Why Own More Than One?

I had an interesting conversation with a collector recently and came away with a new found appreciation for the plethora of ways that one might extract value from a treasured possession.  In this particular case, our dialogue centered around why one would for example, own 5 identical copies of a given piece of art, clothing, or any other suitably "collectable" item.  I had my "ah-ha" moment once I better understood the spectrum of value propositions that incremental ownership offers.  While I'm certainly curious to learn more about the psychological drivers under-pinning each, I couldn't help but feel that there were a few obvious themes staring me in the face:

• Utilitarian functional value
• Intrinsic value of ownership 
• Insurance against risk of loss
• Investment in future value

As a self-described pragmatist, I must admit that I tend to limit my possessions to those objects that I can actually use in the near-term.  That said, I have to acknowledge the paradox of utilitarian ownership in those cases where usage of any kind effectively devalues the object.  Likewise I'm amused by the irony of deriving greater satisfaction from owning an object than from actually consuming it.  It seems that Jean-Paul Sartre was on to something when he said:

"The totality of my possessions reflects the totality of my being...  I am what I have… what is mine is myself." 

--  Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, 1949