Rob Price
Memorable Entertainment Television, otherwise known as MeTV, is a broadcasting network known for airing classic television series ranging from the 1930s to the 1990s. In addition to re-running classic programs, the network also shows a limited number of original shows. One of which is Collector’s Call, which fits in with the nostalgic pop culture aspect of the network. Hosted by Lisa Whelchel, the series travels around the United States of America exploring the various collections that people have accumulated. The show is currently in its sixth season, originally airing on April 7, 2019, with new episodes airing on Sundays with a current total of 137 episodes having been produced (not all have aired at the writing of this article). The format of the show pretty much stays the same for each episode: an introduction to the collector with a tiny bit of history and the introduction of the guest evaluator; a detailed look at three or four items from the collection with an estimate of what each item is worth; and then the guest expert presents a trade with something that the collector doesn’t have but may want in trade for something from their collection.
Host, Lisa Welchel, is herself a classic television actress, best known for playing Blaire in the 1980s sitcom, The Facts of Life which ran for 9 seasons. She was also on the twenty-fifth season of the reality TV show, Survivor which took place in the Philippines where she tied for second place. She was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Inspirational Performance in 1984, while still on Fact of Life, for her Christian album, All Because of You. If all of that wasn’t enough, she has also written several books mostly about how to navigate motherhood. It is kind of fun having Lisa as a host for Collector’s Call as a lot of the episodes revolve around science fiction and horror, and she isn’t a fan of either. This works for the show giving a unique perspective on the collections without passing any judgement.
A lot of people collect a vast variety of items, but what makes them collect? The reasons can be just as vast and varied. For some, it is the thrill of the hunt, the endorphin release that happens when you find that rare item. For others, there is an emotional connection that binds them to a collection and gives them a sense of comfort and safety. It can be a way of self-expression or for educational purposes or even still, the social aspect of connecting to other collectors giving the person a sense of belonging. There are also those who do it purely for monetary reasons and see it as an investment. It can be one of these, none of these or a combination of them, but whatever the reason, people like to collect things. Collector’s Call highlights some of these reasons within the program. Part of what makes the show fun to watch isn’t just seeing the contents of a specific collection, but the motivation behind the collector. Many of the guests on the show, their collection is deep rooted in their childhood and their collections evoke the emotional connection based on nostalgia mixed in with the emotional bond is often a sense of connection. There is a lot of talk about the friends that were forged with other collectors along their hunts for certain items and I think this resonates with many of the viewers. Being of a certain age, it is also enjoyable seeing toys I had as a child being hotly sought after. There were several moments watching certain episodes, where “I had that!” was outwardly said. The one question I do ask during each episode is, “What the hell do these people do to afford their collections?” Some of the collectors are spending thousands and thousands of dollars on a single object. How do you have tens of thousands of disposable income to spend on these things?
I am a casual collector of a few things. Fantasy related Cookie Jars is one of my biggest things, and for me, the collection started purely on accident. We had a couple that were bought purely because of their relationship to a film we enjoyed, but then other people started buying them for me, and all the sudden I had five, then six and the more I got, the more I loved them. Each one reminds me not only of who gave it to me, but it also has emotional connections to things I love like Star Wars, Superheroes, and Disney films. Where I am merely a casual collector, my husband is a full-fledged all-out collector of many, many, MANY things. I often refer to our house as the Marvel Museum, but it goes much further than that. We have props and movie memorabilia like a litter of life sized gremlins, signed photos with actors, comic books (including some pretty rare and valuable ones), Marvel statues (which started with a casual collection of Bowen Statues, and grew into so much more), and a huge variety of toys dating back to the 60s (We don’t talk about the amount of VHS Tapes and DVDs that now sit in boxes in our garage because of the digitalization of media). There have been points in our collecting where we have thought that maybe it was time to stop, we are out of space or things have just gotten too expensive. But there is one reason we haven’t talked about on why collectors collect, “Does it make you happy?”. If it brings you joy, then why would we stop and at least right now, it is still bringing us pleasure!
