Collections

I’ve been thinking a lot about people and their collections lately.  And wondering why do people collect things.  Well, my answer for that question is  that they come across something they really like & they start gathering those things and pretty soon they have a collection.

When my daughter was a pre-teen she collected everything ‘Unicorn.’  She even entered her Unicorn collection in the Hobby Hall at the Puyallup Fair one September.  And it was quite a hit.  She also had quite a collection of Breyer horses of all sizes.

 

When I was a kid I had a collection of the real toys that came in Cracker Jacks. The ones below aren’t mine but this is a good example of what you got in the late 1940’s & 1950’s.  Today they give you junk.

Another one of my childhood collections was Story Book Dolls.  They came in little white boxes with colored polka dots on the box & lid.  I probably had 20 or so of them….but I have no clue what happened to them. They were dolls from different childhood rhymes ~such as ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ and ‘Little Miss Muffet.’   I found this picture of  ‘Little Miss Muffet’ on-line.  They were all so cute!

As a teenager I had a collection of felt pennants.  They were readily available everywhere~at parks, zoos, you name it~they were there for the choosing.  We really only took one big trip when I was a teenager because we lived on a farm and it was just too hard to get away.  But family and friends would bring them back from trips and my whole bedroom wall was covered with them during my junior high and high school years.  They too have disappeared~the ones pictured below are from a picture I found on-line.

After high school I was working, married, starting a family and the collecting came to an end.  But after my children got older and left home….it started again.  The first thing was Teddy Bears.  I had the Teddy Bear’s that belonged to my dad, my daughter and my own…so it was a natural thing to start gathering cute Teddy Bears.  And of course the word got out and I started getting them as gifts.  I soon had over 100 bears from a little tiny one about  1 inch tall, to a huge white polar bear that took up one corner of my living room.  About 4 years ago, I actually gave someone $1 at my yard sale to let their grand daughter have it.  All the Teddy Bears are gone now with the exception of the original three (my dad’s, etc) and three bears that were special gifts.  There’s one my friend Judy gave me when I was in the hospital one time, one from my cousin Betty for a special occasion and the one below~my son brought this home from San Antonio after he completed his US Air Force Basic Training. 

I have to confess that when I saw these little Franklin Pierce High School bears at a local store lately, it was hard to pass them up. But I did…….

Does anyone remember the Cabbage Patch rage?  Well, that was the next thing I got caught up in….I had boys, girls, twins, Asians, Hispanics, blacks, whites, special theme CP’s…..I had them all.  But they too are all gone, sold on eBay, except for my three special ones(Jennifer, Josh & Percy).

 

However on a recent trip to the Goodwill Outlet, I found another one….a sweet faced blond, stark naked but in like new condition.  Pay day I’ll get her an outfit and either keep her or save her to give away this Christmas.  I just knew I couldn’t leave her behind.  Look at that face!  I think her name is Sarah Elizabeth.

In 1994 I went to work in a family practice medical clinic.  I worked with gals that were young enough to be my daughter’s.   But those stinkers exposed me to collecting something I never would have dreamed of.  I don’t know which came first~ the Barbie's or the Beanie Babies.  All I know is, I ended up with 150 Barbie’s and boxes of Beanies.  I didn’t buy all the Barbie’s, some came as gifts.  The Beanies ~guilty as charged. Mine are boxed so I’m using this picture from the Internet.

 

In the late 1990’s I started selling off the Barbie’s and at this date I just have three left. Two were  special gifts and the I’ve attempted to sell the third one on eBay but so far no takers.  I’ll list her again in a month or so..….just prior to the holiday season.  She’s very pretty but she needs to go.

The one practical thing I’ve been collecting for years is Pyrex bake ware and other types of bowls, condiment dishes and bake wear.  Most of this stuff I’ve bought at the Goodwill, thrift shops or yard sales.  I have a nice collection of Carnival glass that was left to me by my two grandmother’s and I love that stuff too but don’t use it very often.  I have one 2 quart bright red Pyrex casserole that I love to use for scalloped potatoes or even potato salad. Both look  nice in that red bowl.  Here’s a few pieces of my cookware collection.

  

And finally…..I can’t remember where I got these little guys and I haven’t ever used them for anything but I just remember they caught my eye and I couldn’t leave them behind.  Someday they will grace my table.

I have come to the point where I can buy no more of these remarkable pieces….there’s just no more cupboard space.  But what I’ve been collecting the last year or so takes very little room….and each piece costs 51¢.  That’s right~it’s my squished pennies.

The pennies in the middle folder have been gifted to me or are ones that I traded for.  I also have a squished quarter that Betty in California sent me and a squished nickel that I received as a bonus for joining a Penny Collector Club.  The one below is from Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.

The final collection I want to talk about is the best of all……and that’s friends ~ old ones, new ones and ones yet to come.  You can never have too many. And I’m thankful for each and everyone of mine.

Some people collect match book covers, stamps, war memorabilia, rare coins, Christmas ornaments,  antiques …….so what do you collect?  Or are you one of those people who doesn’t  collect anything?   Either way it’s ok…..it all depends on the person.   If you do collect something, please leave a comment or a link to your Blog and tell the rest of us about it.   Until next time ~ Linda