Greetings.
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Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
Q1.
does knowledge of the society, culture and history from which a collected item come enhance the pursuit of collecting those items?
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Maybe. I would say it does if one learns to appreciate the s, c & h with the accumulation of knowledge on said, but it can also result in dissolving the mystery that surrounds the collectable items and thus killing the suspense, and, incidentally interest.
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Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
Q2.
if the response to Q1. is "yes, it does", is it a reasonable expectation that the majority of collectors would attempt to improve their knowledge in these areas
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No. Not really as people are lazy. In other words people usually want to know but not learn. These are two different things and not to be interpreted as one. Look at any field of expertise and youŽll see that true aficionados are a rare breed.
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Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
Q3.
if the response to Q1. is "no, it does not", can the reasons why it does not be identified ?
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As stated above:
Laziness and the motives for collecting, as the motives for collecting are not the same as the motives for learning about s, c & h. Yes, the motives for collecting and the motives for learning s, c & h can and do meet and feed each other but to a what degree? Collecting something makes one an expert in the fine art of acquisition. - Not an expert of the society, culture nor history of the time and place where the collectable items originally sprang from. Being a fan is not the same as being a musician.
Converting does happen but it is a rare occasion as the psychological price for jumping of the "collecting wagon" to a new wagon of s, c & h studies is just too steep a step as it would mean questioning your motives.
My opinions only.
Thanks,
J.