Personally I say a collector is someone who regularly gets decent tattoos. doesnt have be from world class artists or involve spending loads of cash. It’s someone that takes the artform seriously enough to research and get to know the artform.

Also having a 12 inch penis helps:)

This is a good question.

@peterpoose 133899 wrote:

Also having a 12 inch penis helps:)

So I will never be a collector 🙁

@Call_me_Lola 133898 wrote:

I’ve been wondering about this. What is it that makes a difference between someone with tattoos and someone who is a collector? I know that some of you are SERIOUS collectors so maybe you can chime in here.

Is it the quality of the work, the number of (good) tattoos, the artists that you get work from, or a combination of these factors.

I have used the old joke “it’s not an addiction, it’s a collection” on occasion but never meant it seriously. One of the artists that I got work from referred to me as a collector, but I never thought of myself that way and I think that is just how he refers to his clients. But it made me wonder about the difference.

I mean, I like my tattoos and several of them are pretty outstanding pieces but I know that I will never have the “collection” that some of you guys have amassed. (Yes I am referring to you guys Peter and YoDaddy.) And there are some others out there that are really well known in the tattoo community that have set the Collector bar pretty high.

So … what’s the difference between a person with tattoos and a bona fide collector? Google did not have the answer to this one. 😉

well,aren’t all tattooed people really collectors ? whether one collects sleeves,or full back pieces or many smaller pieces,all of us with a lot of work are “collectors” IMO,I am for sure a collector,it could be a small $200 impulsive piece or a $2500 Jess Yen piece ,I consider my self even more of a “collector” lately,as I have gotten into collecting pieces from a more world class artist level,like Jess Yen,Sam Shaw,Dave Gibson,etc,etc

even people like peterpoose here who gets all huge pieces is a collector IMO,I don’t think being called a “collector” in our tattoo world is a bad thing !

@yodaddynukka 133929 wrote:

Planning to get more.

Yep, I agree.

Once you get more, you’re definitely a collector!

I think the main difference lies in the thought processes of the collectors.

My sister has… oh, I dunno…. 6 or 7 tattoos. You know the deal.. go to Barcelona, get rosaries. Go for a night out with the girls, get some stars…. that kinda thing.
Although she has A Collection of tattoos, she is not a collector, since she does not actively hunt for or desire to expand her collection.

Then you have people like those that frequent a tattoo forum. We are here because we love the artform, we love tattoos and are truly always thinking what our next piece will be. We actively collect tattoos.

@ArniVidar 134144 wrote:

I think the main difference lies in the thought processes of the collectors.

My sister has… oh, I dunno…. 6 or 7 tattoos. You know the deal.. go to Barcelona, get rosaries. Go for a night out with the girls, get some stars…. that kinda thing.
Although she has A Collection of tattoos, she is not a collector, since she does not actively hunt for or desire to expand her collection.

Then you have people like those that frequent a tattoo forum. We are here because we love the artform, we love tattoos and are truly always thinking what our next piece will be. We actively collect tattoos.

This is a good answer. When my other female cousin and I were younger, Grandma used to go to garage sales (that’s a word that will throw a non-American for a loop, sorry) and send packages. She sent me unicorns. She sent my cousin elephants. (I’m white. My cousin is Asian/white.) We had huge collections that filled huge shelves. Neither of us cared about it because it was just garage sale junk. We had collections, but were not collectors seeking more pieces. I like your definition.

@Sam-I-Am 134151 wrote:

I used to look at women for their beauty, shape and sexuality. NOW I look at everybody. I look at a person with nice skin and think how a tattoo would enhance that. But it’s men too? What the fuck is up?

It’s called appreciating the human body, and it comes with maturity. My 70 year old dad was saying how he can find a guy like Patrick Warburton to be a handsome dog, but can’t grasp the idea of kissing another man, how could a MAN do such a thing? Then I asked him if he could imagine his gay friend/former student/nurse in the hospital kissing a girl. (He’s been out since high school.) All of a sudden he cocked his head like the RCA dog, like he’d had an epiphany.