The types of collections people have can be just fascinating. For those who love family matters and genealogy, there can be nothing better than saved postcards and letters, old photographs and newspaper clippings that chronicle the lives of loved one, in all of their milestone moments and travels. I feel lucky that my mother saved such things including of all things the hospital bill for when I was born and a handwritten letter from the Mayor congratulating my parents. Beyond familial type items, what kinds of items of material culture do you save?

Postage stamp collecting seemed to be a more prominent activity when I was young. At that time, stamps had to “soaked off” the envelope. Of course, this was in the age before no lick ‘em stamps! Coins have been another popular item to collect. Recent books tell the value of marbles, a common game in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Some collectors prize daguerrotype photos; others collect stereocards, a forerunner to “View Master.” Textiles and quilts with Disney characters are quite collectible. There may be more than one price guide book about Black memorabilia.

China tea cups, ceramic items, and collectible plates are prized by some collectors. A friend likes to collect ceramic mice. Some people cannot get enough of clocks! My aunt who lived in Germany gathered together a large collection of Hummels. Quilters seem to like to acquire more than one sewing machine and certainly, many different types of thread, and yes, tons of fabric for their stashes! A certain friend has collected more cross-stitch kits than she will ever have time to make. Old aprons are another popular item to collect, along with “early” clothing for children. Pincushions are very appealing and they come in all sizes and shapes!

Some men like to collect antique cars and trucks and refurbish them, replacing upholstery and tinkering with paint jobs and engines. There is nothing more fun than seeing a parade of antique cars! If you go into an antique shop, you will get an idea of the types of items people save: old jewelry, old medical instruments, old magazines, etc. If you check e-Bay, the greatest equalizer of them all, you can probably find anything you might be seeking. It is the greatest trading ground ever and sure to please with just the obscure item you’ve been wanting to add to your collection.

I like to “collect” people stories. I have many of them in my head, and as I am forever amused by the human condition and the actions of the human race, I sometimes make comments in my writings. People are at once charming, aggravating, loving, and despicable; sharp, “pleasantly confused,” delightful, inspirational, humorous, sad, and triumphant beyond belief when one looks at their circumstances. In realizing that I have had many rich life experiences, I have begun writing my autobiography, not to sell, mind you, but just to catalog my life in a pictorial essay.

So what do you collect? I’d love to know.

Patricia Cummings, pat at quiltersmuse dot com

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