Today we are marking the Collector's Day in Russia. This holiday is dedicated to one of the most popular preoccupations, which has millions of followers all over the world.
Collecting is an activity that involves accumulating, attribution, systematising and storing of items of interest for a collector. Many, if not all, people endeavour collecting as children; some transform it into a hobby, while others carry their love of collecting through their lives. One can collect almost anything: coins, banknotes, securities, postal products (stamps, envelopes, postcards, etc.), books, magazines, comics, art and antiques, household items, appliances, packaging and its elements, natural objects (plants, insects, stuffed animals, eggs, seashells), toys, figurines and much more. At the same time, each collector chooses for himself the principles of compiling a collection: some collect almost any objects related to the theme of the collection, and others collect only rare items (for example, first issues of graphic novels or first editions of books); some collect inexpensive postcards, and others – collect exclusive vintage cars. However, most collectors do not just mindlessly collect all kinds of objects, but are interested in their history, provenance, etc.
Thanks to the Internet, collecting is now more popular than ever, since online it is easier to find not only like-minded people from other cities and even countries, but new items for the collection as well. Numerous forums and online catalogues help to identify objects, distinguish fakes from originals, swap objects with other collectors, sell and buy items, etc.

It would be surprising if such a popular occupation do not have its own holiday. The history of the Collectors’ Day in Russia goes back to the 1950s. Thus, in October 1957, Moscow hosted the 40^th Anniversary Philatelic Exhibition "40 Years of October", where the Day of the Postage Stamp and Collectors’ Day were celebrated for the first time. However, already in 1958, the Collectors' Day was celebrated on May 25 – the anniversary of the Moscow City Collectors' Society (MGOK), founded a year earlier. This date was retained until the All-Union Philatelist Society was established in 1966, after which Collector's Day was again combined with the October Postage Stamp Day. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, some collectors' societies periodically celebrated the Collector’s Day in October, but for a long time there was no the All-Russia collectors' holiday as such. The situation changed in the autumn of 2016, when a large-scale exhibition "Russian Collectors Forum" was held in the Central House of Artists in Moscow. At the first convention of the Forum, it was decided to celebrate the Collectors' Day annually on the 21^st of September – the day of the exhibition opening.
On the occasion of the Collector Day, the societies of collectors all over Russia hold meetings, exhibitions and other events to share experience and popularise collecting among the general public.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of private collections – first of all, their social significance – preservation of cultural heritage, broadening of horizons and their huge contribution to education. Patrons of arts and collectors have always provided an opportunity for the general public to admire treasures, examine the history of collections and study separate art items; in addition, the collections of the past centuries formed the basis of many museums’ expositions. Thanks to private collections, museums were established in many countries. At first they were royal collections (Hermitage, Louvre, Prado). In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, not only aristocrats, but also merchants and businessmen became efficient and active art connoisseurs.

Museum Collection, a significant cultural and educational project of the investors, philanthropists and collectors – David Iakobachvili and his son Mikhail, turned seven years old. We congratulate the founders of our museum on this holiday and wish them new fascinating discoveries, rare finds and implementation of all plans and undertakings. The collection they have accumulated is one of the largest private collections of global cultural significance, with an art repository comprising around 30,000 items.

The collection is based on self-playing musical instruments and mechanical rarities, including musical boxes, organs and barrel organs, harmoniums, player pianos, accordions, recording and playback devices, clocks and objects with movement, amusing automata. The museum Repository also features decorative arts and jewelry, paintings and graphics, an extensive collection of Russian and West-European metal artworks, Russian and Western-European art glass and ceramics.

All excursions through the thematic expositions that were held in the Museum over the past seven years were posted in our Video Archive, in the section "Video excursions sequence".

Museum Collection regularly hosts sightseeing and themed tours, and our guests can sign up for them on the museum website, in the Contacts section.