What else do you collect?

[tonyb]

Lotsa old clothes; a fair amount of old paper ephemera; lotsa “oriental” (a term overdue for replacement) rugs; at least a hundred hats (the one category in which I can honestly claim some level of expertise); vintage commercial art and signage; books; old radios and other audio gear (the appeal of which to me, what with my tin ear and all, is mostly in its visual attributes); interesting old furniture from various eras; vintage and antique luggage; vintage cookware and tableware; license plates; vintage motel memorabilia.

There’s more, but that’s most of it. Like most others drawn to this site, I’m into stuff from bygone eras that somehow managed to survive into the present, especially the stuff that wasn’t really meant to. But none of it is so precious that I’d be heartbroken if it were somehow lost. And none of it is so valuable in monetary terms that it would be irresistibly tempting to a thief. (Which is not to say that a light-fingered sort *wouldn’t* steal some of it [some people would steal almost anything], but very little of it would be easily fenced. A second-story man’s efforts would likely be more lucratively expended elsewhere, such as one of the neighbors’ houses, with their newer, “more desirable” stuff.)

I’m thankful for the more obsessive collectors and their willingness (in general) to share their hard-won knowledge. And I often find it entertaining when the more passionate experts get into the minutiae and can’t come to agreement. The world of tribal rugs is thick with such characters.

 

[belfastboy]

Lotsa old clothes; a fair amount of old paper ephemera; lotsa “oriental” (a term overdue for replacement) rugs; at least a hundred hats (the one category in which I can honestly claim some level of expertise); vintage commercial art and signage; books; old radios and other audio gear (the appeal of which to me, what with my tin ear and all, is mostly in its visual attributes); interesting old furniture from various eras; vintage and antique luggage; vintage cookware and tableware; license plates; vintage motel memorabilia.

There’s more, but that’s most of it. Like most others drawn to this site, I’m into stuff from bygone eras that somehow managed to survive into the present, especially the stuff that wasn’t really meant to. But none of it is so precious that I’d be heartbroken if it were somehow lost. And none of it is so valuable in monetary terms that it would be irresistibly tempting to a thief. (Which is not to say that a light-fingered sort *wouldn’t* steal some of it [some people would steal almost anything], but very little of it would be easily fenced. A second-story man’s efforts would likely be more lucratively expended elsewhere, such as one of the neighbors’ houses, with their newer, “more desirable” stuff.)

I’m thankful for the more obsessive collectors and their willingness (in general) to share their hard-won knowledge. And I often find it entertaining when the more passionate experts get into the minutiae and can’t come to agreement. The world of tribal rugs is thick with such characters.

If I had room for another collecting passion it would be the world of hand made rugs. I have a very modest collection of 8 rugs, many purchased in NAfrica many many years ago the others used online Persian. Luckily I have never visited Persia as I doubt I would have left without a container load of rugs.....and at this point Iran is not on my bucket list.

 

[tonyb]

...and at this point Iran is not on my bucket list.

Circumstances have me knowing many people (men, almost entirely) born in Iran but living here in the States. They cut out of the old country around the time of the revolution, and that’s four decades ago now. They were young men then, and now as people of retirement age I suspect they aren’t holding out much hope that they’ll live to see the ayatollahs lose their grip on power.

 

[belfastboy]

Circumstances have me knowing many people (men, almost entirely) born in Iran but living here in the States. They cut out of the old country around the time of the revolution, and that’s four decades ago now. They were young men then, and now as people of retirement age I suspect they aren’t holding out much hope that they’ll live to see the ayatollahs lose their grip on power.

We have a very large Persian population here. The first wave late 70's after the Shah's fall. But there have been subsequent waves and now second & third generation comprise the enclave. My niece's son goes to an elementary school in a wealthy part of town and he is the only Anglo kid in his class as all the rest are Persian. The Mothers keep to themselves and don't talk to my niece not because they are unfriendly but because their English is limited. My tailor is a Persian woman arriving here in about 2005. Her English is gooder than mine!

 

[Fifty150]

The first wave late 70's after the Shah's fall.

That's the generation who told people that they were royalty in exile....... awaiting to be restored. Until that happened, they wore fake gold chains, bare chest open shirts, and tight bell bottoms. Apparently the revolution was being staged in discos. Weird that only men were exiled royalty, driving used Camaros. I never saw any Iranian women at an orgy, or cutting lines on the bar with an American Express card at Studio 54.

 

[belfastboy]

That's the generation who told people that they were royalty in exile....... awaiting to be restored. Until that happened, they wore fake gold chains, bare chest open shirts, and tight bell bottoms. Apparently the revolution was being staged in discos. Weird that only men were exiled royalty, driving used Camaros. I never saw any Iranian women at an orgy, or cutting lines on the bar with an American Express card at Studio 54.

You must have attracted a different breed of Persians in your town than we attracted into ours. Yes, the Persians that came here certainly in that first wave got out early and with their money. They settled into an upper scale part of our city...they settled in, purchased businesses and very soon became very much a part of the fabric of the city. I think the subsequent waves were not the wealthy but ordinary people wanting out from underneath the mullah's control. My tailor is an example.

 

[Fifty150]

The ones I knew didn't have any money, nor were they royalty. They just told people that. They worked odd jobs, went to night school, and hung out in discos on the weekend. They wore cheap polyester suits from the mall, cheap cologne from the mall, fake gold chains from the mall. The guys I knew were not Shahs of Sunset. For every rich Royal, 100 refugees pretended to be royal. I don't know what Iranian life was like before The Ayatollah. But these guys loved alcohol, and blondes.

 

[Fifty150]

 

[belfastboy]

The ones I knew didn't have any money, nor were they royalty. They just told people that. They worked odd jobs, went to night school, and hung out in discos on the weekend. They wore cheap polyester suits from the mall, cheap cologne from the mall, fake gold chains from the mall. The guys I knew were not Shahs of Sunset. For every rich Royal, 100 refugees pretended to be royal. I don't know what Iranian life was like before The Ayatollah. But these guys loved alcohol, and blondes.

Not our experience here. We got the business men, families, quiet wealth. They did spend big bucks on their daughter's wedding.....it was a socially acceptable way to show off wealth. Yes, there was the odd teenager that would get into trouble driving daddy's expensive sports cars but a rare happening.

 

[Bushman]

Debt and dust!

Besides knives and books, which I show off here pretty often, I enjoy collecting movie prop replicas. I tend to focus on Halloween masks, and Star Wars, though my Jurassic Park collection could fill a room of its own.

Latest addition:

 

[Turnip]

Since I quit smoking I kind of collect booze, single malt at largest chunk, discontinued if possible. Though I’m a lousy collector, drink them all myself.
Currently 19 bottles open on my shelf, about the same amount closed in the arsenal.

WWII books certainly, they accumulate at least over the decades.

 

[LizzieMaine]

All those lightsabers remind me that I've got a Graflex flash attachment attached to a Speed Graphic press camera sitting on a pile of stuff in my spare room right now.

 

[belfastboy]

Since I quit smoking I kind of collect booze, single malt at largest chunk, discontinued if possible. Though I’m a lousy collector, drink them all myself.
Currently 19 bottles open on my shelf, about the same amount closed in the arsenal.

WWII books certainly, they accumulate at least over the decades.

My collection of whisky is a bit more modest about 20 on the shelf. I few months ago had a health scare and driving to the emergency ward when the gravity of it all hit me my first thought afterwards........"Damn, I have to start drinking the expensive stuff in my cabinet.....now."

 

[Turnip]

Value is relative anyway.

Bought an Edradour Fairy Flag at MSRP, 69 bucks if I remember right, when it’s been announced to be discontinued, which is now about 200+ at this end. Even an Elijah Craig 12 I bought at 32 bucks is now around 100 here.

But I don’t wait for a special occasion, that won’t come anyway, and behead any bottle when in right mood.

 

[tonyb]

You must have attracted a different breed of Persians in your town than we attracted into ours. Yes, the Persians that came here certainly in that first wave got out early and with their money. They settled into an upper scale part of our city...they settled in, purchased businesses and very soon became very much a part of the fabric of the city. I think the subsequent waves were not the wealthy but ordinary people wanting out from underneath the mullah's control. My tailor is an example.

The ones I knew didn't have any money, nor were they royalty. They just told people that. They worked odd jobs, went to night school, and hung out in discos on the weekend. They wore cheap polyester suits from the mall, cheap cologne from the mall, fake gold chains from the mall. The guys I knew were not Shahs of Sunset. For every rich Royal, 100 refugees pretended to be royal. I don't know what Iranian life was like before The Ayatollah. But these guys loved alcohol, and blondes.

The Persian guys I knew, and know, are as varied as people of any other ethnicity. They’re physicians and accountants and construction workers and bus drivers. And while it’s true that *some* of those fellows caroused in their early adult years, I found them no likelier to do so than young guys of any other description. If they as a group were likelier than average to engage in anything, it was entrepreneurship.

I never knew royalty, nor anyone who pretended to it. I did know guys who took whatever jobs they could get while pursuing education or whatever else they had to do to resume the kinds of work they did back home. That’s how people with professional educations and experience ended up driving taxicabs while they got their credentials in order over here in God’s Country.

 

[Juanito]

I used to collect a lot of stuff, magazines, leather jackets, motorcycles, US military boots, tools, literature.

In the last three or four years, I have stopped all of that, sold nearly all of it off (aside from the tools), and am acquiring no more. Less is more, I want a little as possible. As grow older the less I have, the happier I am. AlI try to collect are experiences, memories, photos, and maybe a few maps to guide my way.

 

[EngProf]

All those lightsabers remind me that I've got a Graflex flash attachment attached to a Speed Graphic press camera sitting on a pile of stuff in my spare room right now.

And keep it right there where it should be - not ruined by turning it into a movie prop.
- Graflex cameras and accessories collector -
(I once used several of those connected in series to take a midnight photo of a B-29.)

 

[Fifty150]

And while it’s true that *some* of those fellows caroused in their early adult years, I found them no likelier to do so than young guys of any other description.

And that's how I knew these guys. We ran in the same circles. Discos, strip clubs, and shooting ranges. With a love of guns, girls, and booze......they were just about as American as the next guy.

 

[Harp]

If I had room for another collecting passion it would be the world of hand made rugs. I have a very modest collection of 8 rugs, many purchased in NAfrica many many years ago the others used online Persian.

The Mothers keep to themselves and don't talk to my niece not because they are unfriendly but because their English is limited. My tailor is a Persian woman arriving here in about 2005. Her English is gooder than mine!

I have a weakness for rugs, fortunately stopped myself cold turkey right at the get-go, so it never got started.

Know a Chinese seamstress who emigrated without any English whatsoever. She told me she picked up
English inside seven months time. Baseball too. A Cubs fan.

 

[Rich22]

Books, books and more books. Fantasy and history, most frequently, but a wide variety. I likely have more than I could read in three lifetimes. On the upside, I think I've now acquired most of the books I 'need'.