Welcome Tom W.
I've collected a few different things over my years, and to me, it's the hunt, but the hunt for something that someone has given up on to the point that they're getting rid of it.
My absolute favorite part is the turning something that was one step from being thrown out, and with a little work, making into something that people say "Wow!"
Granted, the wow factor among my friends is lost no matter how great a piece turns out. I've come to realize that there aren't a whole lot of people outside the CI community that will give a great piece of CI a second glance unless they think they can make a buck off of it.