Collecting things
Discussion
The older I get, the more I start to think about the things I have collected, continue to collect and what I may collect in the future.
It's all bloody pointless
I have no one to leave my collections to, so at some point I'll be selling whatever I have collected so that hopefully, by the time I depart the earth, all I own will be the underpants I am wearing. I have no children and can't imagine that anyone else in my family will be interested in beer glasses and the like, so it either gets sold, donated or goes in the bin.
Has anyone else given any consideration to the things they collect?
It's all bloody pointless
I have no one to leave my collections to, so at some point I'll be selling whatever I have collected so that hopefully, by the time I depart the earth, all I own will be the underpants I am wearing. I have no children and can't imagine that anyone else in my family will be interested in beer glasses and the like, so it either gets sold, donated or goes in the bin.
Has anyone else given any consideration to the things they collect?
As a caver I collect torches - 450 of them around Covid time. I would keep them in boxes in the garage and keep a dozen out and swap out what I needed, so it seemed like I never had more than a dozen. 
It got ridiculous and I gave away many to friends and family so that they each had torches in their cars and home. The rest I gave to charideeee, leaving me with 150 and now down to 60ish. I kept the first ever LED ones and the current powerful ones.
It got ridiculous and I gave away many to friends and family so that they each had torches in their cars and home. The rest I gave to charideeee, leaving me with 150 and now down to 60ish. I kept the first ever LED ones and the current powerful ones.
My late BiL collected 1:18 models of racing cars, including every McLaren F1 car from their inception up to when he died six years ago, every racing car Senna drove and a handful of other interesting stuff. Since then, I've been bringing them over from his wife's place in Sweden and taken the batten from him but being a little more selective.
Haven't a clue how many I've got. Most are in boxes in the loft.
It's completely pointless and mad but I rather like it. They're a talking point when people come round. A lot of people are interested to see how the cars have changed over time.
I've reached the limit of acceptable display numbers with the OH though. My lad's 25 and I'm bagging his room when he moves out for a man-cave thing so that is where they will ultimately go. He can then have them when I'm gone!
Haven't a clue how many I've got. Most are in boxes in the loft.
It's completely pointless and mad but I rather like it. They're a talking point when people come round. A lot of people are interested to see how the cars have changed over time.
I've reached the limit of acceptable display numbers with the OH though. My lad's 25 and I'm bagging his room when he moves out for a man-cave thing so that is where they will ultimately go. He can then have them when I'm gone!
I don't collect anything, if anything due to being a minimalist and hating clutter I own as little stuff as possible.
As a child I remember collecting Garbage Pail Kid Cards, A Team Cards, Star Wars cards, Panini Flash Gordon Stickers etc. and never looking at them again once I had completed the set.
More recently I bought every copy of Retro Gamer magazine and as I missed a couple at the start bought them on eBay so I had the full set. Around issue 100 I realised I bought them but didn't read them anymore so sold them all on eBay.
Collected every Blur and Depeche Mode album, again lost interest and gave them to the charity shop.
As a child I remember collecting Garbage Pail Kid Cards, A Team Cards, Star Wars cards, Panini Flash Gordon Stickers etc. and never looking at them again once I had completed the set.
More recently I bought every copy of Retro Gamer magazine and as I missed a couple at the start bought them on eBay so I had the full set. Around issue 100 I realised I bought them but didn't read them anymore so sold them all on eBay.
Collected every Blur and Depeche Mode album, again lost interest and gave them to the charity shop.
Some sentiments linked to a thread I started (there are others) on the motivations for collecting and how it can absorb you beyond what is healthy!
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Collect many different things but a lesson I have learned is don't expect anyone else to appreciate what you do or want anything to do with them. Cannot blame them, prewar steel hand tools, imperial spanners, fountain pens, paintings/drawings, fountain pens pre 1960 and other assorted rubbish.
To take it to the other extreme, my father in-law had the misfortune (after his wife of 55 years passed away) to meet a lady friend who is a compulsive hoarder.
She’s filled every nook and cranny of his beautiful town house with utter s
te that has no value and now presents a serious fire hazard. My FiL is mortified and embarrassed and because he’s almost blind is now at risk of a fall…we’ve tried to intervene but he gets emotional and angry when we’ve offered to clear the crap and now won’t let us into his house.
My wife and her brothers have jointly vowed to have a skip ready and waiting the minute he passes…
She’s filled every nook and cranny of his beautiful town house with utter s
te that has no value and now presents a serious fire hazard. My FiL is mortified and embarrassed and because he’s almost blind is now at risk of a fall…we’ve tried to intervene but he gets emotional and angry when we’ve offered to clear the crap and now won’t let us into his house.My wife and her brothers have jointly vowed to have a skip ready and waiting the minute he passes…
CammyN said:
Collect many different things but a lesson I have learned is don't expect anyone else to appreciate what you do or want anything to do with them. Cannot blame them, prewar steel hand tools, imperial spanners, fountain pens, paintings/drawings, fountain pens pre 1960 and other assorted rubbish.
Yes, this took me a few years to realise. My collections are likely to be of little interest to most other people - and any possible income from seling on would be wiped out by advertising and postage. Effectively, it's worthless and can go to the local tip when I'm no longer around..
like others on here i dont hoard / have lots of crap that doesnt get used never did. when i left the UK to go live in europe all my worldly goods from a three bedroom house barely filled two thirds of a Luton Van. BUT that did include about 20 guitars and a few amps... i have a another couple of guitars now.
im not married or have kids- im 62 now... if i make it to say 75, or if i stop playing in a covers band before then (probably) illl get rid of all the guitars if i can. maybe ask a guitar shop to sell on commission (they are all decent guitars). my apartment. possibly sell it around that time then take the cash and go rent somewhere until whenever... all less hassle for my Nephews and sister when the time comes especially as outside the UK.
I grew up with collector/hoarder parents and I've spent my adult life (I'm 35) unlearning the habit.
I think collecting is a disease. You get addicted to the chase, but all you're doing is amassing more stuff that will be dispersed again when you die.
I like having things that are useful or beautiful, but simply collecting things for the sake of forming a collection is IMO a waste of life.
I think collecting is a disease. You get addicted to the chase, but all you're doing is amassing more stuff that will be dispersed again when you die.
I like having things that are useful or beautiful, but simply collecting things for the sake of forming a collection is IMO a waste of life.
When I was a youngster I had a collection of dead birds feet, all nailed onto a big bit of hardboard and labeled up.
Literally dozens and dozens of them.
I won my scouts collection badge for it! It raised a few eyebrows when it was displayed in the scout hut
Looking back it was a bit bloody bizarre.
Literally dozens and dozens of them.
I won my scouts collection badge for it! It raised a few eyebrows when it was displayed in the scout hut
Looking back it was a bit bloody bizarre.
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