I happened to read an article about a philatelist, who had bought a rare stamp for a whopping amount, to add to his collection.
I don’t remember the amount, but I do remember that my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!!!
This got me thinking. Why did that philatelist pay so much for that stamp?
I pondered about this for a few days and then realized that it was not about the money as much as it was about the ‘why he collected’.
Then it struck me that we are all collectors. Most people I know collect something. I know friends who collect refrigerator magnets, bookmarks, handbags, watches, and many more.
In my own family, my Dad collected pens. He bought every pen with love and joy. He had many different ones.
After his death, I sobbed my heart out when I saw his collection of pens – because it was one of those important things that defined who he was – it was easy to pick out a gift for him. He was very happy when he received pens as gifts.
My uncle collects shoes – sports shoes, formal shoes, boots, slip-ons; and he cares for each one of them like his own babies.
I know a friend, who doesn’t throw away old perfume bottles.
As for me, I love empty notebooks. I can’t seem to have enough of them with me. I have a whole drawer filled with different types of notebooks. Some made of handmade paper, some with pure creamy pages, some odd-sized and odd-shaped…I can never have enough. Visiting stationery shops is in my list of top 10 things to do!
Picture courtesy – http://www.inhabitat.com
So, back to the question. Why do most people collect something, and keep adding to their collection?
I asked myself this. After deep thought I realized that, to me, each time I open a new notebook to the first empty page, I feel hope and the thrill of writing. I want to fill these notebooks with writing – not necessarily fiction or stories, but even mundane things like ‘things to do’, ‘shopping lists’, ‘song lyrics’ and of course the book that I eventually want to write. These small notebooks fill me with joy.
I have seen the same joy in my Dad’s eyes when he searched for new pens to add to his collection. I see it in my son’s eyes when he collects fact books on animals.
The things we collect give us great happiness, from stamps to bookmarks to magnets to plants to coffee mugs to shoes to very expensive pieces of art, they give us repeated pleasure and happiness. To some extent, they define who we are! It is not about the money at all.
So, what do you collect and what does it mean to you? Would love to know.
That’s very true. We all are collectors! Its nice to know you collect note books of different kinds.. π
In childhood i used to collect key chains.. Then i used to write down all the messages i get. I used to collect memories by writing daily diary.
Now, Thank you.. that’s something i will look out for! π
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Lovely βΊ key chains. My mom collected them too. Do you have them still
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Yeah. I do have around 20..
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I am just a book collector π .. I am still a hard copy person …no e-books for me π I think of having my own library some day π
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Why ‘just’ a book.collector. It’s a wonderful thing to collect. Even I have grandiose plans for a cozy libraryππ
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I said ‘just’ coz I thought every reader would be doing that π
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Oh okππ
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In some way we find an aspect of ourselves in the things we collect I guess. I collected turtles for years. But at one point I was so tired of all that stuff around and put them away.
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Turtles…aww. That’s so cute. But yeah, sometimes one does get weary from maintaining the stuffone collects I guess. If I started writing today, the notebooks I have will last me for atleast 5 years….sighπ―π― and I still keep buyingππ
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Hahaha…. at least you know how to spend your time. There are worse things… lol
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ππ
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π
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I’m not much of a collector but I know people that are. Usually these people collect things that may potentially be worth money some day, like figurines or music memorabilia….yet I really don’t think the ultimate goal is selling it.
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That’s true. What amazes me is the joy that different things give to different people. I guess money is not so important in these cases. Thank you Marissa
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used to collect coins and stamps… but got tired of them after college and gave it off to my cousin. Now, I collect pocket knives… π I have 2 Swiss Army Knives, 1 Leatherman Micra, 1 Nepalese Kukri, 2 Chinese make pocket knives, 1 sandalwood paper cutter. I really don’t know how it started, but I really get excited I get a new one to my collection.
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Wow..that’s a new one. Happy collectingβΊβΊ
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I collect movies, especially the old pre 1950’s movies, I have over 2000+ I think the last count was somewhere around 2300 , both talking and silent, I keep about 300 current modern movies in the living room neatly on shelves, but the real collection is in the spare room upstairs, wall to wall shelves floor to ceiling , in many formats, from reel to reel , beta max, disc, vhs, to dvd & blu ray , and yes I have the equipment to play them all . if I sat down and watched 1 movie per night , it would take me 6.3 years to watch them all…. assuming I never bought any more during that time period.
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Oh oh oh Wow…that’s an awesome super duper collection. How do you preserve the tapes…do you have special storage for the. Thank you for sharing.
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6 years…amazing.
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I blocked the heat vent to the movie room and during the summer I keep a fan going in there to keep the room cool, the reel tapes are contained in metal canisters and kept in the closet away from temperature fluctuations, the vhs and beta max are just kept in their cases on the shelves
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Oh thank you..I used to work in media for a long time so was interested to knowβΊ
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Wow Nimmi I am amazed to realize that how creatively you can be focused on simple
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Wow..that’s a lovely compliment. Thank you.Suchetna
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I collect magnets . Lovely post Nimi.
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Nice..thank you Priyanka
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People in some or the other way of some or the other things they tend to collect things in quantity and quality.
They are precious to them.
That is another quality of adoring things of this World.
I have the following things in collection.
Antiques, Books,Images & Idols of Ganesha, Bottles and Bells.
Shiva
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Lovely. Thank you for sharing and for the follow. I look forward to reading your blog too. Ganeshas…even I collect
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I’m a collector and maybe a bit of a hoarder aswell! I collect Washi Tape (about 300 rolls now o.O) stationery (postcards), stickers!, stamps (clear stamps and wooden stamps),… A lot of stuff as you can see. :p
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Thank you. I went and read your post on your Washi tape collection. Lovely..
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anytime! Thanks for taking the time to look at my blog! π I appreciate it!
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I love to collect travel memories. They define and underscore the gypsy in me and share the fascinating aspects of life all over the world. Truth be told I’m trying to wheedle down some of my physical collections to make life simpler. Memories are endless in supply and storage no matter what physical limits your surroundings provide. π
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Lovely..thank you for sharing. Yes, maintaining what we collect gets challenging after a while. Yes memories….truly worth collectingβΊβΊ
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I collect movies that have either won or were nominated for an Academy Award (all categories) and … ummm … (whispered) anything that has Wonder Woman on it …!
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Lovely…that must be an awesome collection. Do you watch them often?
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We do Nimi … sounds rather sad but yes we do π lol!
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Why sad? I am a big movie buff myself..πππ though I don’t collect
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Ummm … I’ve been collecting for many years so I have lots. They have had to go into numbered folders now or every wall of our home would be covered in DVDs… It started off with Best Picture, then Best Actor, Actress, Supporting, Director … I’m sure you can guess the rest π
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Wow..amazing Belinda. If you see the earlier posts, one of my other blogging friends also has an amazing collection.
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It can get out of hand … π
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When I was young I used to collect stamps too. In fact last year, when I visit my mom I got my old stamp book back. Now I collect baseball hat from all the places I visit.
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That’s cool. So.how big is your stamp collection?
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