States and one in Canada. I've been to the U.S. location, once. However, this keychain if from the Canadian one, according to the information on the reverse side.

3. I liked the logo.

The first two keychains pictured above were part of a mixed lot that I purchased online. I decided to keep them because the design of the TP logo appealed to me, though I'm not quite sure why this was. The appeal of the Dolphin Cruise Line keychain is something that I can easily explain. Given my childhood love of dolphins, how could I pass up on this neat looking dolphin logo?

This starfish shaped keychain from Dolphin Cay at Atlantis resort in the Bahamas has a somewhat similar dolphin logo.

4. I liked the name of the advertised business

As far as the shape and the design go, there's nothing really remarkable about the yellow keychain pictured above. It's just a basic advertising keychain. But I really liked the name of the advertised location - Beachcomber Camping Resort. It brought to mind thoughts of strolling across the sand, collecting seashells and other beach treasures.

The red keychain has a little more going for it, design-wise, with its eye-catching color and a shape that's meant to suggest a tree. But it was the name Cherry Creek Village that really caught my eye. It makes the place sound so quaint and homey, doesn't it? The blue keychain is from Riverside Hospital. Hospitals have a reputation for being cold and sterile places, but naming the place Riverside makes it sound picturesque. I also liked the cool looking wave design on this keychain, as well as the blue and white color scheme.

5. mental associations

This keychain from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory ended up in my collection because it sounded like the type of location that would be featured on the tv-show The Big Bang Theory. My mom and my best friend both love that show, and I watched it off and on in the early seasons.

The reed boat, or 'cabillito', keychain pictured above was purchased from the Smithsonian in Washington DC at their annual Folklife Festival. I wanted it because it reminded me of the 'basket boat' that Donald Duck uses in the Lake Titicaca segment of the Disney 'package film' Saludos Amigos. Frequent readers of this blog might remember that I have a fondness for all things Disney.

As for this keychain from the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, the island was prominently featured in an episode of the tv-series Reading Rainbow, hosted by LeVar Burton. The fact that the island was later severely impacted by a volcanic eruption made the keychain seem 'rarer' and more valuable in my eyes, despite the fact that there were probably hundreds of these made. I was still young when I got this keychain, and at the time I didn't consider just how many were likely in circulation.

6. pop culture touchstones

Remember when foam clog shoes were all the rage? I do. I never owned a pair, but I do have a few in keychain form.

I think the majority of us remember when Harry Potter mania gripped the world. The golden snitch keychain pictured above was a gift, but I bought the London To Hogwarts train ticket keychain myself at a flea market. According to the information on the back, the ticket keychain originally came from The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando theme park. To be completely honest, I never actually got through the whole book series. I was a little TOO invested in the characters, and because the stakes seemed to keep getting higher as the story progressed, trying to read the later books was just too stressful for me, especially once characters started dying.

Does anybody else remember the big fuss over Y2K? There was a time when everyone was talking about the New Millennium. I bought this keychain cheap at a flea market in 2017. I'm guessing that it was so cheap because nobody cared anymore. But I think it's still interesting as a historical artifact. And who knows, there are people who collect all the mass-market stuff that was produced for the United States bicentennial, so maybe millennium memorabilia will become a hot collectable someday. But I won't hold my breath.

As you can see, it doesn't always take much for a keychain to pique my interest. Maybe that's why I have so many of them.

Signed, Treesa