Any collectors out there?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Of anything??? I am. And before anyone runs screaming for the hills, please bear with me. :slight_smile:

Yes, it’s true.

Wait for it.

I collect…

gasp

CLOWNS!!!

Yes, I know. :smiley:

Anyway, I’ve been doing so now for over 2 decades. I have, roughly, 5,000. They include everything from really expensive ones (like Swarovski and Limoge) to things various loved ones have rescued from yard sales, the trash (Oh! The HORROR!!) and wherever else they might be able to drag me one up. Lessee… I have a pinball machine, a toothbrush, pocket knife, sleeping bag, a 6’ tall animatronic fellow and every kind of picture, plush and figurine known to man, just to name a representative few. I’m always on the lookout for specific items I don’t have. Thank God for eBay because before I discovered my favorite online auction, supplementing my collection with hard-to-find items was difficult at best and costly at worst. In short, pre-Bay sucked.

Anyway, silly as all this may sound (or terrifying?), someday I hope to open a museum and have all the proceeds go to whatever favorite charities of choice. You know, maybe buy/make one of those portable buildings that people use for sheds – at least here in the south. Ah, that’s probably forever away (if even monetarily possible), but I’m not ever giving up hope. And yes, I do realize that this has to 1.) creep tons of people out (sorry!) and 2.) make me the dorkiest person alive. Tis alright. One or two folks befriend me. I gotta do something in this life, right? Grin.

Which brings me to why I’m posting. What do Dopers collect? Anyone got any great stories? Details? Pictures? Sadly, I used to have some from when my collection was still on display in a back bedroom of our former house, but since we moved, they’re all still in storage in boxes and my website went kapoot.

So, guys, share with another (or only?) geek collector. I’d love to hear. Woohoo! Let the games begin.

:::sits back and starts calliope music:::

[Disclaimer: I apologize in advance if the very thought of this gives anyone nightmares, heebee jeebies or other generalized discomfort. Or resulting therapy. Perhaps I should have put some sort of warning at the (big)top? GAH! :p]

2

I would very much like to collect hundred dollar bills, but…

3

To illustrate how “unweird” you are:

I opened a coin/collectibles store in 1974. Late that year, a nice man came in and asked if I had any razors or blades. He meant old ones. I said no. He gave me his business card. It was truly a beautiful one, printed in two colors and nicely layed out. It identified him as a collector of “single edge razor blades.” He said he really only wanted them in the original package, unused.

Then, the next year, this guy who collected strands of barbed wire came through. HIs biz card was pretty neat also.

I think you are rather normal.

4

Well, books, movies, audio . . . but the one actual “collectible” that I collect is silver dollars. When I was in elementary school, my mother gave me a 1923 Peace dollar, which I carried with me every day for two decades as a good-luck charm (and as a “flipping” coin for making decisions and settling arguments). A few years ago, I lost it. I replaced it with another 1923 Peace dollar but, in case that one disappeared too, I began buying other silver dollars and like-sized coins and medals, and carrying one with me every day. The different coins had various significances: for example, on every election day, I carry a 1986 Ellis Island commemorative dollar.

While my collection now numbers in the hundreds, and I have learned a lot about silver dollars and their history, I am not a very serious collector. After all, I carry the coins around in my pocket, which a serious coin collector would probably never do–but I figure, what fun is collecting something that you can’t play with? And the coins can be a lot of fun, especially when anyone needs a disagreement resolved or a decision made by flipping a coin–a silver dollar is a lot more fun, and lends more gravity to the occasion, than the ordinary pocket change that one usually carries. I also avoid spending more than about ten dollars on any coin, just in case I lose one.

I eventually found my “original” coin that my mother gave me. It had fallen down into the sofa cushions. I don’t carry it around much anymore. But it will be in my pocket on my wedding day.

5

Thanks for the replies. I was so afraid that I’d get flamed for being more of a weirdo than I am or the anti-clown defamation league president would rip me a new one. Or maybe insulted ICP fans. Anyway, now I feel a little better.

C K, I agree. I keep hoping, if for no other reason than to support my “habit”, but alas, it’s all been for nought. :wink:

Definite thanks to you though, samclem, because illustrations that actually prove I’m not certifiable, is more than appreciated. Gotta have as much documentation as possible, ya know. However, I must wonder exactly what kind of difficulty that man has in finding specific “single edged razor blades in the original packages, unused.” I’m thinking maybe eBay has been a boon to more than just me. Cool story.

And brianmelendez, that’s the kind of warm fuzzy feeling I get from my clowns. It has to be something one truly enjoys, IMHO. Plus, I thought the idea that your saving your special coin from your mom for your wedding day is just beyond lovely. That is just awesome.

Gee, I am glad I posted this after all and didn’t let my trepidation scare me off the subject. Keep 'em coming!

6

‘Gah’ is right. Clowns are scary. :eek: Aren’t you afraid they’ll come alive in the night and kill you? I would be.
*Can’t sleep, clowns’ll eat me, can’t sleep, clowns’ll eat me… *

But seriously, I collect old half-pint glass milk bottles. I like the ones with printed images on them. It used to be pretty hard to find them, until eBay came along. Some of the really nice ones can go for several hundred dollars, but I’ve never paid more than $25 or so.
I have about 30 of them, and really need a nice curio cabinet to display them properly.

7

I collect dolls - no particular kind, just one’s that strike my fancy. My mom is 70 years old and collects Barbie Dolls. She has even gone so far as to give me a Barbie for my birthday, and say it should stay with her, so it’s in the collection. And no, I don’t collect Barbies. My dad collects coins.

8

I collect folding pocket knives that are under 4 inches in length when closed. Special areas of interest are Case knives, especially those of the design called Canoe. I also collect cacti of the genera Echinocereus, Ferocactus, and Mammillaria.

These have been interests of mine every since childhood. I grew up where there were native cacti, and every man and lad carried a pocketknife as a tool.

9

What don’t I collect. Big time collector of NASCAR stuff, especially diecast. Have over 3000 pieces. I also have a couple hundred skunks, a huge crayola crayon collection (I have at least one of each color made since 1918), 5 Monopoly games and over 120 Monopoly tokens, and a large collection of post WWII automotive articles and information. I also have all the books by Patrick McManus (extremely funny writer of humor), 2 have been signed. My wife collected mice for years but has turned her attention to frogs the past few years. I am also a collector of fine collectible cars, my collection now consists of 1 car, a 1966 GTO. I sold a nice knife collection about 6 years ago to have the car painted and have the bumpers rechromed. Oh, and I collect anything related to 1966 GTO’s, I have about 15 items now. I think folks that don’t collect something are geeks.

10

I don’t know if you’d call it a collection, per se, but I notice that I have several shelves of cat figurines, Egyptian statues, and Egyptian cat statues and figurines. Plus a few shelves of dragons. And most of a book shelf of cat books, including cat encylopedias, books of cat photography (like Cats in the Sun, humor books (like Everything I need to Know I Learned from my Cat, A Cat’s Little Instruction Book, and The Rubiyat of a Persion Kitten), cartoon books, and itty bitty book of quotes about cats. Anything with a cat, or a dragon, or an Egyptian diety, I’ll collect.

I used to collect comic books, but my favorite series either ended (The Sandman, The Warlord), or just changed so much from when I started reading them that I got tired of them (X-Men). Plus they became so expensive as to be cost prohibitive ($1.25 for a regular issue, more for a “special” or “bonus” issue, I remember when they used to be 60 cents!! Of course, I was collecting Archie back then :)). So, while I keep and love my old comics, I haven’t actively collected them for several years now.

11

I collect ex girlfriends, apparantly.

I also collect classic cameras. Favorite vintage are 50s and 60s innovative cameras. I don’t collect Leicas, but I do buy and resell them because there is quite a collectable market there.

And stuffed animals. Or plush toys, if that’s a better name.

12

My “collection” is lamps in the shape of women – I have four, and haven’t added to the collection in ten years, since I don’t actively look for them, just get them when they present themselves.

I also collect flamingo stuff – everything from a tiny toothpick holder to a four-foot tall metal planter that I have out in the garden. My friends know about this and occasionally get me something (my sister’s present from a trip to Florence was a T-shirt with flamingos on it – and yes, it’s one of my favorites), but it’s not so blatant that you walk into my house and go “hey, what’s with all the flamingos?”

My third collection is of Elvisabilia – this consists entirely of stuff that people have gotten me, mainly because my cat’s name is Elvis. Highlights include, yup, a velvet Elvis (purchased in Mexico – apprently Priscilla has banned them stateside, I’ve certainly never seen one) and a clock where the legs swing back and forth as a pendulum.

Other things I acquire with not thought of duplication or excess are books (two full rooms of 'em upstairs); CDs; and plants, both houseplants and stuff for the garden. I don’t think of any of these as collections, though.

13

Ooh! Yeah! Do you have a copy of Killer Clowns from Outer Space, hopefool? I’d think that would be a must!

Oh, and barbed wire, as odd as it sounds to a New England city boy, is apparently a very hot collectible in the southwest.

I definitely have the “collector gene”. Probably from both sides of the family. I’ve collected things all my life, though usually not for many years at a time. The one thing I have collected all my life is books and music. As a kid, I collected pennies, then stamps and rocks. As a teen, I graduated to comic books (Yes, Warlord and X-Men were two of my favorites, as well! I was actually trying to remember the name of that series, recently. So, thank you, Gr8Kat!).

As an adult, I’ve collected knives, more books, ex-wives (I think that collection is complete), whales, more music, snakes and other reptiles (Do they count, if they’re alive?), snuff bottles, Mata Ortiz pottery, and trumpets. The only collections I’m currently adding to are my collection of studio art glass and Al Hirt memorabilia. And, yes, EBay rules!

14

God Dave can you move in your house ??? :stuck_out_tongue:

15

I collect old foreign coins–no matter the condition. I keep them all in a little green treasure chest, too.

It’s fun to think all the types of dirty hands they’ve been handle by over the last hundred years or so. Or scary.

Except for the crusty old Roman and Byzantine coins, though, I don’t have anything over 150 years old or thereabouts.

16

Elongated coins. You know the sort, you put 2 quarters and one penny in a machine, turn a crank and out comes a oval piece of copper (that was once a penny) with whatever pressed into it.

I’ve got hundreds. And have been known to plan my day around getting to places with such machines.

I also collect old diaries and journals. The older the better. Anything hand-written that gives a feel for the day. I’ve get a few dozen. But these can be expensive and difficult to find.

17

I used to collect Star Trek stuff, but oversaturation killed the enjoyment. I will collect the odd piece here and there. A recent purchase was a model the the NX-01 Enterprise. I will also pick up nearly any VW Beetle (original) or microbus model or toy. I have a few 1:18 scale diecast cars. I don’t keep the boxes (yeah, boo, hiss) because I don’t intend on selling them. The exception being Ertl’s Precision 100 series celebrating Ford’s 100th anniversary. If you’re into dicase and appreciate high quality models, check out the 1964½ Mustang. Absolutely stunning.

18

Does your Sunday newspaper today (May 11, 2003) include the Parade magazine insert with the cover story “Why We’re Crazy For Collectibles” by Gerri Hirshey? Check it out.

I collect state quarters. I used to collect Beanie Babies, but I only got as far as 48 of those.

19

I collect…dust

20

I used to collect comic books. (The best one I have is Issue 300 of The Amazing Spiderman.)

And movie/TV cards. I have 4 sets of the Star Trek Inaugural collection, and all the extra cards that went with it. (Error card included.)

They are all sitting in a box somewhere now…