A ship model collection often grows from a particular area of interest to the collector, say, America’s Cup racing yachts, Napoleonic-era Prisoner-of-War models, vessels of World War II, or models of boats indigenous to the coast of Maine.
I recommend to prospective clients that they contemplate buying their first model as though it would become part of a larger collection. In this way, they can form a purpose or theme behind their initial and subsequent acquisitions. Once this theme has been identified, the budding collector should learn to discern levels of quality and desirability; adding to the collection according to subject matter, size or budget considerations. Many large collections of ship models have two or three sub-sets allowing the collector to have more flexibility and scope in the manner and timing of new purchases.