"A collector’s existence is tied "to a relationship with objects which does not emphasize their functional, utilitarian value—that is, their usefulness—but studies and loves them as the scene, the stage, of their fate.” Everything about the object—the craftsmanship, the period, the region, the former owner—everything remembered and thought about the object adds up to its magical fate, and the most profound experience is its acquisition, and furthermore, its transmissibility."
- Walter Benjamin. "Unpacking my Library"
