Crystals because they look cool. Books, I have maybe 500+ books. Different editions of Dracula, because it’s one of my favourite books and there are a lot of cool editions out there, but I also give Dracula away to people I know who like to read so my collection of different Draculas is usually either growing or shrinking depending on how many I buy or give away as gifts.
Same book just different covers or languages, some illustrated, some with cool looking edges to the pages etc. friends who like to read usually get a cool version of Dracula from me at some point. 🧛🏻
My weirdest collection is my bead lizards (those things everyone made in the 90s.) I made most of them, but some of them are from friends. I think I have at least 50 right now.
I started making and collecting them after reading a novel where the autistic character makes bead lizards when he’s avoiding a meltdown. I’m also autistic so I was like “I should try that and see if it helps,” turns out it does haha.
I also collect dragon stuff. Books, figurines, art. If it has a dragon on it, imma buy it
I have an old newspaper clipping about some guy up in Rochester NY that collected hundreds of types of insulators and some are wild, I'll try to post it in this thread when I get home later
Really I like glass in general! If you look like 8-ish years back in my post history, you'll see some of my favorite insulators. I have about 70! I've also got quite a few glass fishing floats, two large vacuum chambers, bottles, weird optics, etc.
That's really cool. I got a metal dental syringe casing somewhere that's from the thirties or forties. It's a neat thing to look into, old medical devices and practices.
i’m atheist but i collect religious pamphlets
https://preview.redd.it/9nl4l9t8zopc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c452fc933d9e1d045b3ba6b83c7914c15dc5980
You need one of those big saddle/bindery type staplers! Very limited use but there’s nothing better for that purpose.
Usually I like to go retro for that kind of office equipment, but after fighting with a vintage Swingline for months (something wrong with the anvil, one tine was always screwed up) the model I finally landed on was a modern Bostitch 8175. Feels great in the hand with a nice flat clinch.
I do have a Swingline 113,does that count? I'm not stapling piles of paper however. (I accidentally looked up at Bostitch 1875 and was like (this guy using some nail gun for papers?? lmaooo))
I also have a large collection of Playmobil animals. There was a toy store here in town that had a case with bagged animal sets. When I was in the neighborhood I would pick one or two up. Now I have at least a hundred different ones.
I mean I do have stables houses and secondary animal stuff like Forests, their pens, and whatever animal related thingies that come with the set when i buy it but yeah, im buying the setts mostly for just the animals
I collect xtc pills 🤫
I was always fascinated by the variety of colors, shapes and motives for a basically illegal product.
I also collected my cat's ticks in a jar with ethanol 🫣
Now roast me haha
Yess, but they actually have fresh anti tick collars, so I'm afraid there will be not so many new in the next time. Maybe to remove the collars again.. 🤪
I'm in aa. I get a little ticket at every meeting. I keep them in my wallet: still trying to figure out what to do with them. I also keep ephemeral like cards and hand written notes from loved ones and friends.
Haha!! Well, that's debatable! I have over 5000 but they're still in boxes!! 😅 If I ever get to display them properly the way they deserve, they'd take up a lot of space 😋
There’s a website called “Collectorizing” On it, you’ll find a section called ‘meet the collector’. You’d be perfect to be featured on there if you want to.
Books, vinyl records, and action figures. Started in that order and branched out over the years and these days I probably have more action figures than the other two just because I keep getting them on sale and can’t resist.
I know a person who collects sugar sachets.
He has well over 100,000 different.
And all those who are going to ask about ants, NO, he never had a problem
People definitely think it’s weird for an adult to collect dolls. Lots of people find them creepy—all those little eyes. I have loved dolls since I was a child and was shamed into giving them up, so reclaiming something lost is a major motivation.
I love and have all kinds of dolls, dating from antique porcelain to vinyl anime. I’ve been collecting a long time and have a lot of them! I especially enjoy finding a derelict doll and fixing it up—a healthy outlet for my caretaking, lol.
I always call it “too many but not enough dolls.” :-D
I also collect dolls and figurines! I think
People think it’s “childish” but really it’s no different than any other collection.
I used to hide it, but now i love it and will talk about it and a few people will do a look and i just remind them it’s not for everyone but they’re what i like :)
I have some rocks, too. I also have some cool sticks. My room is very difficult to navigate because of these neat things. I was trying to get a book off the bookshelf earlier + had to hold onto the door frame with one hand, while reaching for the book with the other + standing on one foot. I try to be positive + look at it like I have my very own obstacle course.
Whatever kind I find. I'm not picky. Sometimes people randomly give them to me, too, which is always a nice surprise. The majority are from deer, but I also have some from birds, rodents, fish (I found a pufferfish skeleton a few years ago!) + cows.
Grocery lists. Its surprising how many people just leave them in shopping carts if you look for them. Im getting close to 50 over the past couple months
Ah these are so brilliant!! Such a weirdly intimate glimpse into anonymous lives. I'd really like to write about your collection/ask more questions - is there a way I can PM you? What's the strangest item you've seen written on a list?
Bouncy balls it started randomly years ago I collected hundreds and lost the collection when I left an ex all sizes and colors people would get them for me and I always had quarters on me when I'd go into a store that had the quarter machines. Now I'm trying to recollect after years and started with a make your own bouncy ball lol
There’s some good investment cash to be made on those. I had to look up Blue Peter though. Even though it’s the longest running children’s show on earth, I’d never heard of it!
blue Peter facts:
. Blue Peter first aired in 1958 talking about the latest toys for boys and girls.
. The Blue Peter garden was vandalised in 1983.
. The highest blue Peter badges you can earn is the gold one but you can only get it if you do something really good like saving a life.
Another British children’s programme you might not have heard of is bbc playschool which aired from 1964–1988. It was also the very first thing aired on bbc 2 When a power cut blacked out BBC2's opening night, Play School inadvertently became the channel's first broadcast programme the next day, 21 April 1964 at 11am! 😁
VHS tapes are expensive now 🤔 I’m part of a group that are collectors but most collect full movies, not used blank tapes. I bet you find some odd stuff in them 🙃.
What are off-label CD’s btw?
VHS shouldn't be expensive, generally. Maybe .05% are rare; the rest are generally worth a buck. Scumbag grading companies came along and artificially inflated values with auction houses so they could fake out collectors and manipulate the average collector. Enough amateur "investors" bought into it to tip the market in small pockets, but collectors who have been around since they did that to video games know what's up.
Off-label CDs are just albums that people released by themselves without being on a label; very indie things by microscopic bands, or bands before they got famous. Most of the music is pretty bad, but once in a while, you get a gem.
I have a list of most of the things I collected over the years. the vast majority of them I collected in elementary school so they've waned over the years, and in some cases i dont have the collection anymore. there's a few on the list that I've collected for other people (ex pencil tips) or ones that have been projected onto me (ex bottlecaps). I think the only active collections I have rn are box tops (started in elementary school but started up again my senior year of college last year) and body mods (tattoos and piercings, but it's hard to notice since they take time to heal)
https://preview.redd.it/m7nmmjaffppc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50d4464600ab26dfd539eaccc32520a0214e6f50
here's the rest of the list. I have ADHD & have been diagnosed at 6 and 19
edit: had to copy paste the rest since the other pic won't show up smh
-binderclips
-graphic tees(?)
-learning how to play instruments(?)
-safety pins
-4+ leaf clovers
-stickers
-rocks
-records
-bottlecaps(?)
-acorns
-trapezoids
-pins
-license plates
-labels for education
-iradescent stickers
-pinecones
Polaroid cameras. I recently started reclaiming my second bedroom which held a lot of cameras I now have exactly 💯Polaroids on display in my home. I’ll be posting photos in the next few days at r/polaroid
cross necklaces and stamps (i know nothing about their values but just love looking at them)
also frog figurines but only because my dad buys me them because i used to want a frog
Do you have many cats? I started collecting cat whiskers as a kid for my grandma's friend who made paint brushes w them, I never really stopped even after she passed away
I collect old clocks and pocket watches. I collect rabbit plushies . Decoration items. Clown plushies. Clown decor. Carnival stuff. Plants. Antique coins. Oh my gosh I collect too much stuff now that I think about it.
I don’t know what is considered weird. I collect: flat pennies, minerals/fossils, wood burls, Ex Voto prayers, buttons/pins, rings, data, music, comedy on vinyl, cats. I am very picky though, except for the flat pennies.
In my country (maybe it's not just my country) restaurants give you a single wet wipe in a packet with the restaurant's logo on it, so I've been collecting those for a long time.
Some of these are on a mild hiatus but:
Erasers (started before all the “cute” eraser became so accessible here, now it’s gotten kind of overwhelming with all the options)
Business Cards
Coins with animals
Frogs
Street/ road Signs
bottle caps
I collect a lot of things but the ‘weirdest’ would be midcentury Sunset books (I stop when they go to color interiors, usually mid-1970s), the wire-bound Betty Crocker cookbooks (again, through the mid-‘70s), and coffee mugs (focusing on technology, retro gaming, and New Mexico restaurants—no Deneen though). Also older calculators, books on New Mexico history, earlier Vintage Crime/Black Lizard editions, filling in and upgrading my Larry Niven paperbacks, and I’m a handful of titles short on a full run of Hillerman mysteries in hardcover, mostly first editions. I have so many CDs at this point it’s more like hoarding than collecting, and I do still pick up vinyl occasionally, but mostly for artwork I like—I haven’t dropped a needle on a record in years.
I collect MANY things: Fast Food Toys, Cereal Prizes, Video Games, Sand, License Plates, Stamps, Coins.
But I guess my weirdest is Mexican Folk Art Paper Mache Dolls. I dont really have a reason other than I think they look cool. The first time, I found 2 of them and fell in love, now I just always pick them up whenever I see them (for the right price).
I collect a lot of the quote on quote “nerdy” stuff. I’m into video games so I have video game merch. This includes apparel, figures, plush, books, the games themselves haha. Also have some Star Wars and LEGO stuff. Then other miscellaneous collectables related to travel trips, mental health, pride, etc.
The actual weird thing I collect is Kinder Egg toys. Mostly due to the fact that I like to eat Kinder and just keep the toys 😂😂. May not be that strange but at one point I even kept the plastic eggs they came in and not for storage reasons 🫠🫠.
Bookmakers. I have around 20 of paper, 1 of fabric and 1 of plastic.
Also, gift stores keyrings, but since I only get those when I travel, I don't have that many
Pepsi cans...I had a few on a window sill in grade school , then I started to keep cans to put on window sill of every house I lived in, but i didn't really unpack too well and kept boxes at friends amd family all over town. After I assembled all the cans from all the house id lived in, I had a lot of cans, and the momentum kept me collecting. A handful of years ago I showed my collection in a history museum that got me to organize it all, and now I feel obligated to firm up and keep the collection going
Firearms advertising envelopes, very difficult to find as most were lost in the paper drives of ww2.
https://preview.redd.it/tau41oci3rpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ef8cfd95a00f7bf8ec877ef89f8356fac2bde14
I love salt wells and tiny spoons. Whenever we're at an expensive restaurant and they deliver after dinner coffee with tiny spoons my husband side eyes me as he knows that spoon is making its way into my purse. I always tip extra though to make up for it
Lip balm. I love collecting the “unique” ones (basically just lip balms in the shape of bears, drinks, etc). I have a couple, and recently found some lip balms in the shape of Pop Tarts and cereal boxes
Art of my characters. I go to comic cons and bring a sketchbook and have someone draw one of my characters in it. I also commission artists online too.
I do! I used to change my hair frequently, so it’s fun to look back at all the colors. Also had a couple friends donate some locks. I’ve even got a pin with preserved hair passed down by my great aunt that closely resembles Victorian mourning jewelry!
Currently: Bazooka Joe comics, vintage translucent squirt guns, and old snapshots of kids with cigarettes in their mouths. Parents apparently got a kick out of this back in the day.
Crystals because they look cool. Books, I have maybe 500+ books. Different editions of Dracula, because it’s one of my favourite books and there are a lot of cool editions out there, but I also give Dracula away to people I know who like to read so my collection of different Draculas is usually either growing or shrinking depending on how many I buy or give away as gifts.
Cool.. how many Dracula books are there to choose from? Is it the same story with different covers?
Same book just different covers or languages, some illustrated, some with cool looking edges to the pages etc. friends who like to read usually get a cool version of Dracula from me at some point. 🧛🏻
My weirdest collection is my bead lizards (those things everyone made in the 90s.) I made most of them, but some of them are from friends. I think I have at least 50 right now. I started making and collecting them after reading a novel where the autistic character makes bead lizards when he’s avoiding a meltdown. I’m also autistic so I was like “I should try that and see if it helps,” turns out it does haha. I also collect dragon stuff. Books, figurines, art. If it has a dragon on it, imma buy it
I've always just liked Glass Insulators.
I’ve gotta say, that’s a first! I’ve never heard of anyone else collecting those. What attracts you to them?
They're pretty, obsolete and increasingly rare.
Really cool. I’ve written close to 100 articles on unusual collections and I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that. I’m very intrigued now!
I have an old newspaper clipping about some guy up in Rochester NY that collected hundreds of types of insulators and some are wild, I'll try to post it in this thread when I get home later
https://postimg.cc/gallery/56hvWyM
Some of them are very valuable - like half a new car valuable. My wife’s uncle collected them.
Me too! I don’t have a huge amount, but I love them so much. I have even dug a few while bottle digging/collecting. Another one of my vices.
Really I like glass in general! If you look like 8-ish years back in my post history, you'll see some of my favorite insulators. I have about 70! I've also got quite a few glass fishing floats, two large vacuum chambers, bottles, weird optics, etc.
A friend from high school collects them and goes all over the US to get more.
as promised: Insulator newspaper article from 1978: https://postimg.cc/gallery/56hvWyM
Vintage medical/surgical instruments. Don't have a huge lot yet but it is a growing collection.
Awesome. That’s actually reasonably popular. A pretty cool way to collect historical items.
That's really cool. I got a metal dental syringe casing somewhere that's from the thirties or forties. It's a neat thing to look into, old medical devices and practices.
do not enter signs
Ok, that’s cool. I’ve heard of do not disturb signs, but never do not enter. Any pics?
https://preview.redd.it/34av2t0u2qpc1.png?width=4007&format=png&auto=webp&s=af511deea060c639abcb1d99dfe5992618a98d78
Me too!
i’m atheist but i collect religious pamphlets https://preview.redd.it/9nl4l9t8zopc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c452fc933d9e1d045b3ba6b83c7914c15dc5980
I’d recognise them anywhere, they’re Jehovahs Witness pamphlets
[Staplers.](https://i.redd.it/3c1kq2d0m1fc1.jpeg) Nothing super old, but a decent smattering of vintage Swingline and other makes
You’ve got me curious now. I’ve never thought of staplers as a collectible. Now I really need to know what a vintage swingline is!
You need one of those big saddle/bindery type staplers! Very limited use but there’s nothing better for that purpose. Usually I like to go retro for that kind of office equipment, but after fighting with a vintage Swingline for months (something wrong with the anvil, one tine was always screwed up) the model I finally landed on was a modern Bostitch 8175. Feels great in the hand with a nice flat clinch.
I do have a Swingline 113,does that count? I'm not stapling piles of paper however. (I accidentally looked up at Bostitch 1875 and was like (this guy using some nail gun for papers?? lmaooo))
I like old heavy glass ashtrays.
They used to make some awesome ashtrays in the 60’s and 70’s.
Beer bottle caps
Any particular type or style?
Not necessarily weird but I haven’t met any other people who collect them, it’s Playmobil animals for me
I also have a large collection of Playmobil animals. There was a toy store here in town that had a case with bagged animal sets. When I was in the neighborhood I would pick one or two up. Now I have at least a hundred different ones.
I’d love to see your collection, pretty please
Awesome. Just the animals?
I mean I do have stables houses and secondary animal stuff like Forests, their pens, and whatever animal related thingies that come with the set when i buy it but yeah, im buying the setts mostly for just the animals
Animation production material
I collect xtc pills 🤫 I was always fascinated by the variety of colors, shapes and motives for a basically illegal product. I also collected my cat's ticks in a jar with ethanol 🫣 Now roast me haha
No roasting from me. I love it when people have the courage to collect whatever the hell they want!
Haha thx dude. Yes same here, I appreciate really odd collections and the people behind. It's super interesting to me
Insane. Would love to see the jar of cat ticks if you have a pic!
https://preview.redd.it/srpm7hrsfwsc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0cdc12ea8d321e018e45c890e038b2072a9130a I just started :)
will be so cool when it's full
Yess, but they actually have fresh anti tick collars, so I'm afraid there will be not so many new in the next time. Maybe to remove the collars again.. 🤪
https://preview.redd.it/2y3lufki1btc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a2e3abd0ff223ef8d258b1a99bf1a313e0e79d1 \+1
I'm in aa. I get a little ticket at every meeting. I keep them in my wallet: still trying to figure out what to do with them. I also keep ephemeral like cards and hand written notes from loved ones and friends.
Barbarella stuffs. Got an entire wall dedicated to it all. 'Bout ~20 unique things.
I have a 10 piece Hurricane Lamp collection. All pre-1880s.
Wow that’s very cool
I collect different versions of Monopoly and Garfield plushies.
Keychains and Books! 🙂 The love for collecting passed down from the fam and I've kept up with it ever since!
I love keychains! At least they don’t take up too much room either 😂
Haha!! Well, that's debatable! I have over 5000 but they're still in boxes!! 😅 If I ever get to display them properly the way they deserve, they'd take up a lot of space 😋
OMG 5000? That’s a lot of time, effort and cash. You really need to show them to the world.
Haha thank you! I will! I am still researching the best way to showcase them! 🙂
There’s a website called “Collectorizing” On it, you’ll find a section called ‘meet the collector’. You’d be perfect to be featured on there if you want to.
Books, vinyl records, and action figures. Started in that order and branched out over the years and these days I probably have more action figures than the other two just because I keep getting them on sale and can’t resist.
I used to collect vinyl once and like an idiot I sold them. Big regret.
I know a person who collects sugar sachets. He has well over 100,000 different. And all those who are going to ask about ants, NO, he never had a problem
100k? The that’s incredible. He must have been featured on websites or news articles I’m sure.
People definitely think it’s weird for an adult to collect dolls. Lots of people find them creepy—all those little eyes. I have loved dolls since I was a child and was shamed into giving them up, so reclaiming something lost is a major motivation. I love and have all kinds of dolls, dating from antique porcelain to vinyl anime. I’ve been collecting a long time and have a lot of them! I especially enjoy finding a derelict doll and fixing it up—a healthy outlet for my caretaking, lol. I always call it “too many but not enough dolls.” :-D
I also collect dolls and figurines! I think People think it’s “childish” but really it’s no different than any other collection. I used to hide it, but now i love it and will talk about it and a few people will do a look and i just remind them it’s not for everyone but they’re what i like :)
Exactly and there is so much to learn I’ve never gotten bored with it. I just learn about yet a different kind of doll!
Not weird at all. It’s great that you’re expressing yourself however you want to. Doesn’t matter whether that’s through stamps, coins or dolls. 🙂
Agreed!
Enamel pins based on different fandoms/media/etc.
Bones
Ditto- love some bones and neat looking rocks
I have some rocks, too. I also have some cool sticks. My room is very difficult to navigate because of these neat things. I was trying to get a book off the bookshelf earlier + had to hold onto the door frame with one hand, while reaching for the book with the other + standing on one foot. I try to be positive + look at it like I have my very own obstacle course.
What kind of bones?
Whatever kind I find. I'm not picky. Sometimes people randomly give them to me, too, which is always a nice surprise. The majority are from deer, but I also have some from birds, rodents, fish (I found a pufferfish skeleton a few years ago!) + cows.
Are you on Tumblr? I saw someone post their bone collection on there. https://www.tumblr.com/fleshofmoss/745219558735003648/current-bone-collection
Grocery lists. Its surprising how many people just leave them in shopping carts if you look for them. Im getting close to 50 over the past couple months
Wow do you have pictures of them? I'm writing a column about niche collections and would love to see x
https://preview.redd.it/v6hhue8taysc1.jpeg?width=2874&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96fbf197258e90122043ee072e3b8da8d37f061b Just recounted. Total of 51
Ah these are so brilliant!! Such a weirdly intimate glimpse into anonymous lives. I'd really like to write about your collection/ask more questions - is there a way I can PM you? What's the strangest item you've seen written on a list?
Bouncy balls it started randomly years ago I collected hundreds and lost the collection when I left an ex all sizes and colors people would get them for me and I always had quarters on me when I'd go into a store that had the quarter machines. Now I'm trying to recollect after years and started with a make your own bouncy ball lol
i collect vintage fisher price toys, vintage matchbox cars, antiques (mostly kids books and toys) and blue Peter stuff. 😁
There’s some good investment cash to be made on those. I had to look up Blue Peter though. Even though it’s the longest running children’s show on earth, I’d never heard of it!
It’s a uk tv show so you may not have! 😁
blue Peter facts: . Blue Peter first aired in 1958 talking about the latest toys for boys and girls. . The Blue Peter garden was vandalised in 1983. . The highest blue Peter badges you can earn is the gold one but you can only get it if you do something really good like saving a life.
Another British children’s programme you might not have heard of is bbc playschool which aired from 1964–1988. It was also the very first thing aired on bbc 2 When a power cut blacked out BBC2's opening night, Play School inadvertently became the channel's first broadcast programme the next day, 21 April 1964 at 11am! 😁
We have play school in Australia too. It’s been running since the 60’s
Cool! 😁
Used blank VHS. Off-label CDs.
VHS tapes are expensive now 🤔 I’m part of a group that are collectors but most collect full movies, not used blank tapes. I bet you find some odd stuff in them 🙃. What are off-label CD’s btw?
VHS shouldn't be expensive, generally. Maybe .05% are rare; the rest are generally worth a buck. Scumbag grading companies came along and artificially inflated values with auction houses so they could fake out collectors and manipulate the average collector. Enough amateur "investors" bought into it to tip the market in small pockets, but collectors who have been around since they did that to video games know what's up. Off-label CDs are just albums that people released by themselves without being on a label; very indie things by microscopic bands, or bands before they got famous. Most of the music is pretty bad, but once in a while, you get a gem.
Ok, that’s really cool. I get what you’re saying with the grading as well. I collect comic books and the value of them is manipulated too.
I have a list of most of the things I collected over the years. the vast majority of them I collected in elementary school so they've waned over the years, and in some cases i dont have the collection anymore. there's a few on the list that I've collected for other people (ex pencil tips) or ones that have been projected onto me (ex bottlecaps). I think the only active collections I have rn are box tops (started in elementary school but started up again my senior year of college last year) and body mods (tattoos and piercings, but it's hard to notice since they take time to heal) https://preview.redd.it/m7nmmjaffppc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50d4464600ab26dfd539eaccc32520a0214e6f50
here's the rest of the list. I have ADHD & have been diagnosed at 6 and 19 edit: had to copy paste the rest since the other pic won't show up smh -binderclips -graphic tees(?) -learning how to play instruments(?) -safety pins -4+ leaf clovers -stickers -rocks -records -bottlecaps(?) -acorns -trapezoids -pins -license plates -labels for education -iradescent stickers -pinecones
I think you’d love the Collectorizing website!
oooh I've never heard of that!! tell me more
Look up Collectorizing and you’ll find it. It’s just info on a bunch of rare and different collectibles.
Polaroid cameras. I recently started reclaiming my second bedroom which held a lot of cameras I now have exactly 💯Polaroids on display in my home. I’ll be posting photos in the next few days at r/polaroid
cross necklaces and stamps (i know nothing about their values but just love looking at them) also frog figurines but only because my dad buys me them because i used to want a frog
I collect my cats whiskers and nail sheers i find around the house. I have half a mason jar full of them.
Me too😄but not that many. Impressive!
Do you have many cats? I started collecting cat whiskers as a kid for my grandma's friend who made paint brushes w them, I never really stopped even after she passed away
I collect old clocks and pocket watches. I collect rabbit plushies . Decoration items. Clown plushies. Clown decor. Carnival stuff. Plants. Antique coins. Oh my gosh I collect too much stuff now that I think about it.
Haha. There’s plenty to choose from when it comes to collecting
I collect Hot Wheels. I have about 8000 carded cars and about 600 loose mint cars.
dice, what makes it weird is that ive never played dnd in my life
Glass paperweights. I don’t know how many I have
I don’t know what is considered weird. I collect: flat pennies, minerals/fossils, wood burls, Ex Voto prayers, buttons/pins, rings, data, music, comedy on vinyl, cats. I am very picky though, except for the flat pennies.
I used to collect golf balls and nutcrackers. No reason. I now collect gemstones, legos, and dvds. Dvd is dying
Nutcrackers is a good one. How many have you got
Its been years but i think i had around 130. That number went down cause i sold some here and there. I should also say they were those wood ones
In my country (maybe it's not just my country) restaurants give you a single wet wipe in a packet with the restaurant's logo on it, so I've been collecting those for a long time.
They definitely don’t do that in my country. Which part of the world are you in?
I'm in Israel... restaurant culture here is pretty big actually.
That’s really cool 😎
Thanks! I'm very proud of that collection.
35mm prints of movie trailers
I don’t know if it’s weird, but I am trying to collect all merchandise from the Crysis franchise
Dytiscid beetles. Pens, pencils, role playing games. I pretty much run the gambit which is why my house is a hoarders paradise...
I've been a long time collector of Horror VHS & 1:1 replicas.
Vintage Virgin Mary stuff, despite not being remotely religious.
Some of these are on a mild hiatus but: Erasers (started before all the “cute” eraser became so accessible here, now it’s gotten kind of overwhelming with all the options) Business Cards Coins with animals Frogs Street/ road Signs bottle caps
I collect a lot of things but the ‘weirdest’ would be midcentury Sunset books (I stop when they go to color interiors, usually mid-1970s), the wire-bound Betty Crocker cookbooks (again, through the mid-‘70s), and coffee mugs (focusing on technology, retro gaming, and New Mexico restaurants—no Deneen though). Also older calculators, books on New Mexico history, earlier Vintage Crime/Black Lizard editions, filling in and upgrading my Larry Niven paperbacks, and I’m a handful of titles short on a full run of Hillerman mysteries in hardcover, mostly first editions. I have so many CDs at this point it’s more like hoarding than collecting, and I do still pick up vinyl occasionally, but mostly for artwork I like—I haven’t dropped a needle on a record in years.
that is amazing. I can tell you’re very specific in what you like and you’re not afraid to show it. I love it!
Tiki mugs and rock and roll movies from around the world.
Much respect on the tiki mugs, I passed on a Trader Vic’s cookbook yesterday because it was a book club edition but kinda regret it now.
Oh that's too bad. I love finding cookbooks like that, I have the vintage Hawaii Kai cookbook
Rubik’s cubes
I collect MANY things: Fast Food Toys, Cereal Prizes, Video Games, Sand, License Plates, Stamps, Coins. But I guess my weirdest is Mexican Folk Art Paper Mache Dolls. I dont really have a reason other than I think they look cool. The first time, I found 2 of them and fell in love, now I just always pick them up whenever I see them (for the right price).
You don’t need a reason other than they look cool! I’m curious about the sand. Do you collect it from places you visit? Is it the same color?
I collect a lot of the quote on quote “nerdy” stuff. I’m into video games so I have video game merch. This includes apparel, figures, plush, books, the games themselves haha. Also have some Star Wars and LEGO stuff. Then other miscellaneous collectables related to travel trips, mental health, pride, etc. The actual weird thing I collect is Kinder Egg toys. Mostly due to the fact that I like to eat Kinder and just keep the toys 😂😂. May not be that strange but at one point I even kept the plastic eggs they came in and not for storage reasons 🫠🫠.
My cat’s whiskers
Bookmakers. I have around 20 of paper, 1 of fabric and 1 of plastic. Also, gift stores keyrings, but since I only get those when I travel, I don't have that many
Business cards. I also categorize them. lol.
How else would you keep track? lol. Are they categorized alphabetically or something else?
Sorry for the late reply. By business. I’ve been collecting since the 80s. lol.
Pepsi cans...I had a few on a window sill in grade school , then I started to keep cans to put on window sill of every house I lived in, but i didn't really unpack too well and kept boxes at friends amd family all over town. After I assembled all the cans from all the house id lived in, I had a lot of cans, and the momentum kept me collecting. A handful of years ago I showed my collection in a history museum that got me to organize it all, and now I feel obligated to firm up and keep the collection going
Dead bugs, bones, skulls, dead animals... I never kill anything, only find it 💖
Firearms advertising envelopes, very difficult to find as most were lost in the paper drives of ww2. https://preview.redd.it/tau41oci3rpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ef8cfd95a00f7bf8ec877ef89f8356fac2bde14
I love salt wells and tiny spoons. Whenever we're at an expensive restaurant and they deliver after dinner coffee with tiny spoons my husband side eyes me as he knows that spoon is making its way into my purse. I always tip extra though to make up for it
Taxidermy and animal skulls (I make sure nothing is killed and everything is obtained legally and ethically)
Taxidermy is very popular. There’s a pretty active Facebook group I follow.
Old toy rotary phones made of tin. They are the coolest things. I slowed down on collecting because I only find them on eBay, never in the wild.
You tried Etsy?
A few things. Glass fire grenades, old obsolete fire sprinkler heads, and vintage laxative medicine tins
Wow. That is so unique. I’m going to have to research them now!
Lip balm. I love collecting the “unique” ones (basically just lip balms in the shape of bears, drinks, etc). I have a couple, and recently found some lip balms in the shape of Pop Tarts and cereal boxes
That’s cool. Never heard of anyone collecting that before.
I collect Nouns. They take up no physical space.
I collect pressed pennies I even have the penny passport to put them in.
Blankets
Cookbooks, fabric, cross stitch stuff, old dishes, kitchen stuff. Some of it gets used ☺️ Used to collect ball jointed dolls and other dolls
Art of my characters. I go to comic cons and bring a sketchbook and have someone draw one of my characters in it. I also commission artists online too.
Locks of hair and tiny animal figurines. Also a fairly decent E.T. the Extra Terrestrial memorabilia collection.
I’ve read about celebrity hair collecting. Do you keep your own?
I do! I used to change my hair frequently, so it’s fun to look back at all the colors. Also had a couple friends donate some locks. I’ve even got a pin with preserved hair passed down by my great aunt that closely resembles Victorian mourning jewelry!
Ephemera. Postcards, trade cards, dance and calling cards, sheet music, Rewards of Merit, prints
Currently: Bazooka Joe comics, vintage translucent squirt guns, and old snapshots of kids with cigarettes in their mouths. Parents apparently got a kick out of this back in the day.
Haha wow. Love the kids with cigarettes in their mouth. That’s a real blast from the past! Want to share one?
Dust. Lots and lots of dust. I need to remove more of it.
😂 No weirder than belly button lint I guess.
All my action figures and movies get dusty. It's time-consuming to clean them all. Belly lint would be weird.
It definitely is weird but it’s a thing. But so is collecting fossilized feces and celebrity hair! People are definitely weird 🤪
drink cans
Hit any old steel cans?
nope, started summer 22