What do you collect?

Until my wife learned some of the differences between British English & American English, she would ask people in the states for a rubber. That's an eraser. For use with the now antiquated writing instrument called a pencil.

 

We got a new fridge today (woohoo!), so I slapped the magnets on and snapped a pic. I have not been to Toronto yet, Eden brought that one back for me (along with Texas & Maryland, but I've been there.) Collection would be a heck of a lot bigger if I'd started with magnets instead of shot glasses... I'm considering ordering some online for places I've been but likely won't visit again (Azores, Panama City Beach, New Orleans, Myrtle Beach, Jersey...)


I also have a nice collection of sewing patterns. I bought them intending to USE them, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Grrr.



Edited to add: I just realized you can't read most of them. From roughly top to bottom, left to right: California Redwoods; The Cliffhouse in San Francisco; Daytona Beach; Toronto; Newport Aquarium in Kentucky; Outer Banks, NC; Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland; Oregon State University; NC Renn Faire; Carousel Museum in Albany, Oregon; Salt Lake City; Chicago; Cumberland Falls, Kentucky; Atlanta, Georgia; Texas; Maryland; Portland; and the Sea Lion Center in San Francisco.

 

I haven't used rubbers in 20 years, to keep the rain or my rain off anything including my feet
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Oh and I collect tools just love old tools. I examine them and figure out what and how to use them.

 

I am making an effort to rid myself of stuff. I don't want collections of stuff.

If I was to collect anything, it would be art... but I don't have space for that.

 

I very clearly remember when I stopped using "rubbers" for the last time. We used them for a few months after my wife went off the pill, we didn't want any 'chemical' complications should she become pregnant.

Old tools are cool. We were at an antique mall, and a woman had just opened a booth with hundreds of old tools that came down through her family for decades, maybe centuries. Many of them were were handmade/hand-forged; somebody with a forge and a knowledge metalworking made what they needed. Unfortunately we didn't get a more complete story of the tools.

 

I collect fridge magnets and keychains. At one point, I had so many keychains I displayed them on their own curtain rod. I've since pared way down.

I used to collect interesting teapots, but only kept a few favorites when I moved from a big house to an apartment. I still have the teapot that looks like an Egyptian pyramid, and the elephant-shaped one. They're cool. I didn't have room to keep most of my birdhouses (some real, some glass, some paintings).

Kind of miss some of my old collections, but I don't miss the near-weekly migraines I had for over 23 years in that house. Surprised the hell out of me when they disappeared after the move.

 

Old tools are cool. We were at an antique mall, and a woman had just opened a booth with hundreds of old tools that came down through her family for decades, maybe centuries. Many of them were were handmade/hand-forged; somebody with a forge and a knowledge metalworking made what they needed. Unfortunately we didn't get a more complete story of the tools. @Chris Noyb, thats it exactly. wood carved in to handles or hooks and metal working to solve a problem. Not worth anything except damn interesting

 

For some reason the quote portion ^ is showing as empty white space (????).

She did think the old tools were worth something [Duh, Chris, it was an antique mall, not a flea market]. They weren't finished & 'prettied,' they were made for work. I really liked the seeing the wear on the hand-cut wooden handles (the maker attached two pieces of wood to the solid metal tool rather than attaching a 'head' to a solid wooden handle). One that caught my eye was a hand-forged "tack" hammer that had clearly seen a lot of use.

 

Used to collect baseball cards. Now I collect beer bottle caps from different beers I'll try. Toss them in s jar.

 

My grandmother's boss bought Krugerand 1 0z gold coins for all of her grandchildren. When I started to make a little money I would buy one when I could until gold skyrocketed. Sold all but the gifted one in 2012 when it hit $1600 an ounce. Used to get them for around $3-400 so made out pretty good on that one. It bought me a boat. Guess that's technically not collecting though now that I sold most of them.