# What do you collect and why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-collect-and-why/285292 "2005-01-18T02:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-collect-and-why/285292/81 "2005-01-20T20:09:24Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > My main collection is all things Western Electric. This means I don’t limit myself to phones and also collect all the odds and ends and ephemera. Stuff like advertising flyers for new styles of phones, brochures on why the war effort is preventing you from getting a new phone, silverware from the cafeteria, etc. I’ve even got a chunk of fabric covered in the Western Electric logo, evidently a leftover from making curtains for an office. How cool. Did you work for WECo? I started at the Engineering Research Center in Princeton, which got transitioned to Bell Labs later. I’ll look around for Western Electric junk I might have. Ever been to the telephone museum in Springfield Illinois? It’s not far from the Lincoln house. My family never understood why it fascinated me so much. ---
**Author:** ![ussentinel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ce7236/32.png) [@ussentinel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ussentinel)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-collect-and-why/285292/82 "2005-01-20T22:12:36Z")
\*\*Comic books \*\* – I’ve got an estimated 40,000; and no, I’m not a dealer. I’m in my 30s, and comics have been my passion (and test in patience) since I was a youngster. Comic books have taught me how to read and spell, and have enhanced my creativity and imagination. As I grew, I found an appreciation for the artwork and storytelling. I started on Richie Rich comics and then the “superhero” genre. I’ve got every issue of Superman (and Action Comics) and Batman (and Detective Comics), 500+ consecutive issue runs, from 1960 to the present. I’ve got most every Marvel “superhero” comic book from 1965 to the present, including complete runs of Daredevil and Iron Man (Tales of Suspense #50 & up though), and near complete (needing 12 issues or less) runs of Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, and X-Men. I’ve got a coveted Marvel Comics “No-Prize” and complete runs of “Betty” and “Veronica” in the Archie Comics line. There is no way my collection would be as large if I hadn’t acquired most of my silver-age comics in the ‘80s, going to various large cities’ comic shops and conventions through the midwestern U.S. Yep, storage is a bitch. **View-Master Reels** – I loved them as a kid in the '70s and via ebay, have gotten the ones I used to have: Superman vs. the Computer Crook, Batman (based on a '60s tv episode with Catwoman), Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy as clock cleaners. I also have ones based on the tv shows “Mannix,” “Isis,” and “Electra Woman and Dyna-Girl,” the latter being probably being the most cheesiest thing I own (and that’s saying a lot). **Action figures** – I’m pretty selective what I go for here. I’ve got the Batman figures from the McDonald’s “Happy Meals” from the early '90s. I go after small sets and individual figures based on appearance; mostly Batman or Wonder Woman figures and lesser-known heroines. **Baseball Cards** – I stopped collecting in the mid '90s when packs starting costing as much (or more) as comic books, and was soured by the strike. I started collecting them in 1980 (the last year when there was only ONE brand to collect) and have most every card of every “star” player from 1970 to 1995; various complete sets from 1980 to 1995. I also have complete sets of the 3-D Kellogg’s baseball cards from 1977 to 1983. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-collect-and-why/285292/83 "2005-01-20T22:29:39Z")
I’ve got tons of old blueprints…some from the 1930’s…everything from electrical gadgets to houses. My Dad says…“someday these will be worth something”!..will they? ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-collect-and-why/285292/84 "2005-01-20T22:34:05Z")
> [@Ms Boods](#): > > Memorabilia related to Dave Davies’ solo career in the 60s. I’d love to hear about/see something on that! I have lots and lots of music, mostly on vinyl. Several thousand LPs, a few hundred CDs, several hundred singles, maybe 100 mostly Third World tapes. I love older pop/rock and tradtional musics and this is the best and cheapest (sometimes only) way to hear it. I also love album cover art from back when they put the time into it. I listen to music while I read & surf the net instead of watching TV. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-collect-and-why/285292/85 "2005-01-20T23:37:44Z")
Are those of you who collect comics aware of the Grand Comic Book Database ([GCD](http://www.comics.org/))? If so, are you actively adding your collection to the database? I think this type of organized index is one of the great features of the Internet – I remember when the IMDB (Internet Movie Database) had only a few thousand entries. I submitted some corrections, and got a personal email from the owner of the database. Can’t imagine that happening now. I suspect there are other databases out there of interest to collectors. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-collect-and-why/285292/86 "2005-01-21T13:56:43Z")
> [@Danalan](#): > > Are those of you who collect comics aware of the Grand Comic Book Database ([GCD](http://www.comics.org/))? If so, are you actively adding your collection to the database? > > I think this type of organized index is one of the great features of the Internet – I remember when the IMDB (Internet Movie Database) had only a few thousand entries. I submitted some corrections, and got a personal email from the owner of the database. Can’t imagine that happening now. > > I suspect there are other databases out there of interest to collectors. I’m aware of the GCD, but I don’t really have time to contribute in a manner consistent with their standards. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-collect-and-why/285292/87 "2005-02-07T17:39:30Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I collect photographs of lost gloves. > I’m thinking about setting up a website to display them - If anyone wants to send me genuine photographs of gloves they happen to find abandoned, I’ll be more than happy to receive them by email to: themangetout (at) yahoo (dot) com - please give details of when and where you found them. I will be attempting to email you my two lousy findings since I’ve discovered your Lost Glove Collection. sorry, but either I forget my camera or I feel like a perv taking pictures of a glove. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-collect-and-why/285292.md?page=4)