What do you collect which you'd like to share with us, or even maybe try to get some trades going around here. I used to collect old records, old newspapers, coins, stamps, old books, DVDs, movies, etc. I don't know if I "collect" much anymore since some of my most special objects have "disappeared through the years", and I've learned to "live with less." So what about it, I know there's some people who aren't so burnt out around here.

I was a HUGE collector before I went to college (and now my life's about collecting freakin' reviews), but I have 3 pretty sizable collections:

(1) Baseball Cards -- yeah, like every other American kid. I was a huge Clemente fan and have a bunch of his cards from various years. My "collecting years" were about 1985 - 1988, so I have a crap-load of McGwire & Bonds rookies from the various companies (Fleer, Donruss, Topps, etc.) I haven't touched my cards in a long time, but they're accessible.

(2) Olympic Pins: My dad worked for Coke during the 84 Olympics in LA, and they loaded us up with Coke/Sprite/Tab pins to trade, so I have a TON of 1980 and 1984 pins. That trading experience actually gave me a leg-up in the art of negotiating at an early age...

(3) Beer Cans: This is the collection that started it all for me. On a camping trip with friends in like 3rd grade, I found an old "cone-top" -- circa WWII -- half buried next to a creek. I got hooked, and I now have probably 2000 cans, all empty, most opened from the bottom (which makes the cans more valuable) with the help of a sharpened doorknob (standard procedure in the industry). Yes, my bedroom reeked of beer as a kid, but it got me street cred with my older sister's high school boyfriends. Now, I just have my 6 or 7 most valuable cans on display in a little case in my condo, and the rest are lining the back of a walk-in closet.

I think it takes a certain kind of personality to collect stuff with gusto. I haven't been that guy for years, but it was great fun at the time. I'm sure EBay (which I don't use) would be a huge help in that regard today, but it almost seems like cheating.

I don't really "collect" anything, in the sense of buying them for display purposes or whatnot.

I do collect music, of course, of many types and formats: CDs, some vinyl, special editions, etc.

I also collect books, which is par for the course for an academic. Most of my books are philosophy, law, economics, or history books, although I do have a fairly good collection of music-related books, including guides and biographies. I enjoy wandering through used book stores, looking for bargains. I found a two volume set of James Martineau's Methods of Ethics last week for $6, which was a pretty rare find, and dirt cheap. I doubt I'll ever read it, but it looks nice on the shelf!

I have a small collection of screen-print show posters.

I also have a good sized collection of autographs from musicians, usually on their records or CDs. My prized autograph: Elvis Costello, on the "When I Was Cruel" tour book, from last year.

Mark, I was just thinking of starting this same discussion, but you got to it first. Well, over my years, I've had several collections.

When I was five or six I collected Rocks. I had a huge collection of all kinds of rocks and crystals and stones and stuff.

Oh yeah, and like almost every guy my age, I went through a Pokemon Card phase. *shudder* I had so many of those damn things.

Next, I started collecting foreign coins. I still have coins from like 50 different countries stashed away somewhere.

A few years ago, I started collecting Simpsons memorabilia, but I got bored of that and it was too expensive.

Then, I began to collect fortune cookie fortunes. I liked those cuz it was easy and not to expensive. I still have like 50 or 60 of them but basically I stopped collecting.

I think we should expand this thread to include Autographs and memorabilia that you own.

My prized autograph is a signed picture of Steven Spielberg (my favorite director) with E.T. standing next to him.

I also have some basketball autographs, which include Grant Hill, Richard Hamilton, and Kevin Ollie.

I have an autographed card of Clinton Portis from his days at the University of Miami. Funny story actually, my mom used to work with his mom at a nursing home, needless to say Portis' mom doesn't work anymore.

As far as collections...I have a box of comic books worth about $150 and about twenty various collectable cards from when I was younger. I guess you could call my video games a collection I now have 26 PS2 games, 10 PS1 games, and another 5 Dreamcast games.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: St. Mike,

Hey, MGE, don't get me started on baseball cards. I started collecting cards in the mid-60's and had a large, impressive collection. Then my aunt gave me all these cards from the 50's and earlier from a dead uncle I never even knew. Boy, I was so proud of my collection. Then, as I said in the first post, all the cards and all my autographs of LA Lakers, Jim Fregosi, Jack Lalanne (on ribbons I earned running three miles in jr. high school), etc., etc., all got sucked into a black hole. No wonder I'm a cynic.

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Originally posted by mark f:
all got sucked into a black hole. No wonder I'm a cynic.

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The only thing better than talking about collections is talking about how collections get burned, stolen, or otherwise vaporized...That's too bad about those old cards. As you know, today's cards (from about 1984 forward) are really a dime a dozen, if that. Stuff from the 52 through the mid-60s is like gold. How heartbreaking!

Well, as most of you know, I collect DVD's like they were baseball cards (at last count, 766 in 6 years). I have a small coin collection of ones I've found on the street or got from customers while at work. Coins, like wheat pennies, state quarters, a silver colored penny, some foreign coins & Iraqi bills with Saddam's picture all over 'em. Any & all things Simpsons are in my sights (I even have an exspensive Homer Simpson watch!). It's funny because I wouldn't own a single Simpsons item if it wasn't for my brother buying me Bart Simpson. After that, I wanted to see if I could get the whole family. After that I wanted to see how many I could grab. Turns out, it was quite a bit! I also collect very cool lookin' toys based on movie & cartoon characters from back in the day. I'm talkin' like Todd McFarland's toys with lotsa detail! If they look exactly like the characters, I'm all over 'em . My kids are going insane just staring at them on the shelves, but they know if they touch a single one, they're in BIG TROUBLE! I used to collect comic books, but I still have all of them, though. Over 900! I collect rare cars & trucks. Okay, I only have one rare truck, but every collection starts with only one!

Nobody else around here collects anything? Really? Mark f, I find it hard to believe you don't have any movie memorabilia! Like maybe something cool from "JAWS", perhaps?

I collect a few things here and there but nothing too seriously, plus I don't have a lot of what I collect. I love "The Simpsons" as well but besides a poster, calendar, the DVDs, Monopoly and Clue Edition and a few other choice objects, that's all I have. I also collect Finding Nemo things; I've been able to amount a shower curtain, a plush toy, an inflated ball and a few other things.

Lately, I was going hard to collect the toys that Burger King released for the The Simpsons Movie. I was however, only able to get 13 out of 16 that they had. They got the shipments in packs of 3s and I missed one entire shipment, so that stunk.

I am sure more people on here collect other things, feel free to share them.