What do you collect as a hobby?

My son and I have just started collecting Lego Star Wars mini-figures as a little hobby. I thought this would be quite a cheap little hobby but it turns out that there is quite a demand for these things on eBay and it's now costing me a fortune but no matter as we're enjoying it.

So what do you collect?

Collecting things always struck me as a weird hobby. Then I realised I had a collection of old drinks cans and was unable to bin them.

I think thats how collections do start: one day we lined up all the mini-figures he had already which was well into double figures and then thought 'right, who's missing…why haven't we got C3P0?' and it kind of grew from there

as a kid shotgun cartridges and also bottles. The former I'd find in fields and woods, the bottles my parents helped me with.

I have developed a problem with the model cars from the Disney Cars film. I started buying them for my 3 year old and now there are some that are mine and some that are his. He and his little bro play with them all so there is no worry about the treatment, but I just get a kick out of finding the unusual ones.
Saddo
Now off to find a fabulous Hudson Hornet…

debt

Munros

My son has just started building Airfix kits – that takes me back….

Funnily enough even though I used to build and collect airplane kits as a kid, it wasn't me that got him into it – he saw a Spitfire display from the grandparents house over the summer and was hooked

I remember collecting shotgun cartridges as a kid but am now wondering why! We used to go to a rifle range that belonged to a public school where you could unearth (literally) hundreds of spent cartridges but why were they being buried. Surely whoever did this would know that they would take years to bio-degrade!

debt

As yes, been collecting those myself 😥

As yes, been collecting those myself 😥

A debt collector with a heart ? How touching 🙂

camera bits

used bike parts that are no good to anyone and will never be used again

I used to collect smurfs as a kid, free from petrol stations.

Anyone remember them?

I can still remember my Dad collecting green shield stamps (yes I am old!) for years, he wanted a colour TV, which was 300+ books! He never managed to collect enough books in the end the scheme finished and the boxes of stamps he had collected were binned without him knowing, he was gutted for weeks once he found out!

bike routes & scars & 1000 photos a week

Maybe people don't collect as much as they did before…I'm sure my Dad use to collect stamps. I was expecting some things like watches, classic cars and even, dare I say it, bikes!

I can remember collecting Smurfs.

I can also remember collecting Gollywogs from Robertson's Jam. Although obviously we no longer talk about that.

Did anyone collect the original Star Wars figures (not the mini Lego ones)?

Nowadays I mostly collect mechanical watches and bikes.

I found my old stamp collection when I cleared out my dads house. Convinced I was now a millionaire I happily marched down to the local stamp collection shop and awaited his gasps of breath as he saw the only snedbetter stamp made in Kentucky.

After a quick flick through the books, not even pasuing to glance at the first editions, he pronounced my collecton worth about 40 quid. 🙁

I sort of collect watches, however, finances are dicating that this is something of a slow process at the moment.
Last purchase was about 10 months ago and somehow it seems to have fulfilled all of my needs for the time being despite being reasonably cheap.
Turns out that a £2000 Omega doesn't make you any happier after all 🙄

After a quick flick through the books, not even pasuing to glance at the first editions, he pronounced my collecton worth about 40 quid.

even had you a mint penny black his reaction might have been the same…

Talking of value.

Is stamp collecting the biggest collecting con ever?

Do collections in anything actually increase significantly in value over time?

I guess art and maybe particular car collections might be the only things that can increase in value?

50's US E.C. Comics, quite a modest amount at the moment! Damn expensive!

I'm loathe to admit this but I used to have a collection of leather bookmarks when I was a kid, the ones you get at castles, museums etc. It sat nicely next to my collection of keyrings…..

Boxing. Started in the mid 80s when I first got a VHS. Couldn't bring myself to delete the classic fights (Hagler-Hearns etc), so I kept them.
Still keep some on DVD now. No idea why as I will never get the chance to watch them!

Bad weather?

Roadie and mtb magazine health articles.

Science journals on ageing.

I'm trying to de-hoard.

I had every issue of Evo magazine, which travelled with me through two house moves. Mrs North used to nag me for ages to get rid of them, and I always resisted. And then, one day, a switch flicked and I chucked all but the first three in the bin.

I have all but the first issue of Rouleur. That's less of a magazine, though, as it's only issued quarterly, so that isn't growing too fast.

I am resisting pens, and so far have resticted myself to the Cross I was given on graduation (not expensive, but sentimental), a Japanese edition Spalding Bros branded pen, and a very nice Dunhill Sidecar Chassis (ltd edition).

I am a natural hoarder, so I do have to fight the urge to collect and hold onto stuff for the sake of it.

In fact, I could do with a decent de-clutter. Might see if I can engage Mrs North on this soon.

>bike routes & scars & 1000 photos a week<

like that – everything else is just stuff…

I keep many of the books and records I buy, but I'm not comfortable with describing that as "collecting books for a hobby". Other than that, not really.

Stamp collections can be very valuable, but the overwhelming majority are not.

Wine.

Unfortunately, much like Philately, once you move from starter hobbyist through keen amateur, to annoying bighead, it gets more and more expensive 😉

Not politically correct, but I've got a collection of Robertson's Gollys. Been collecting since I was a lad and New Labour's inclusivity hadn't been invented.

cycling badges and pins – got some rather nice pins from the cold war era , far too many cycling proficiency badges (but if you've got one you don't want contact me please )
not sure how many or how much they are worth , but like a lot of collectors your collection is worth nowt 'cos you won't sell it.

if anyone is wanting to start collecting cycling badges drop me an email i've got some 'spares' that'll get you kick started

Books mostly.

But, I also collect safety cards from aeroplanes. If you ever get on a flight and there's no card in the seat in front of you, ahem…….

NHL ice hockey pucks, but I don't just buy them online, that would be too easy. I ask people who are going to the US or Canada to get me them from whichever team's nearest to where theyr'e going. I'm having trouble getting a Florida Panthers one though!

Turns out that a £2000 Omega doesn't make you any happier after all

I carry the same affliction and £2k Omega, but can confirm that 'a £7k JLC doesn't make you any happier either'

What was i thinking… or perhaps i wasn't… 😀

I used to collect stamps as a kid, but since no-one writes letters these days I guess they are worthless now;

And bike frames, redundant bike bits, must have a real clearout soon to keep MrsM happy.

I used to collect stamps as a kid, but since no-one writes letters

Thats true…I guess there will be the modern collectibles: a friend at a previous job started collecting Nokia mobile phones back in the late 90s…2110, 5110, 7110, 9110 etc etc all in their original boxes. Think I still have a 7110 and 9110 in the loft

Dust and bike parts, just in case….

I reluctantly collect yogurt pots. My local recycling collection decided to stop collecting them and I couldn't throw them away. So for the last eight months I have been building a yogurt pot tower, only about 30cm till it hits the ceiling. Once the tower is complete, then the local schools are getting them for the kids to use for paint pots, etc.

Talking of collecting, what do people do with their old issues of Singletrack?

I seem to collect handy pieces of wood that I might use again sometime in the future….

Actually seeing that a £7k watch doesn't make you happier, I am a little relieved that I saved myself £5k by finding that out with my Omega.

I think I'll give it to me son when he is 18 or 21 or graduates or something which means that I will have to buy another one for the other son and then something nice for myself as well. At least I have a 15+ years to find something and some money for it.