What do you collect?

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LadyLocust

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I was once asked what I collected. When I answered nothing, the nice gal said “Well everybody collects something.” So I said I collect 1 of everything. She at least chuckled at that but couldn’t believe I didn’t collect anything.
That was years ago. Today, if I were to answer (honestly) I would have to say canning supplies, antique pincushions, and vintage hats - each of those mostly on accident. I didn’t set out to have a collection of anything. Certain things just gravitate towards me. The gal who asked recently passed away and had 2? rooms full of Santas. My mind says what a waste of space, but they made her happy and I didn’t have to live with it so “ce la vie.”
I’ve recently culled about 1/3 of the hats, keeping the best of the lot. And pincushions have to fit in 1 small cabinet I have. They really haven’t been a problem as I’ve been pretty picky with those. And canning supplies are in constant use, but I have plenty.
So do you collect anything? If so, do you have a limit?
Just curious.
 
@Weedygarden We’ve just downsized by about 40%. I listed 350-400??? CDs on Craigslist for $100. I went through the collection and kept about 50ish? of ones that I listen to. Put others on the computer. The ones I kept, got rid of the cases and put the CDs in a cd book from Wmart so they all fit in the space of a dictionary. I was amazed at the space created.
 
Old hand tools. But they must be in usable condition, and I do use some of them from time to time. I also love old coins. I don't really care where they come from. My parents go to church with a couple whose kid is a missonary, has been for years. They always share a few coins from where ever they are and my dad trades for a few of them. Most of those are from asian countries.
Knives would be another. I started that at 5, when my grandpa bought my first one to carry when I started school. Pretty much have carried one ever since.
 
LadyLocust has it right. I (well, we at my house) collect media - CDs and DVDs/Bluerays - so we're not dependent on a network that might not exist should we ever wish to access this stuff. We also collect information - knowledge gleaned by others which we read, mark up, and stuff in bookshelves. We also collect tools. Learning the skills our grandparents grew up with and then acquiring the tools they used is wise.

On the impractical side, I also collect coins - particularly U.S., European, Roman and Greek. I'm on a Spanish Milled Dollar buying binge right now because they're cool coins. Also, I collect meteorites. The oldest I own is a 16 gram Allende with 90%+ fusion crust, sliced but otherwise in pristine condition picked up at the time of the fall in 1969. (The calcium-aluminum inclusions predate our solar system and that's what makes it literally older than dirt. That it was picked up in 1969 is unimportant except that the sample isn't weathered.)
 
I don't explicitly collect anything I can think of, especially as a hobby.
I do have excess of many things but more often then not, it pays off.
E.g.
Trailers - I have about 10 of them (not counting little ones that go behind a lawn tractor). At any time, there may be 5-9 of them in use.
Generators - I think I have about 10 of them. When power goes out and my lights are on, instead of neighbors coming to my house, I loan them one.
 
Benjamins!!! Well.....at least I try.

I still have my childhood comic book collection and some movie memorabilia and toys. I have no idea how much it's worth and likely never will. I'm sure the kids will find out when I'm dead and gone. I LOVED my comics! It was like being transported to another world. I had a great childhood......so fortunate.:D
I swear hubs collects anything that has a motor.:rolleyes: Whatever makes him happy......and he does flip on occasion, which helps with the Benjamin collection.
 
I really like knives, flashlights and gloves. Knives might qualify as collecting.
I like knives, flashlights and gloves as well. I suppose you can have too many, but I don't think I am in that place, yet. I don't have expensive knives, but I do like pocket knives. I have a couple Swiss Army knives, and several other kinds.

Flashlights: I do find that I have had many different ones over the years, but it seems that every few years, new ones are needed and older ones need to go in the trash. I think it was Caribou who recently told about a different version of head lamps. I have a couple of them now. I have been thinking about getting some new hand held flashlights as well and am looking for recommendations.
 
When someone asks me what I want for Christmas or my birthday I tell them I collect 100 dollar bills. So far my collection is small.
I don't really collect things. There are things I have a lot of like knives, hand tools, and flashlights.
All of my music is on digital media, either a back up portable drive or a USB thumb drive. I have around 18,000 songs of all types and it all fits on a small drive. I just made 2 USB thumb drives for my truck and my wife's van. I only put around 1000 songs on them, that's about 50 hours worth.
 
Ok, but no finger pointing, mockery and laughter. Yeah, right. Ok, go ahead.
I collect rocks from wherever I go. Usually off the ground, rarely buy them.
Fossils
If one of my kids goes out of the country they give me coins and cash from those countries.
Copper, but I have too much. It was given to me. Can't sell it, arouse suspicion.
I used to sort of collect homeschooling books. I need to get rid of them.
Gardening and herbal medicine books.
Children, but they grew up.
 
Patchouli.. did you ever see the movie, "The Long Trailer" with Desi and Lucy? Lucy liked rocks, too.
I don't know what I collect. I know what I have a lot of and always buy. Table linens at the thrift stores, the older the better. I guess I collect food storage and ways to make more food storage. Food storage and canning type, and meals in a jar cookbooks. I like guns. And aprons.
 
Oh yea books. I've wittled those down too. That's almost painful but have kept the good ones and let the ones I will never read again go.
For those who collect coins, my Gma liked coins, my mom and uncle like coins, and my brother likes coins. Pennies before a certain date, tokens from old boom towns, dimes of this date, and who knows what else. (The tokens are pretty cool.) I said when my folks go my brother has to take the coins. I don't even care what they are worth. I said if I get them, I will go down to the bank and dump them in the machine that counts them and cash them for something lighter. It's all in good humor, but they just sit and take up room.
Oh and hubby would be in the knife category- and fishing poles.
 
I think I must define "collecting" differently. I don't collect tools but I have many that I use. I don't collect guns, but I have a number of them that I use.
To me a collector accumulates things just to have them or to accumulate more just to look at them or for their intrinsic value. Stamp, book, and art collectors do that. Some gun collectors do that, they would never consider firing a collectable gun because it loses value when it is used. I buy tools to use. I buy guns to use - sometimes with a specific use in mind. I bought a 9mm handgun strictly for three gun competition. I don't feel it is powerful enough to protect my life so it is relegated to only shoot paper and metal targets.
I am not a collector of anything. I buy things I can use.
 
Dragons

I have a numbered lithograph by a fantasy artist
I have a pewter toothbrush holder lol
I have all the Dragon beanie babies
I have collectible pewter Dragon sculptures
I have a Dragon tea pot
I have the dragon from Harry Potter ( Norbert) and the one from the barbie movie ( Penelope)
I have a beaded curtain with a Dragon design on it
A Dragon suncatcher
Dragon wind chime
Dragon fleece bed cover
Dragon tattoo ;)
A Dragon metal sculpture a friend gave me for a birthday present
Dragon pewter necklace
Dragon earrings
Dragon rings
Dragon bracelet
Dragon collectible pocket watch
A small paper chinese dragon a friend gave me
A wooden Dragon sculpture
A Dragon made of metal and stained glass ( red)

and thats all I can think off the top of my head :D
the majority of all that is in china cabinets except for the lithograph print and the metal sculpture. they're on the livingroom walls and the wooden sculpture is hanging from the ceiling. So is the stained glass dragon.
 
I collect stamps,coins, sewing machines, knives,old hand tools, non-ferrous metals.
I collect stamps & coins/ foreign bills/notes, for education of my children.
I have five sewing machines, most came my way & I keep them, no I do not use them.
I store knives & old hand tools for future use.
Non-ferrous metal for casting & forging if needed, if not, they can be sold.
I agree with Sheep Dog, if you have a lot of something & use it once a month or so.
Then It is not a collectable, it is a functional tool of use.
Even if the tool/gun is used for fun, not to make money, it is a skill/ training.
Oh I am a big reader, & have a few book that are signed & worth resale.
 
Is fascination an emotion? Is it greed? Is it fear? I don't know what it is...I like to look at my rocks and fossils. My herbal and gardening books come in handy. I am emotionally attached to my children but they are slowly going away, but my attachment to them will never end.
The copper was given to me when I said I needed some for some stuff I wanted to make. He gave me so much more than what I ever expected and I told my NH to try to sell it but he said it was not possible. So...
Preppers are emotionally attached to their own lives. Preservation of life, liberty and maybe the pursuit of happiness. Ooooh, another emotion. You guys are not going to get out of this easily. Emotion is everywhere.
:LOL: :eek:
 
I think preppers collect preparedness items.

I have been working on uncollecting for many years. I have just been thinking of how to get rid of music CD's. My daughter has LOTS, that we are trying to deal with, and I have some, that I have not listened to for years. Any suggestions for what to do with music CD's?
Artwork
Put the CD's cases in frames use as artwork on the walls.
I did that with Album covers.
Interesting conservation pieces.
 
I was looking around, and I think I collect dust :p All manner of books, Oil lamps, tobacco pipes, assorted knives, watches, etc etc etc. None of it on purpose, I have a wee bit of trouble turning things down when I see a bargain, or when it's a gift from a friend or loved one. I may be a borderline hoarder, but I prefer eclectic collector :)
 
Toys
Children's homemade furniture ie … Hoosier kitchen cabinet my great grandfather made for his only daughter(my gram).
Now my grand daughter plays with it and all the kitchen tools, crocks, pots and pans.
Homemade wash stand out of walnut, cut down on the old homestead.
Wardrobe with handmade hangers also walnut out of same tree.
All the pots and pans are quite capable of going into oven when we start cooking for real instead of pretend.
Cookbooks, old usable hand tools, couple of snares, fishing poles, rifles, comic books.
My Gram learned to cook on those little pots and pans, so did my mom. I did too. My sons and now my grand daughter.
 
Got to say I don't collect anything but do have a lot of gardening tools both new and old but all of them are used, gardening books and old recipe books which are all used as well. DH has quite a big collection of music CD's and he plays them all regularly.

Apart from that what we have here is food storage and items and the equipment to be more self sufficient.

Were you born in a year of the dragon @WVDragonlady ?, yes I also like dragons too :).
 
Got to say I don't collect anything but do have a lot of gardening tools both new and old but all of them are used, gardening books and old recipe books which are all used as well. DH has quite a big collection of music CD's and he plays them all regularly.

Apart from that what we have here is food storage and items and the equipment to be more self sufficient.

Were you born in a year of the dragon @WVDragonlady ?, yes I also like dragons too :).

No I was born in the year of the Rooster lol
 
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