Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a highwayman.

1738		Ordinary of Newgate Account 8 Nov. 🌐 They attacked Fluellin, and notwithstanding his Plea, that he himself was a Collector [...] took from him his Watch, Buckles, and 13 s. and 6 d.
1759		Memoirs of the celebrated Miss Fanny M-. 58: A highwayman came up to the coach [...] and the collector espying his silver-hilted sword, ordered him to deliver that.
c.1785		‘The Dog and Duck Rig’ in Holloway & Black I (1975) 79: You gay swindling blade or collector.
1795		Sporting Mag. Nov. VII 82/2: A highwayman [...] lately robbed a collector of excise; it matters not, quoth the robber, you know we are brother collectors.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1830		Lytton Paul Clifford I 112: That experienced collector of the highways – Ned was, indeed, of no less noble a profession – had long fixed an eye upon our hero.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.

2. (US police/und.) a ‘bagman’ who administers corrupt payments to police.

1913		Curran Report 14: Dear Sir—I would like to let you know that a gambling house is run wide open under the protection of Jack Rose, [Lieutenant] Becker’s collector, No. 145 West 45th street, run by Herman Rosenthal.
1953		E. Reid Shame of N.Y. 22: this move was an annoyance to the bookies too because they had to contact other police department ‘collectors’ of ‘ice’ and sometimes these cops had a more exaggerated idea of what the protection money should amount to.