Collecting things.

[Chako]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collecting

I am just curious to see what you collect, if you collect anything?

I myself am a collector, and have always been a collector of something or other. When I was a child, I collected pins (I gave them away to someone who wanted them more than I did). I also collected world stamps with my mother. We got into that for the educational aspect. I can state that collecting used stamps of the world is a remarkable way to learn about the culture and the geo/political aspects of our planet. These things were beneficial to me at an early age. Then we moved into coins. Nothing grand or anything like that...it started off with finding coins in change, then moved up from there. Coin collecting is far more expensive then stamp collecting...and less educational as well. I stopped collecting coins when I graduated high school.

The stamp and coin collections I still have, and those morphed into First Day Covers. I like collecting Canadian First Day Covers (FDC) because you get some history on the envelop, the stamp, and a special ink stamp issued on the first day of the Stamp's public distribution. I started collecting Canadian FDCs back in grade 10, and have not looked back. I am now at the point where I only need to get the new releases...as I have 41 full binders. So this is my longest running collection, and one I am quite proud of.

Then I started collecting multi-tools back in 2008. I started collecting when my father passed away and he left me a little hoard of multi-tools. I thought to myself that it would be a wonderful way to commemorate him. Once I found this web site, I made it a point to post photos as there weren't many at the time online. So this site also played a part in my collecting, as I acquired models to see what was available, and to post my findings on this web site. SAK collecting was something I never meant to get into. Once I joined MT.O, I saw that I could't really say anything in the SAK forum. After reading a few threads I got the bug to buy some. That it grew in leaps and bounds along with my multi-tool collection is a testament to how addicting SAKs are. Besides, it was all too easy for me to qualify SAKs as multi-tools. Yes, call me a generalist when it comes to collecting things.

But then there is also my walking stick collection, my utility knife collection, my sword collection, my fixed blade knife collection, my survival knife/survival gear collection, and the latest, my firearm collection (albeit, these are all users).

So you can say that I am indeed a collector at heart.

So what things do you collect?

[detron]

Besides MTs and SAKs, I collect Graphic Novels / Comics, G-Shock watches  (have 7 now,  had only 3 two weeks ago  ),  and most toys from the 80's such as transformers, G I Joe, MUSCLE men.  I have some sports cards too.

My Graphic Novel collection is growing quickly, and I love reading them.

This is getting out of hand quickly   

Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons (Calvin & Hobbes)
Something Under the Bed is Drooling (Calvin and Hobbes)
The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes
The Revenge of the Baby-Sat (Calvin and Hobbes)
Bone One Volume Edition
Aliens Omnibus
Frankenstein
Predator Omnibus 1
Predator Omnibus 2
Predator Omnibus 3
BIG DAMN Sin City
Batman : Hush
Batman Arkham Asylum 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
Batman Knightfall 1
Batman Knightfall 2
Batman Knightfall 3
Batman The Killing Joke
Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls (The New 52)
Batman Vol. 2: The City of Owls (The New 52)
Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52)
Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year-Secret City (The New 52)
Batman Vol. 5: Zero Year - Dark City (The New 52)
Batman Vol. 6: Zero Year - Graveyard Shift (The New 52)
Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 1: Faces of Death (The New 52)
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: Scare Tactics (The New 52)
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 3: Emperor Penguin (The New 52)
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 4: The Wrath (The New 52)
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 5: Gothtopia (The New 52)
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 6: Icarus (The New 52)
Batman: Night of the Owls (The New 52)
Batman: Cataclysm
Batman: No Man's Land Vol. 1
Batman: No Man's Land Vol. 2
Batman: No Man's Land Vol. 3
Batman: No Man's Land Vol. 4
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The long Halloween
Batman: Year One
The Best of the Spirit
Watchmen
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb
Locke & Key Slipcase Set
The Walking Dead Compendium ONE
The Walking Dead Compendium TWO
Acts of Vengeance Crossovers
Annihilation Omnibus
Avengers Epic Collection 01: Earths Mightiest Heroes
Avengers Epic Collection 04: Behold..  The Vision
Avengers Epic Collection 09: The Final Threat
Avengers Epic Collection 17: Judgement Day
Avengers Vol 1 (OMNIBUS)
Captain America Epic Collection 01: Captain America Lives Again
Captain America Epic Collection 09: Dawn's Early Light
Captain America Epic Collection 12: Society of Serpents
Captain America Epic Collection 16: Streets of Poison
Winter Soldier: The Complete Collection
DareDevil By Frank Miller & Klaus Janson  (OMNIBUS)
DareDevil Epic Collection 18: Fall From Grace
Fantastic Four Epic Collection 01: The World's Greatest Comic Magazine
Fantastic Four Epic Collection 17: All in the Family
Fantastic Four Epic Collection 20: Into the Time Stream
Fantastic Four Epic Collection 25:  Strange Days
The Fantastic Four Vol 1  (OMNIBUS)
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1: Cosmic Avengers (Marvel Now)
Infinity Gauntlet Aftermath
The Infinity Gauntlet  (OMNIBUS)
Iron Man Epic Collection 01: The Golden Avenger
Iron Man Epic Collection 10: The Enemy Within
Iron Man Epic Collection 13: Stark Wars
Iron Man Epic Collection 16: War Games
John Carter, Warlord of Mars
Marvel 75th Anniversary Omnibus
Marvel Firsts the 1970s Vol 1
Moon Knight Epic Collection 01: Bad Moon Rising
S.H.I.E.L.D. By Steranko
Silver Surfer Epic Collection 01: When Calls Galactus
Amazing Spider-Man 01: Great Power
Amazing Spider-Man 15: Ghosts of the Past (Epic Collection)
Amazing Spider-Man 20: Cosmic Adventures
Amazing Spider-Man 22: Round Robin
Marvel's Finest Spider-Man: The Death of Gwen Stacy
Spider-Man Vol 1  (OMNIBUS)
Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage
Stephen King's The Stand 1 Captain Trips
Stephen King's The Stand 2 American Nightmares
Stephen King's The Stand 3 Soul Survivors
Stephen King's The Stand 4 Hardcases
Stephen King's The Stand 5 No Man's Land
Stephen King's The Stand 6 The Night Has Come
Marvel Masterworks Vol 69 The Mighty Thor
Thor Epic Collection 01: The God of Thunder
Thor Epic Collection 04: To Wake the Mangog
Thor Epic Collection 11: A Kingdom Lost
Thor Epic Collection 16: War of the Pantheons
Wolverine Bloody Choices
Wolverine Epic Collection 01: Madripoor Nights
Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 1: Gifted
Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 2: Dangerous
Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 3: Torn
Astonishing X-Men, Vol. 4: Unstoppable
Uncanny X-Men Vol 1  (OMNIBUS)
Uncanny X-Men Vol 2  (OMNIBUS)
X-Men : X-Tinction Agenda
X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Omnibus - Volume 1
X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Omnibus - Volume 2
X-Men Epic Collection 01: Children of the Atom
X-Men:  Bishop's Crossing
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Prelude
X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic, Book 1
X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic, Book 2
X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic, Book 3
X-Men: The Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic, Book 4
X-Men: The Fall of the Mutants
X-Men: The New Age of Apocalypse
Ghost Rider The Visual Guide (Large)
Ghost Rider The Visual Guide (Small)
The Marvel Encyclopedia
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
Tales From the Crypt #001 Ghouls Gone Wild!
Wanted
From Hell
John Constantine HELLBLAZER 01 Original Sins
John Constantine HELLBLAZER 02: The Devil You Know
John Constantine HELLBLAZER 03: The Fear Machine
John Constantine HELLBLAZER 04: The Family Man
John Constantine HELLBLAZER 05: Dangerous Habits
John Constantine HELLBLAZER 06: Bloodlines
John Constantine HELLBLAZER 07: Tainted Love
John Constantine HELLBLAZER 08: Rake at the Gates of Hell
John Constantine HELLBLAZER 09: Critical Mass
John Constantine HELLBLAZER 10: In the Line of Fire
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Omnibus
The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes
The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House
The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country
V For Vendetta
Y: The Last Man, Book 1, Deluxe Edition
The Rocketeer The Official Movie Adaptation

[SAK Guy]

Knives, coins, books, stamps (gave it up), baseball cards (gave it up), swords (several), canes/walking sticks, Matchbox/Hot Wheels cars (gave it up), 60's-70's GI Joe (gave it up), Vegas playing cards/misc (gave it up), binoculars, Batman items (lunchbox, figures, vehicles, etc), 60's-70's 45's/LP's (gave it up), shortwave radios......

That's all I can remember offhand.     

[greenbear]

I used to collect stuff.  As a kid I collected diecast cars (hotwheels and matchbox) then as I got a little older I moved onto stamps for a while and then when I was around twelve I started to collect model railway locomotives.  I collected less once into my middle teens and except for collecting a few series of books (Gerry Ahern's Survivalist series and New English Library biker novels) and also Fat Freddy's Cat and Freak Brothers comics .  Some years back I started collecting SAKs which, naturally, led me to MTO, but I sold or exchanged my collection a couple of years ago.

I now try not to collect anything unless I intend to specifically use whatever it is as collecting can be expensive and I am rather too busy to dedicate the time to collect seriously as I would wish to if I collected again 

[Sea Monster]

I am a terrible collector (hoarder)
Books, knives, walking sticks, militaria, maritime doo dads, jars of urine (do not worry, it is not mine), various toy lines.

however I am also a nomad ( ) so I am always giving away / selling my hordes so I can travel light.

It is a complex combination of habits really.

[N_N_R]

When I was younger, I used to collect coins and phonecards. The phonecards were a great passion for me I'd go around the city every day looking for forgotten on/in the  phones cards, lol.

I think this was the only thing I collected, it lasted for years, but then I just changed my way of thinking and stopped.

I now try not to get attached to objects and material stuff. That's why I always sell the tools and knives and lights I don't use. They're just objects, tools. One day they're here, the other they're lost, broken. If I loved them, I'd be hurt kinda.

 

[moonweasel]

Yeah, I do. Mostly these






Not all of them either 
I have a few old gaming consoles also.
And a flight of 1/72 scale P51Ds sparked after ending up upside down in one

[gregozedobe]

I guess I could be regarded as having a few collections:

MTs (mostly older, plier-based, but I allow some exceptions).  Way, way more of these than I could ever possibly use.

Lights (torches for Aussies) but I only buy new "users" these days

Hand Tools (spanners, sockets, pliers, shifters etc), again I only buy new "users" these days

Screws, Nuts, bolts, washers (I always dismantle anything I am throwing out and remove useful stuff first)

Bits of wood (mostly left overs from previous projects)

Car detailing stuff (cleaners, waxes, pads, random orbital polisher etc)

[tosh]

I don't know whether I'm a collector or a hoader?
I find that I'm compelled to get something be it a multitool, book or even off cuts of wood if I think I'll need it.....I'll store it.

But I also think collecting/hoarding is such a waste.

Not counting all the money I must spend, or indeed the time I must spend looking for my next "must have" but the constant sorting, storing, stacking and searching really seems to be.....well silly.

I often yearn for simplicity. Take tools for example. I've got more tools than I can ever use in my lifetime, to the extent that most of the time I can't be bothered searching for what it is I'm needing, so often just make do with something that's less than ideal. Optics... I have a plethora of binoculars, spotting scopes, monoculars, telescopes yet I use the same binoculars over and over again. Cameras..... Quite simply an obscene amount of photo gear which hand on heart 99% hasn't been used.

If tomorrow I lost everything I'm pretty certain I wouldn't replace hardly any of it.

I would buy what I needed then use it till it broke, bin it and buy another.

I think there is something rather tragic in collecting/hoarding. Life is such a wonderful thing yet we (sorry "I") constantly feel the need to get ever more stuff!!

My MT SAK collection never sees the light of day. A packet arrives, it's opened and then stored away. Most of it has never been opened since the day it arrived.
Hence I haven't got the slightest idea of how much I now have!!

[sawman]

Due to recent financial situation, I consider myself more of a user than a collector, while possessing some redundant backups. I actually use much of what I have these days and I enjoy every chance to put my gear to work

[Demel]

I'm with sawman. All my tools have a purpose or is rotation. I don't like having shelf queens. I "collect" a few dog tags, glass bottles, and coffee mugs. But all of it is casual and only if it is unique that I like and catches my eye. My collections have no real value besides my personal taste. I see someone has a collector who gathers valuables/rare items that can be sold for truckloads of money.

[magentus]

I'm definitely not a collector. I have 6 SAK's, a Spirit, an Opinel No.7 and a couple of fixed blades in a rucksack for camping and that's about the limit of what I feel comfortable with.

I also wouldn't have anything I wouldn't use. No disrespect to those that do collect - it's a great hobby, but I don't like to feel cluttered. I could let go of everything except my modded Woodsman which I have a sentimental attachment too and is my EDC.

[SAK Guy]

All my collection is my legacy to my daughter and grandkids....they all love SAKs! 

[AimlessWanderer]

I'm an accidental hoarder. I tried collecting stuff when I was a kid, stamps, football stickers etc, and quite frankly I found it exceptionally boring.

A few years ago I started collecting pocket knives, and guess what, I got bored.

I then started getting into multitools and multipurpose knives, and these were fun. Having stuff in a drawer didn't give me any pleasure, but trying out new stuff and writing about them (here) did. The only tools I actually sought to track down and "collect", was the Wenger Traveller variations, and while I do use several of those, there are some I don't. Those I don't use I am now bored of, and now when I see it in the drawer I think "why the hell have I still got that?"

Trying different stuff is great, but I wasn't getting rid of the old as quickly as I was accumulating the new. Now I have too much crap again. I have however had a change of circumstances this end which is a good boot up the arse to shift all the stuff that's been building up over the last few years.

You know those threads that say "if you could only have three...."? Well that's where I am right now, deciding which few to NOT sell. I'm not just looking to raise a few quid, but also lighten the load and the footprint so I can move more easily. It won't be an easy process deciding, but I think I'll feel a lot better once I've just got a few choice items that I trust.

I never find it easy getting rid of stuff, possibly due to noy having much in my early years, but then that may also explain why I don't like having stuff that doesn't have "functional worth". Gardening is a good example of that, for the last three years I only had stuff growing that had a purpose, and it's only been this year I decided to add a load of flowers to the mix.... and now I'm bored of them, because just looking pretty isn't enough functional worth for me to care about them

[derekmac]

About only thing I collected was Marvel and DC cards.


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[detron]

About only thing I collected was Marvel and DC cards.


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forgot I have some Marvel cards too   

[getahl]

I kind of collect knives. I don't have any rhyme or reason to my collection of 100+ folders, just whatever strikes my fancy. In retrospect, I kind of regret it. I only really use a handful of different Saks, my Buck 303, a couple Opinel 8s, and a classic Mora no2. All else just sits. Maybe I should downsize.

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[AHB]

Am I the only one who collected He-Man cards as a kid.. 
I also collected Star Wars figures, but sadly I didn't keep any of them..

[tosh]

Since I wrote my post above I've been thinking over and over what is the root cause of my collecting??

I don't display mine, nor do I use them....

I'm beginning to wonder whether it's the fear of regret!

i.e "If I don't grab this now, who knows how long I'll have to wait for next one and how much will I have to pay then" 
That's the regret I'm meaning.

I've maybe 100 MTs / SAKs that if ever I were to offer up I'm pretty certain they'd be snapped up instantly. Then possibly double that figure that I "assume" will become more sought after over the next few years mainly because they are either unusual or no longer manufactured. The rest is just either what I grabbed at a bargain price or impulse buys because they someway relate to all the other stuff I have.

Same goes for the camera gear.

The leica stuff will undoubtably hold its value, I really wouldn't want to sell any of it because I could never justify the expense were I to regret selling and want to buy it again.

The canon EOS film stuff is worthless but it works flawlessly and I really don't want to chuck it or give it away.

The Olympus OM system is pretty much run of the mill except for a few optics that I know collectors are desperately wanting (zuiko's 40mm f2 & 21mm f3.5) so do you just cash it all in or hold onto it all and pray the dreaded fungi doesn't develop.

The Optics collection, hand on heart I could probably let go of half and not worry to much - but the other half I would want to keep.....WHY?? I really don't know why! 

Tools, I used to love my tools, yet these days I'm just sick of the sight of them all. The more tools I have the more they get in the way of actually getting jobs done - if that makes sense?

I would love to think that in a couple of years I've completely changed my hoarding/collecting habits and that my home is sparten and clutter free. To be able walk into a room or pull out a drawer and there to be just the things that I or we actually do use and nothing more is a little dream of mine.

Like the saying goes...
Be Careful What You Wish For - You Might Get It

That is so true!

[sawman]

As I said before though I do believe in keeping backups of my most used gear. I have extra Rebars, Micras, Style CS and Ramblers ready to go should any of my gear require immediate replacement. 

[Steinar]

I collect SAKs, and to a lesser degree knives in general. To me the hunt is the funniest part, looking for that new quarry. I hardly have shelf queens and I have a slightly arbitrary focus which overlaps with my EDC. It's not rational, but it's fun and I keep it limited enough to not affect my economy or for that matter ruin our living space. At least knives will have bartering value in a TEOTWAWKI scenario.

As I mentioned at first, it's the hunt I enjoy the most, but I also derive enjoyment from studying my modest collection and of course also using the knives.

Edit: I guess by some people's measure both my wife and I collect books, but, really, that's more of a necessity than collecting. 

[SAK Guy]

Tosh, keep your Leica gear!!!  I sold a chrome M4-P 50 Jahre years ago and still regret it.....

[tosh]

Tosh, keep your Leica gear!!!  I sold a chrome M4-P 50 Jahre years ago and still regret it.....

I can relate to that, I traded a leica M4-P plus summicron 50mm F2 for a canon 200mm f2.8L USM when they first came out!!  what was I thinking....

[SAK Guy]

Tosh, keep your Leica gear!!!  I sold a chrome M4-P 50 Jahre years ago and still regret it.....

I can relate to that, I traded a leica M4-P plus summicron 50mm F2 for a canon 200mm f2.8 USM when they first came out!!  what was I thinking....

I have thought about it and it was a black M4 50 Jahre along with a M4-2 that I sold in the late 70's...
 

My chrome M4-P was sold in the early 2000's....I still have a pic of that. 

[ColoSwiss]

Yeah, I do. Mostly these
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Not all of them either 
I have a few old gaming consoles also.
And a flight of 1/72 scale P51Ds sparked after ending up upside down in one

Nice! Think you're a shoo-in for the air gun merit badge.

[tosh]

Tosh, keep your Leica gear!!!  I sold a chrome M4-P 50 Jahre years ago and still regret it.....

I can relate to that, I traded a leica M4-P plus summicron 50mm F2 for a canon 200mm f2.8 USM when they first came out!!  what was I thinking....

I have thought about it and it was a black M4 50 Jahre along with a M4-2 that I sold in the late 70's...
 

My chrome M4-P was sold in the early 2000's....I still have a pic of that. 

Whoa.... Nice
I think that this is where my "Regret" problem started - hence why I struggle parting with stuff. It's not the "item" I'm attached too, it's the ache of regret that lingers for years afterwards that I dread.
My BSA Stuzen and Barnett Commando X-Bow are a great example of this. I never actually really used either of them, but to have to replace either again would be a real struggle.

So, maybe I'm a hoader after all!!

Yay 
 

[dks]

I think that collecting is also related to investing (at least in our minds)

If you have the cash, then buying e.g. a limited edition or discontinued or mint/new tool/product etc is just another way to keep/invest your money.

Most of the SAKs Multiools knives I have can now be sold, quickly (liquidated), for at least as much as i bought them for (taking into account interest, value of currency etc.) and most for 10% to 300% more.  Some of the cheaper, used SAKs may have lost in value, but they are low cost items, that do not affect my "portfolio" .

Considering that I can get the pleasure of looking at them, using them if I want to, and then sell them for at least what I paid for them, collecting/investing (provided you buy the right items at the right price) is not that bad a hobby.

[magentus]

Tosh, keep your Leica gear!!!  I sold a chrome M4-P 50 Jahre years ago and still regret it.....

I can relate to that, I traded a leica M4-P plus summicron 50mm F2 for a canon 200mm f2.8 USM when they first came out!!  what was I thinking....

I have thought about it and it was a black M4 50 Jahre along with a M4-2 that I sold in the late 70's...
 

My chrome M4-P was sold in the early 2000's....I still have a pic of that. 

Whoa.... Nice
I think that this is where my "Regret" problem started - hence why I struggle parting with stuff. It's not the "item" I'm attached too, it's the ache of regret that lingers for years afterwards that I dread.
My BSA Stuzen and Barnett Commando X-Bow are a great example of this. I never actually really used either of them, but to have to replace either again would be a real struggle.

So, maybe I'm a hoader after all!!

Yay 
 

Nice honest posts Tosh - Why do you think you regret selling something you have never used? The collecting side of things is fascinating - I guess it's like a hunt?

[Etherealicer]

I used to collect a lot of stuff too (Pens, Lego...). A couple of years ago, I decided that all that superfluous stuff is crowding me and I got rid of it. Nowadays I rather have one thing that works really well for me than a dozen. I even find that stuff I don't need is a burden.

So now I only have a small collection of Wengers, I like to take out when I need a giggle, so basically those "tools" have a function, just not as tool

[tosh]

Tosh, keep your Leica gear!!!  I sold a chrome M4-P 50 Jahre years ago and still regret it.....

I can relate to that, I traded a leica M4-P plus summicron 50mm F2 for a canon 200mm f2.8 USM when they first came out!!  what was I thinking....

I have thought about it and it was a black M4 50 Jahre along with a M4-2 that I sold in the late 70's...
 

My chrome M4-P was sold in the early 2000's....I still have a pic of that. 

Whoa.... Nice
I think that this is where my "Regret" problem started - hence why I struggle parting with stuff. It's not the "item" I'm attached too, it's the ache of regret that lingers for years afterwards that I dread.
My BSA Stuzen and Barnett Commando X-Bow are a great example of this. I never actually really used either of them, but to have to replace either again would be a real struggle.

So, maybe I'm a hoader after all!!

Yay 
 

Nice honest posts Tosh - Why do you think you regret selling something you have never used? The collecting side of things is fascinating - I guess it's like a hunt?

If I'm completely honest - I guess it all boils down to spite in a way
I never had many toys or friends as a kid so maybe deep inside my head it's the sharing I have problems with. No one ever gave me anything.
But yet I spoil my son rotten. I'm incredibly strict and generous to a fault with work colleagues and friends  But the thought of someone using my generosity to sell on and make money sends me crazy - which again goes back to my childhood I suppose