Do you have a collection? --- Heard of someone else's interesting collection?

In My Humble Opinion
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Books. My wife and I must have thousands of books. Fiction and all kinds of non-fiction, on all kinds of topics.

And like Zenster, we also like cigar boxes, although we don’t have quite as many. But we’ve got some nice antique ones, as well as the run-of-the-mill ones.

I used to collect cigarettes–packages of all kinds of different brands of cigarettes from all over the world. I had hundreds, sealed in their original cellophane and with their tax stamps and so on intact. Damaged them in a move some years ago though, and lost interest afterwards.

Does one of anything constitute a collection, if it’s big and you plan to collect more when you get the room for them? I’ve been a fan of pinball machines for years, and have owned a beautiful old Gottlieb electromechanical from the mid-1970s for quite some time. (Fixed it up so it is playable, too.) But I’d like to have more of the 1970s electromechanicals, and plan to look into getting more (if possible) when we can manage to move to a bigger home.

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We’re saving the state quarters too.

Really the only thing I collect is Wee Forest Folk mice. I bought my first one about 20 years ago, and I’ve mostly received them as gifts. I have over 30. I’d like to buy more, but the costs range from about $40 for an inch-high little mouse to over $400 for a more complicated knick-knack. Seems a bit extravagant.

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I don’t have anything particularly interesting, but my father has a collection of beer cans that is 750 cans strong. It’s stopped growing, however, as we’ve run out of room to display them all.

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Books – well, I don’t actually COLLECT them, they just sort of accumulate. And I do recycle them, so the “collection” is constantly changing.

My one true Collection is dolls. It started when my mother got interested in collecting dolls – specifically, Robin Woods dolls. She asked me what type of doll I would collect if I decided to collect dolls – bride dolls, maybe? I said no, everyone collects those. But growing up, my favorite story was “Cinderella” – so I’d collect non-porcelain Cinderella’s. Next thing I knew, I had 13 of them, of which I’d bought myself only two.

About that time, Mattel came out with their Disney Cinderella and Prince set. Since then, I’ve gotten every Mattel Disney (and non-Mattel animated doll) that I can get my hands on – with a few notable exceptions: Namely, I did NOT get the dolls for the animated “King and I”. (That movie was an abomination!!!) My collection currently consists of about 110 dolls, and I plan on adding the two from Disney’s “Atlantis” soon.

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Zappo, I put those state quarters aside when I get them also. I must have over $200.00 worth now, all Denver Mints. They aren’t uncirculated, but if you want some gently used ones, I’ve got you covered. E-mail me.

[another aside] Spoons, I have a cousin in Detriot who deals in amusement devices and he has a room full of old pinball machines, most of which work. The last time I was there, he had one really big one that used billiard balls. IIRC, his business is called ‘Big Toys’ in Sterling Heights. [/aside]

And now,(finally) back to the OP.
I have larger-than-normal quantities of a number of things, tools, hats, electric trains, books, knives, etc that I used to collect, or at least was compulsive about, but the only thing I would say I still actively ‘collect’, that is I still buy on a semi-regular basis, is paperweights, and I only have about 30 or so of those. Well, I buy a lot of books too, but I recycle many of those.

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I had begun to wonder if I were the only one who did this. I have a number of pewter figures, lots of electronic junk, and such, but the only real collection I have is musical instruments. I have a wide variety of flutes–bamboo in several different scales, end-blown (including recorders and Kiowa flutes), side-blown, an antique piccolo in ebony (thanks, Dad), two harmonic flutes (a purpleheart flute with a melodic pipe and a drone pipe, and a bamboo flute with two melodic pipes), a bamboo tenor sax (which I made myself, and am quite unreasonably proud of), several ocarinas, trombone, trumpet, keyboard, didjeridoo, bullroarer, mouth harp, bodhran, gong, some chimes, a thunder-tube, and assorted noisemakers.

When I move into a house, I will get a piano. I’m considering buying a harp very soon, and I’ve also toyed with the notion of a glass harmonica (one of the motorized ones).

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Ditto.

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Well, let’s see.

I have a large collection of Star Wars cards, from the Collectible Card Game.
Magic: the Gathering cards.
Baseball cards.
Tons of magazines, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, RC Car Action.

Now, the interesting stuff:

I have every Jones Soda bottle I have ever drunk the soda out of.

I also have a collection of old cameras, including: Kodak Bantam RF (with case), Kodak Instimatic S-10 (with case and instruction booklet), Polaroid Model J66 (with case, instruction book, flash, box of flashbulbs, adapter to take color photos, two packets of color film, film developer fluid).

Also, two old movie cameras, a Keystone K-36 and a Bell and Howell Two-Fifty-Two.

The cameras are my favorite, and they have all been gifts with the exception of the Instamatic and the 252, which I picked up at a garage sale for $5.00.

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Casino chips. I’ve got 70 or so, just your run-of-the-mill $1 chips, not fancy commemoratives. Pick one up anytime I’m near a casino, and occasionally hook up with collectors from other parts of the country via e-mail for a swap. Apparently it’s a rather common hobby.

Plus state quarters.

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Here’s an offer for anyone who loves asian food as much as I do: If you ever go to a restaurant that has the disposable chopsticks in the paper wrapper, unused of course ;), it doesn’t matter if they have the name of the restaurant on them, I have a large stack of free movie passes that I would be willing to trade. Also, if you want to trade for anything else I’m sure we could work something out. Thanks :slight_smile:

31

I collect comic books. As Fiver and Fenris know, I’m major into the Legion of Super-Heroes. I also collected the just-ended Starman series.

I also collect baseball cards. I have at least one card or photo of everyone who played for or managed my beloved Royals (through the 2000 season, that is, I update for each season at season’s end) and postcards of each of the stadia they called home as well.

And I have a collection of cards/photos of every professional baseball player whose last name begins with the letter “X.” Yes, some did exist. None in the last ten years, though, so at the moment, it’s not a very active collection.

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I have a small collection of animal bones. Mostly skulls. The two biggest I have are that of a boar (with tusks, cool!) and a big ole horse skull. I have a cow legbone as well, which was the first piece I ever got, when I was six. I also have the top half of a human skull, which is lined with nickel silver.

I got it in a curio shop in downtown Baltimore, which really is the World Capital of Weirdness. I used to use the skull as a candy dish, but it wobbled too much since the bottom of it was curved. It also eventually occurred to me that I had better things to use as candy dishes!

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jarbabyj:

Way cool! I love moose as well, although I don’t really collect them. But I do have a little “Moosie” from the Moosehead brewery in St. John, New Brunswick, and a pair of moose crazy-straws from Anchorage (where we saw moose roaming the city streets!)

Chaim Mattis Keller

34

I collect the National Geographic magazine. I currently have every issue,(with maps) back to February of 1913, plus a few issues before that date, and a couple of earlier maps. The oldest piece I have is a map from 1891 that I got on ebay. The collection takes up a lot of space but it’s worth it. I sprung for enough slip covers to place each one in. I’ve spent enough money on them that I don’t want them to rub against each other too much. Anyone need to unload some old NG’s? Let me know! I really wnat to get a couple of issues before 1910, to get the older style cover.

35

My wife and I also have quite a few thousand books, but we don’t really collect them we just, as was mentioned before, “acquire them”.

What I do collect is neckties. I have about 400, some dating back to the turn of the century (20th not the 21st). I have hand painted ties, “peek-a-boo” ties, ties designed by noted artists (I want Opal to design one for me if I can reach her) and even a few nudie ties.

Some of the more unique ties include a leather tie made by a tanner, two macrome (sp?) ties, a wooden tie made by a carpenter and a celuloid tie made by a film student. I have an incredibly wide and long tie given to me by a clown from Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Baily. I have a tie with shamrocks on it given to me by the mayor of Dublin.

My tie collection is relatively well known in the area and seldom does a notable stop by our little town that he or she does not bring me a necktie as a gift. During election years, I can be certain to receive three or four ties with either donkeys or elephants on them from people running for office.

I have not bought a tie in over ten years.

TV

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Pictures of old royalty, from Victoria’s time until the 2nd world war. Especially the Romanovs, the Roumanian royals, and the King of Yugoslavia…sigh…Sandro…rorrror!

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My SO has a C&R licence & collects exotic firearms…mostly automatics. He’s a real buff on history in general, & rare firearms in particular. That is not a cheap hobby…!

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** Books **

The last time I moved when I shelved my books I counted them-that was two years ago and I had 1546. I’ve probably added a couple hundred to the collection since then. I have a first edition of every one of Martin Amis’ books.

** Dolphins **

I’m fascinated with dolphins. I started collecting dolphin items and soon people starting getting them for me when they ssay them. Figurines,candlesticks,bookends,etc.

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I collect:

– Racin’ stuff. I have approximately 200 diecast NASCAR race cars, in sizes varying from 1:144 (less than an inch long) to 1:24 (~8"). I also have Coke bottles, stuffed animals, Barbies, a Rusty Wallace Beef Jerky package, Slim Jim boxes with the Labontes on them, and a box of Cheezits with a picture of Buckshot Jones, not to mention tins, books, magazines, autographs, videos, t-shirts, and a couple hats. I want to acquire some sheet metal off a car someday.

– Chickens. I love birds. I love barnyard animals. Chickens are both! I have a large collection of those little chenille Easter chickens, plus toys I’ve stolen from my foster sister’s farm sets, and lawn ornaments from the dollar store. I’m always on the lookout for more chicken things.

– Stemware. I have hurricane glasses, wine glasses, a brandy snifter, martini glasses, and margarita glasses, although most of them are actually plastic, because it’s cheaper and easier to keep clean and unbroken.

– Silverware. I’ll admit, a lot of my silverware collection has been “liberated” by my friends and given to me. :open_mouth: I do have quite a bit that I’ve bought legitimately, piece by piece, at different home stores and kitchen outlets. I have all those funny little bits of cutlery, like shrimp forks and dessert spoons. I don’t have a metal spork, though. That’s what I’m on the lookout for.

I’d like to start a collection of rubber duckies, so if anybody’d like to aid me with a donation I’d love ya forever! :smiley:

40

I collect …

Matchbox, Racing Champions and Hot Wheels cars. Corvettes Only. I keep them at work … I like rolling them around my desk and my co-workers like simulating traffic pile-ups. :slight_smile:

Depression glass patterned cake plates. The challenge is I won’t pay over $10 for them. The downside is everytime I buy one I am compelled to bake a cake.

Napco Porcelain Birthday Angels. A collection started by my grandma, there is one themed girl and boy angel for each month. I have 11 of the girls, (Oh to find March). I happened on 2 of the boys and bought them for later antique hunting.

Hard Rock Cafe Guitar Pins from the ones I’ve been to.