What's In Your Closet?

We all know the saying, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." And there is, perhaps, no better way of illustrating this point then to take a look at the kind of things people like to collect. I'm not talking about the big-time--things that are investment-grade. I mean the small-time collections people have throughout their lives that are seldom worth much monetarily, but hold a lot of meaning for the individual and become a kind of personal quest. Collections delight the collector and often baffle others who say, why the hell would he/she want a collection of that particular item even though they might very well be harboring a vast collection of, let's say, hand-woven Easter baskets, as they speak. Collectors ought never to criticize or look askance, lest the mirror be turned on themselves.

The beauty of collections is that anything will work. There is no end to the variety of items one might come to fancy. Even people living a meager existence can delight in collections--my grandmother, for example, collected buttons. That collection was partly practical because she was also a talented seamstress, but she must have enjoyed it because she had thousands of them and she would let us play with them--only if we were careful--when we visited her. My Irish-twin sister collects rhinos in all forms. For the Ambassador, herself (my other sister) it's turtles. For another friend, it's egg cups. Knowing about a person's collection and what items they do and don't have is handy when you are drawing a blank on gift ideas. For my own children, the girl and the boy, I started collections when they were little and added to them over the years. The girl got Snow Babies and the boy got Lionel Trains.

This group combines my interests in mechanical toys and birds.

Collectibles, things manufactured and released in limited numbers for the sole purpose of collecting and appreciating in value can be fun and I have a few, but in my opinion the best collections consist of items never intended to wind up as collectibles. And coincidentally, that phraseology brings us to one of my collections--wind-up toys. I have collected a number of things over the years, but the wind-ups are my most extensive and fun collection. The toys that started it all were given to me as little holiday gifts by my editor (and subsequent life-long friend) on my first job out of college. That little hopping Valentine's heart and twirling Christmas tree led to the acquisition of hundreds of other mechanical toys that perform amazing feats at the twist of their little white knobs. And that's the kind I like, the little plastic ones with the white knobs. They are relatively inexpensive, accessible and to me highly entertaining. Some of my collection dates from the early to late 70s. Others are fast-food kid's toys. Some of the best are advertising pieces, like the Geico Gecko.

Two old-timers. The elephant raises his rear legs.

An ever irresistible duo.



Babies

For years I kept the wind-ups stowed away, only taking them out occasionally for little test drives. When the boy came along, I would take them out--only if he was careful--and let him see all the funny things they did. Recently, I put them on display in my kitchen so that I could enjoy them all the time. It's funny to see people's reaction to them. Junk they would likely throw out, meticulously collected and displayed. Some love it, some are bemused or bewildered and others say things that are, well,  just a little mean.

It took awhile to find all the members of this group.

Knowing a person has a collection of some sort that they love makes me feel good about them. It gives me a sort of feeling of fellowship. Finding out what someone collects can be surprising and fascinating (and probably downright scary in some instances). It can also, as in my case, be just plain funny--or, ok I'll admit it, odd. Some people's collections I envy. Others, not so much.  What do you collect? I hope you'll write and share about it. I'd love to know.

Soldiers from the V & A Museum in London