I Collect .....

PINS. Pins from where I"ve been. Pins from Hard Rock. Pins from my Army Units. Pins from Disney World. Pins from events. I have a pin from the CIA. One from the Pentagon. And a hodgepodge of other pins. I"m a minor 'pin head'. For Christmas I've asked my husband for a big pin display case. I think it's something like two feet long and a foot and a half wide.

My favorite pin that I have looks like this one - Cheesecake Angel Pin except it's blue/green where as the pin in the picture has pink. (I'd love to get the pink pin in the picture! ) It's delightfully creepy.

My second favorite pin that I have is this one - Gadsden Pin . JSOBecky, from ATS, sent it to me a few years ago. So it has sentimental value.

The favorite Hard Rock pin that I have is this one - Betsy Ross House Hard Rock Pin

I really want this pin for my collection ... Disney World Haunted Mansion Clock Pin . And I'd love to get all the Haunted Mansion pins.

I have a few Catholic pins. One of the popes mitre with the keys of St. Peter under it. It looks like this . Also a St. Juan Diego pin and a few others.

And obviously I have THIS PIN and I have a bunch of other Flyers pins. My favorite one has Ben Franklin holding the Flyers Logo. I don't have a picture of it to share though.

It's not an exciting hobby. But it suits my lifestyle.
So I ask ATSers .... do you have a hobby collecting things? If so ... what?

SIDE NOTE to Dr. Love (if you are still here) .. I remember from years and years ago you
said you collect shotglasses. If you read this, do you care to share some pics??

In my younger days, I collected superballs. Boring, I know! I gave some to younger relatives and friends' kids, but I still have a couple huge dresser drawers full of superballs of every imaginable color.
My favorites are a set of 'solar system' superballs that resemble the planets.



I also collected shot glasses and still have tons. One of my faves is a beautifully etched little number that says: "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may be in Utah". I got it while vacationing in the beautiful national parks of Utah about 30 yrs ago. It has a very cool shape to it, not a standard shotglass shape.

I don't tend to have huge collections of any one type of item, but I do love fantasy type things like fairies, dragons, mermaids. I also have some antique reproduction dolls, antique china dishes and crystal. Oh I do have a big collection of jewelry of all kinds.

I am more of a digital collector than collecting objects.
I collect wallpapers (mostly movies, fantasy, and art)
I have a huge collection for both my notebook and my phone.

I also collect quotes that I find funny, interesting, or thought provoking.

Does collecting clothes and shoes count?

I could tell my husband that I need those new pair of boots for my 'collection'.

I am a collector!

I have collected elephants since I was about 5 years old when I got my first stuffed animal elephant. Now I stick to statues and figurines.

I collect dishes and appliances from the 1950's, particularly those that are that quintessential '50s turquois color. Here's a picture of my collection.

I also collect antique postcards from 1900-1920. I started collecting ones that were Thanksgiving themed to display when I began hosting the holiday at my house a few years ago. Here's one that I love!


Now I also collect postcards from that era that feature couples smooching, like these.

I spent a significant amount of time traveling Europe I would collect lighters from each village I visited. When I returned to London to fly back stateside they would not let me take my lighters with me. I was so devastated I stopped collecting anything and became a minimalist.

You guys are amateurs at collecting junk. We got junk. It is actually pretty well organized too, I only have about two truckloads to organize and fix up yet. I just cleaned, oiled, and tried using an early nineteen hundreds grain mill. I also cleaned and fixed an early nineteen hundreds meat grinder. I love antique tools of all kinds.

My stepfather liked pins, I have about a coffee can full of them. Most are from local events. Like Boston Days and Gay Days and Local fairs and fire department tournaments. Gay days is a drinking get-together in a town named Gay Michigan, the name is a little deceiving.

ColeYounger
I also collected shot glasses and still have tons.

I have two 'alien' shotglasses. They are tall shot glasses with lines up them every so often. On the bottom line it says - Do not believe in aliens. Then the next line up says - saw a UFO. - Then the next line up says - went for a ride on a ufo. Then the next line up says - saw an alien. Then the line at the top says - I am an alien.

It goes something like that. I'd have to dig them out of the attic to check.
But they are fun shot glasses.

Night Star
I do love fantasy type things like fairies, dragons, mermaids.

I have 'fairy doors' in my downstairs half/bath. They are about 3-4 inches tall and look like old monastery doors. Rounded old wooden doors. They look a bit like this - here but without the sign hanging on them.

Pins huh? Would you like one of these?

Rainbowresidue
Does collecting clothes and shoes count?

YEP. Vintage clothing? How about Just the right shoe figurines? I had about eight of them. Now I'm down to about four. I sold some in a tag sale.

katydidwonder
I also collect antique postcards from 1900-1920.

I inherited about 10 antique post cards from my grandmother. They are of turn of the century Suffield Connecticut. I got them put in a nice custom frame and they are hanging in my upstairs hall. 'Old Suffield' ... (that's the town I was raised in).

reply to post by intrepid

ARG! MY EYES!!! ha ha ....
I DO have a Hartford Whalers pin. (and Jerseys)
They became the Carolina Hurricanes.
And I do have one New Jersey Devils pin.
So I suppose a Maple Leafs pin would be nice.

BlastedCaddy
I would collect lighters from each village I visited.

When I lived in Japan (1983-1986) I would pick up matches from everywhere. (they smoked a lot in Japan in the 1980s). I had tons of matchbooks. I couldn't pack them when I came back to the USA. It was a shame ...

reply to post by FlyersFan


The Devils are a moved team too. Be damned if I can remember where they moved from though.

reply to post by intrepid

I think the Devils may have started in COLORADO. I don't know what name they used.
Not the Avalanche.
And the Winnipeg Jets were the Atlanta Thrashers ...

reply to post by FlyersFan

Cool! I grew up in CT!

I know many people who collect postcards like them to be unused, but I prefer ones that were used. For one thing, the postmarks make dating them easy. But the best part is reading messages that loved ones sent to each other a whole century ago!

reply to post by FlyersFan


RIGHT! Colorado Rockies. Same as the BB team.

Gems. All types. Rare, uncommon, common. All cuts, shapes, sizes. I love "grab bag" style of miscellaneous gems in hundreds of carat sizes, usually 100-150 carats. I then sort them out, figure out what they are with gemological equipment, then size them, and jar and label them. Among my favorites are moldavite, from the crater in Chzeck Republic, very rare. They are faceted, like almost all of my gems. I have a beautifil pair to mount one day. I include pearls in my gems, though some do not consider them a true gem, I do.

I began collecting gems as opposed to gold or silver. I was thinking outside the box. I am glad I did. I have appropriated some gorgeous Tanzanite, the Moldavite, Paraiba Tourmaline, Horsetail Garnet, some pre-ban Ivory, beautiful boulder opal from Australia (Couber Peady.. sp?), Kunzite, among others.

Aside from gems, I collect all types of carousel horses. Music boxes, snow globes, little jewel gift boxes with unicorns. I love little lovelies like that. Most were gifts because people know how much I adore them. When I dust my shelves, and there are several where these are stored, I crank the music tab on each box, and play every one. I enjoy them, they make me happy. They only mean anything to me.

I also make jewelry of all types, and simply adore polymer clay. Since I do all types of arts and crafts, I have tubs of stuff to DO them, but I rarely keep anything. I sometimes sell jewelry I make, but I usually give everything I craft or draw away as gifts of love.

One year for Christmas, I made grab bags for my entire hospital unit. 100 bags, and each had a plastic bag of candy with a twist tie, and one piece of handmade jewelry. (Almost all the people I work with are women). I crafted each piece of jewelry by hand, from necklaces with pendants, to bracelets, to earrings. I encouraged people to swap with others if they wanted. It worked out great, but making 100 pieces of jewelry was exhausting, and took almost 3 weeks of all my free time! I made it just in time. Lol.

After some thought, I collect old things. My husband, my sisters, my brother, my parents, my dogs, my car, my house, jeans, dishes, ball bottoms from the 60s, well used toys, memories. You have put me on a wonderful trip. Thank you.