I collect snowdomes and a few other things - all properly stored, catalogued, traders sorted out and all the usual collection behaviour. All 's in order, the Sun will rise tomorrow.
But, I have to be very careful that buying or acquiring other stuff doesn’t turn into collecting behaviour without me being really aware of it. Recent example - looking for a new-old washing machine online. Lots of different types … hmm how many different types are there? What’s the history of washing machines, and would you go for the seminal tech breakthroughs or the big-selling favourites as a buying strategy? Where could I get my hands on a few cheap mid-range examples that i could trade with? Has EBay distorted the market? Can I really say I’ve got all the relevant washing machines without a bunch of those hand-crank mangle things? Hmm how many different types are there…?
Board games. But I play all of them! At least once! OK, I don’t usually get rid of the ones I don’t like after that one play. But someone might like them and want to play them, right?
Art, apparently. And local pottery. At least I got rid of [del]all[/del] most of the damned coffee mugs; we went from a huge box of them to just a cupboard shelf (or two) full. Also those damned sea captains that everyone thought I was collecting, but wasn’t. . .ever. I bought ONE many years ago, because it was small and made of brass. Next thing I knew, I had a huge box of them because that sort of word gets around no matter how much you discourage it. People finally quit sending them to me and I donated them all to the Sallies.
I see myself joining Kimstu in the near future with a couple dresser drawers full of bits and pieces and scraps of fabric and whatnot (I AM getting that sewing machine I’ve wanted for years this summer dammit)
I only add to it rarely, but I do have some PartyLite® that I’m quite fond of…that has been packed up and in storage for a couple of years now.
It started because my mom had a drip pot when I was a kid. She gave it to me to use after I left home. I used it several years until breaking the glass water tank. (the shape makes it prone to rolling on the countertop) Bought another one on Ebay. Then bought a few percolators in various sizes. I used one of the percolators for awhile but the coffee it made wasn’t that great, compared to a modern electric drip machine. The perculator is used by putting it on an electric burner (medium high) until it percs, then reduce heat to low-med and let it perc 3 mins. serve
They are all displayed on top of my kitchen cabinets. 4 or maybe 5 total. I’d have to look and see. I think they are kind of decorative. A piece of 1960’s Americana.
Curling (the ice sport) pins. Whenever I’m playing with or against someone who belongs to another curling club, I always try to trade pins with him/her.
Maigret detective novels and stories. First a bunch of old paperbacks from various publishers (there were one or two that were rather rare and hard to find; a few were never published as standalone books but only in compilations). Now I’m collecting the new versions being put out by Penguin, one per month. It’s going to take about another 4 years, I think, to finish that set.
I’m not a collector collector, since I use them, but the number and quality of fountain pens is increasing, as well as the number and variety of inks.
Do books count if they aren’t valuable as collector items? Just books to read. In spite of frequent donations to the Friends of the Library, the number remains constant at about 3,000.
Nothing any more. I’m unloading crap stuffed in boxes, shelves, and closets in the house. Not only do I not use it or miss it, it will make cleaning out this dump after my demise much easier for my offspring…ok, I do collect scarves. I love scarves, of any material or color, and try to wear one at every opportunity. I can run my fingers through a box of scarves and feel the real silk every single time.
I totally did not set out to collect them, but they are a cheap souvenir from wherever you’ve gone. We had a few from previous travels, but we finally admitted our addiction to them when we took a 2 week road trip. We hit 15 states and picked up a magnet from each state we entered and some of the tourist places. Pretty cool reminders of our travels.
It’s not quite the same as collecting stamps or shot glasses. I’m not buying things for the intent of keeping them, just saving things I already bought but don’t actually need. I do make an effort to keep those things around and they have a designated couple of drawers out in the garage.
I used to collect Modern Library books, but not really. I used to take the train to work and I liked to read, but I hate how paperbacks fall apart on you and ran across these little hardcover books. I picked up about a hundred of them over the years, but stopped when our office moved and I started driving to work.
I also accumulate laptops. They don’t take up much space, selling seems a hassle for what you get, so they’re just around. My old IBM 701C “Butterfly” is my favorite (it’s got the 100Mhz upgrade and 64MB RAM chip, so, y’know, powerhouse). The only ones I’ve gotten rid of were given to friends or family who needed one around when I upgraded, so my old Thinkpad 500C (maybe 510?) subnotebook went to a girlfriend and my Thinkpad 560 followed my brother to college.
Holy crap - I just realized I’m writing this on a Thinkpad 10 tablet. I’ve been using these black boxes for almost 25 years!
Mostly I collect things that don’t take up space. Like countries visited. I’m at 140, with five more to come in August – Philippines, Brunei, Qatar, Bahrain, Ethiopia. You get the added advantage of actually visiting them (like eating the Basmati rice) and not just “acquiring” them.
Vintage snowboards. Sorta. I’ve been snowboarding since about 86/87 and over the years owned a lot of boards and for the most part would sell a board after a few years sold and buy a new board. About 5 years ago I started to regret having sold all of those boards I’d owned over the years and I began buying the same year, manufacturer, and model of the boards I’ve owned. Naturally most of them are now considered “vintage” and can be somewhat hard to find. They can also cost more now than they did new back in the late 80’s or early 90’s. I think I’m somewhere around 13-14 boards in my collection. I have one more yet to find and then I’ll be done.
I suspect my husband collects tools. He often proudly announces he has 3 complete sets of tools to perform any repair needed. We have a 2 car garage, which was made larger by extending it. But only one vehicle can be squeezed in. He has these big rolling cabinets to store many tools and he built 6 tables which the motorized tools sit on.
He also collects white socks. Every time he sets foot in Walmart he picks up a pack.
Best typo/autocorrect EVER.
