Let's talk about Khukuris for example. After several years of trying this, that , and the other khuks, I found one that spoke, nay, it sang to me when I touched it. It was a 16.5" WWII with horn handle by Bura. It felt like it had a spirit inside it that was predestined for me.
Later, wanting to have a spare should something ever happen to it, I grabbed a second 16.5" WWII. It arrived, and turned out to have been made by Sher. It seemed identical to the eye, but there was a difference. It was perceptively heavier and more pondorous. If you blindfolded me and swapped them around, I could tell instantly if I had ahold of the Bura or the Sher.
Sometime later another 16.5" WWII by Bura was put up as a blem due to handle cracking. I snatched it up, and it, after fixing the crack, felt just like the first Bura. So now I had the original Bura, and it's identical twin. Oh yes, let's not forget the Sher, which was a quite good blade in and of itself. It just didn't have the magic in it for me.
Even later a third Bura 16.5" WWII with a more severely cracked handle came up as a blem, I had money in my pocket at the time, and now I have triplets by Bura. Except that this one hasn't yet had the handle polished out after plugging and sanding down the crack.
That leaves me with three Bura 16.5" WWII's, and one Sher that looks just like the others but feels like an AK when I pick it up. Am I looney tunes for having three + one?
A corrollary of Murphy's law states that " One is none, two is one, and three is two - sometimes! "
So if Bura should ever have another stroke, I've got my khuk. If something should ever happen to it ( it isn't worth my life ) I have a backup. If worse comes to worst and I lose both of them, I have a tertiary back up. And if I need to present one as a gift, I can use the Sher, as most folks are taller and stronger than me. That's why munk keeps telling people to get the 18" WWII ( and yes, I have both a Bura and a Sher WWII in the 18" length ).
Back to gun hoarding, I have several guns each in 380, 38 Special, and 357. Much like the WWII's they overlap each other to an extent. Now does that begin to make sense? Most of mine are blued, and out of production. To me, stainless steel is souless steel. Rubber grips are an abomination, and walnut or other wood is de riguer to me. What I have could probably not be replaced as they aren't made anymore, and if they are, are not made to the same standards as the older guns.
OK, that's my last shot at trying to explain. I'm lighting up some incense for those who asked. If you don't get it now, you either ain't gonna get it or it'll take some larnin' for ya to do.