My Collections

Hi everyone, Christen here…thanks for stopping by today. This week on the podcast, we are discussing collecting as a hobby. We also go into the pros and cons of collecting. One of the neat things that we discuss about collecting is the chase. There is a sort of thrill in obtaining the items to add to a collection. I highly recommend that you check out  The Role of Information in a Community of Hobbyist Collectors, a fantastic article about a study conducted in 2009 in which they researched people who collected rubber ducks to varying degrees. The article dives into the psychology and methodology of the act of collecting and how collecting enriches a person’s social life.

I thought it would be fun to show you some of my collections that I have, and how I store my collections. I am not a well rounded and knowledgeable hobbyist collector; I am a novice. Although I do have several small collections that I am pursuing, I have very little knowledge about the items that I collect and the proper ways of storing them. I have not invested much time into the research aspect as I am not a serious collector, and there is no museum looking to acquire my collection, nor will you see my collections on a TV show like Oddities or Pawn Stars.  I am just a passive collector. Someday, I may find that I want to change my methods of storing, or acquiring, but for now, I am happy with my collections as they are.

Coin Collection:

I have approximately 183 coins that I have collected over the years. I began my collection when my grandfather gave me an “Indian Head Penny” and a “Walking Half Dollar”. I always had a fascination with the wheat pennies because they looked different, and I also enjoyed looking at foreign currency. It feels like having treasure, and this is probably why I collect it. It also fascinates me that I can hold a penny from 1919 and imagine that someone else used that over 100 years ago to purchase something. Each coin has its own untold story, whether it be where I acquired it, its possible value, and memories that go with it. I also love putting a penny in the coin machine when on vacation and getting embossed memorabilia to add to my collection; I am sure to get one whenever I see an elongated penny machine. I also keep tokens from arcade centers now, which seems to be a rare item, considering many arcades use swipe cards or free-play modes these days. One of my prized tokens is from Putt-Putt, a miniature golf center, circa 1984. I don’t mind getting coins as a gift, it’s not necessarily a requirement that only I select the coins for my collection, I will gladly take any coins that someone offers to me. I do have to say that one of my fondest memories of coin acquisition was in the early 2000 at the peak of my coin collecting. I worked with one of my dearest friends in the restaurant industry. She also had a passion for coin collecting, being more focused on coins of value and historical significance. She was a great mentor on the types of coins made in the US and their evolution in relation to American history. We would enjoy going through the till together at work after closing and checking for pennies, nickels and dimes, in the search for any that were missing from our collection. Now that I do not use change on a regular basis, my coin collecting has dwindled down to obtaining elongated coins for the most part, but I do look forward to traveling out of the country soon and possibly exchanging currency while abroad.

Stamp Collecting:

Another collection was also inspired by my grandfather who had an extensive collection of stamps and was probably a very knowledgeable philatelist. I never really got a chance to look at his collection as he passed away in 2002 after briefly showing it to me, but I was inspired none-the-less. In 2003, I decided to start my own stamp collection. I was not particular about collecting new or used stamps and I am happy to take any used stamps that my family gets in the mail. It's a sweet and thoughtful gesture when my mom hands me a plastic baggy of postage stamps that she has set aside for me from the various mail she has received. I have a nice book that I keep my stamps stored in. I don’t plan on expanding my stamp collecting knowledge at this time, but it might be something to invest more time and money in later in my life.

Rocks, Crystals and Gemstones:

I have always been obsessed with rocks, crystals, and gems. I also consider them treasure, like my coins. I get great pleasure from looking at them and holding them. I currently have them in a small canister, and a few line my bookshelf, but I recently purchased a neat display box at a thrift store that I am excited to decorate and convert into a mini display cabinet. As for my crystals, this collection is more curated. I specifically go in search of gemstones that I have on my wish list. I enjoy reading up on gem properties and where they can be mined. I get excited about visiting shops that sell crystals and can lose any sense of time while looking for the perfect rock. I am not sure where my fascination stemmed from, except that my mother loves them, too, so I must have gotten it from her. Just last year we discovered that Reyna also had a fondness for rocks. Her favorite is Jasper and I know this because she would come home with pocket loads of jasper pebbles and I would even find them in her backpack. When we took Reyna canoeing for the first time last year, we traveled down the Brazos river. The water was shallow enough at the bank of our campsite for her to play safely. She spent countless hours just playing in the rocks and she brought many more home from the trip. Since she was so intrigued by the rocks, we decided to take her diamond digging at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. We had so much fun digging in the dirt! Sadly the only gems I brought home were purchased from the gift store.

What kinds of things do you collect? Do you consider yourself to be an expert, amateur, or novice? Have you considered investing a significant amount of time researching something in which you already have a considerable collection? Did you find that you had anything of value? Let’s keep the conversation going over in our Facebook Chat and be on the lookout for the podcast coming out on Wednesday.