weird/strange collections

[rayne315]

Im wondering If you or someone you know has what would be considered a weird or strange collection (anything non-video game related). It can be anything that you can think of so long as you or the person collecting whatever it may be considers it a collection. also if you would add any information about the collection and and reasoning behind it.

For me I knew a guy that was big into preserving and collecting flowers and grasses. He even had a binder with card sleeves that he stored blades of grass from EVERY lawn and park in the city (even some that were private property) and from different times throughout the year and lengths from freshly cut to the longest he ever saw that particular lawn. I asked one time why he collected them and he told me that he believes It speaks volumes about the people who's lawn it is from how busy/lazy they are, to how much they care about the place they live, and could even give a fairly accurate estimation for how much a house would sell for based on the price asked and how well kept their lawn and the lawns around them were. He eventually went into real estate.

The jewels of his collections were blades of grass from some famous landmarks over in Europe (lives in the us).

[ignition365]

I collect/used to collect decks of playing cards.  It started out just grabbing any deck that came my way, but then I started to realize I had favorite decks and I would likely never use any other decks, so I stopped buying decks that I didn't care about, then I was just buying video game related decks, and now I pretty much don't buy decks any more.

I probably own around 70 decks of playing cards.

Backstory?  Uhhh... I was kind of a loner in my youth, still kind of am, but not the point, so I would play solitaire or any of a 100 different types of solitaire a lot.  I also enjoyed playing cards with other people.  I have one deck, it's mighty beaten up, well aged, and well used, I used to carry that deck with me everywhere.  But after college, I just stopped having the time to play cards, so it kind of died for me.

[aliensstudios]

I have quite a collection of capsule toy aliens, ninjas and other figures that I acquired throughout my youth. These things are hard to come by nowadays and I sort of feel bad for the kids who grow up now who couldn't find entertainment in these 25 cent toys. I don't really display them or anything like that, I just have a large amount of them so maybe its not all that weird but they still do hold a place in my heart.

[badATchaos]

I've heard of flower pressing and collecting, but never just plain grass. That's pretty different.

This is more of a hoarding story but: My father was a biology teacher for years and he had the habit of collecting dead animals. Mostly roadkill. This was because he thought he would be able to use it at school. In the basement we had this big box freezer where we'd store our meat and vegetables. Every so often I'd open it up to find random dead shit in there. Racoons, snowshoe hare, bluejays. One time there was a brown bat! He never actually used anything for school. Every so often he'd realize this and throw it all away only to just start back up again in a few months. Kinda phucked.

[Warmsignal]

This topic comes up on a many game collecting forums, I've noticed.

Yes, I am weirdo and I have a weird "collection". On and off over the years, I have collected an assortment of vintage, usually mid-century electric fans. Why? I dunno, I think they're kind of neat to look at. Back in the day, common household items like fans were a bit different that what you typically see today. They had an aesthetic integrated into their design, and they were also made and built in the USA. Not only built, but over-built, hence why many of them still work today. As where a typical fan from Walmart now might last you a couple summers before burning up. For me, they're also practical because I don't have AC.

So I have quite a few of these guys sitting around, and some extras stored away. As for what sparked the interest? I think it was because as a kid, I had kind of a fear / curiosity about fans, specifically some older ones that my grandparents had many years ago.

It isn't just me, there are some pretty large groups of people out there also into this stuff. They even hold fan-fair events, where a bunch of people gather together and show off their different vintage and antique fans. I've never been to one, but I think it would be pretty cool. Sorry, I had to.

[dreama1]

Some of these step into the realm of hoarding rather than collecting.

[jsoup]

This topic comes up on a many game collecting forums, I've noticed.

Collectors tend to have more than one thing that strike their interest, so smaller collections will pop up, even if accidentally. That and borderline to full on hording isn't uncommon either.

[Warmsignal]

Some of these step into the realm of hoarding rather than collecting.

I think hoarding is only really hoarding if you have an uncontrollable urge to have everything you see, and developing an unhealthy attachment to keeping everything to the point that it negatively impacts your health and home.

There might be a fine line between collecting and hoarding, but when I think of hoarders, I think of people who swim around through a house of garbage and basically incapacitate themselves with junk. Maybe that's extreme hoarding.

[gf78]

I've heard of flower pressing and collecting, but never just plain grass. That's pretty different.

This is more of a hoarding story but: My father was a biology teacher for years and he had the habit of collecting dead animals. Mostly roadkill. This was because he thought he would be able to use it at school. In the basement we had this big box freezer where we'd store our meat and vegetables. Every so often I'd open it up to find random dead shit in there. Racoons, snowshoe hare, bluejays. One time there was a brown bat! He never actually used anything for school. Every so often he'd realize this and throw it all away only to just start back up again in a few months. Kinda phucked.

LOL....that's pretty F'd up.  Your pops would be in heaven if he was where I live.  There are more dead squirrels, birds, possums, skunks, rats, mice, owls, armadillos, beavers, groundhogs, moles, etc. than you can shake a stick at.

[rayne315]

This topic comes up on a many game collecting forums, I've noticed.

Collectors tend to have more than one thing that strike their interest, so smaller collections will pop up, even if accidentally. That and borderline to full on hording isn't uncommon either.

to me hoarding is instances like going out dumpster diving for things that are actually trash or bringing in things that do not belong in a home into the home, and making no attempt to display what your hoarding IE putting them on the ground. things like crumpled up newspapers books that are moldy things that realistically can not be repaired and have no value to anyone. things like that constitute hoarding to me.

[fazerco]

As i said in this thread http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,6693.msg104064.html#msg104064 i have a sugar packet collection.
Not sure howmuch i have, but im hitting the 25.000 for sure. Im scanning and uploading them to a site, so in a few years i know howmuch i have 

[gf78]

As i said in this thread http://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,6693.msg104064.html#msg104064 i have a sugar packet collection.
Not sure howmuch i have, but im hitting the 25.000 for sure. Im scanning and uploading them to a site, so in a few years i know howmuch i have 

All I can say my friend is that the sugar packets where you live must be a heckuva lot more interesting than the ones around here.  There are about five different kinds not including artificial sweeteners that I've seen my entire life.  LOL...

[gf78]

to me hoarding is instances like going out dumpster diving for things that are actually trash or bringing in things that do not belong in a home into the home, and making no attempt to display what your hoarding IE putting them on the ground. things like crumpled up newspapers books that are moldy things that realistically can not be repaired and have no value to anyone. things like that constitute hoarding to me.

Some people who are hoarders actually collect the things they hoard.  They just do it mindlessly and for no discernible reason.  I talked about my friend's stepmom who had several trailers filled floor to ceiling with hoarded items before where I found the APF Fun and Ti-99 systems I own.  In addition to newspapers and old magazines, she has all kinds of things.  Thousands upon thousands of records, reel-to-reel video, video games, CD's, 8-tracks, etc., etc.  She had rat-holed a dozen buckets of Legos that had never been opened, printer paper, printers, you name it. 

So while some of it like old newspapers were trash, some of it was brand-new, never opened items that she just impulsively bought and stored away.  Definitely a hoarder, but not a trash hoarder.  A cross between a collector and a hoarder.  A crossover if you will.   

[Warmsignal]

to me hoarding is instances like going out dumpster diving for things that are actually trash or bringing in things that do not belong in a home into the home, and making no attempt to display what your hoarding IE putting them on the ground. things like crumpled up newspapers books that are moldy things that realistically can not be repaired and have no value to anyone. things like that constitute hoarding to me.

Some people who are hoarders actually collect the things they hoard.  They just do it mindlessly and for no discernible reason.  I talked about my friend's stepmom who had several trailers filled floor to ceiling with hoarded items before where I found the APF Fun and Ti-99 systems I own.  In addition to newspapers and old magazines, she has all kinds of things.  Thousands upon thousands of records, reel-to-reel video, video games, CD's, 8-tracks, etc., etc.  She had rat-holed a dozen buckets of Legos that had never been opened, printer paper, printers, you name it. 

So while some of it like old newspapers were trash, some of it was brand-new, never opened items that she just impulsively bought and stored away.  Definitely a hoarder, but not a trash hoarder.  A cross between a collector and a hoarder.  A crossover if you will.   

Gotta play devil's advocate here, sometimes news papers can be of value if they are old, or feature some historic headline.  There's always someone's treasure buried in someone else's pile of trash. 

[fazerco]

to me hoarding is instances like going out dumpster diving for things that are actually trash or bringing in things that do not belong in a home into the home, and making no attempt to display what your hoarding IE putting them on the ground. things like crumpled up newspapers books that are moldy things that realistically can not be repaired and have no value to anyone. things like that constitute hoarding to me.

Some people who are hoarders actually collect the things they hoard.  They just do it mindlessly and for no discernible reason.  I talked about my friend's stepmom who had several trailers filled floor to ceiling with hoarded items before where I found the APF Fun and Ti-99 systems I own.  In addition to newspapers and old magazines, she has all kinds of things.  Thousands upon thousands of records, reel-to-reel video, video games, CD's, 8-tracks, etc., etc.  She had rat-holed a dozen buckets of Legos that had never been opened, printer paper, printers, you name it. 

So while some of it like old newspapers were trash, some of it was brand-new, never opened items that she just impulsively bought and stored away.  Definitely a hoarder, but not a trash hoarder.  A cross between a collector and a hoarder.  A crossover if you will.   

Gotta play devil's advocate here, sometimes news papers can be of value if they are old, or feature some historic headline.  There's always someone's treasure buried in someone else's pile of trash. 

Hmm, sounds like the American Pickers program to me.