Sharing a one bedroom apartment with four collections between me and Joe is just one of the reasons why we need to expand into a house. I've always collected something - for at least as long as I can properly remember that is, whether it was badges to Nancy Drew books and now having someone to not only share my collections with, but to additionally collect stuff together is an added bonus.
So I thought i'd take the time during this 2014 Blogger Challenge post on collections to talk about the four main collections I/we live with, how we got into them and what they are all about. Sadly nearly all of it is all packed away for moving, hopefully they'll see the light of day again soon!
Vintage Powder Compacts
So collecting compacts began back in 2009 after my gran died and I inherited (well saved from the rubbish) some of hers - one being a Statton, another one being pre WW2, both piped my interest and the collection grew from there. They mainly date from the early 1930's through to the mid 1980's and I currently have brands from France, UK, US and Germany. It's a slow to grow collection, while they are easy to pick up on ebay I prefer hunting them out at estate sales. Still, I think the collection is at around 80 these days.
You can find out more about my collection under the vintage powder compacts tag.
So collecting compacts began back in 2009 after my gran died and I inherited (well saved from the rubbish) some of hers - one being a Statton, another one being pre WW2, both piped my interest and the collection grew from there. They mainly date from the early 1930's through to the mid 1980's and I currently have brands from France, UK, US and Germany. It's a slow to grow collection, while they are easy to pick up on ebay I prefer hunting them out at estate sales. Still, I think the collection is at around 80 these days.
You can find out more about my collection under the vintage powder compacts tag.
Transformers
I happily share my living space with about 200 Transformer Toys - Joe's main collecting habitat, although a majority of them are packed away for moving. His collection mainly revolves around the Beast Wars, Prime and Generations toy line and I find them rather nifty myself, and I'll happily admit to asking for a Grimlock Transformer along with a couple of others for myself. Back in 2012 I shared a little more about the collection here if you're interested.
Vinyl Records
If you're a regular reader you'll know we have a love for all things vinyl, well we have a big weakness for vinyl's lets be honest. We began collecting in 2012, picking up a couple of records even before we had a player. After picking up a then unworking original 1970's Sony record player for $3 the collection just grew and grew. With records spanning everywhere from the mid 1950's to the present day with everything from blues, to jazz, sound tracks, Motown to heavy metal we've taken to using Discogs to catolgue our collection because we have too many to remember. I've managed to catalog 826 of them so far, but there's at least a good couple of hundred that were packed away for moving before hand.
Find all things record related under the vinyl tag.
Find all things record related under the vinyl tag.
Model Trains
Our model train collection is something I've never really got around to talking about, possibly it's a little too geeky to share. Anyway individually we both have a love for trains be it the real ones for travelling for the model rail kind. We have a big collection of model engines, stock cars to mini trees and track that we've collected from estate sales, sadly they are all in boxes and have never yet been played with due to a total lack of space - hopefully whenever we get a house we'll set up a track in the basement and get it working.
Those are the big four, that and a liking for collecting vintage postcards (particularly Detroit/Michigan ones) and crafty things. I'd love to hear what about what you collect!
Those are the big four, that and a liking for collecting vintage postcards (particularly Detroit/Michigan ones) and crafty things. I'd love to hear what about what you collect!
I just spent like 10 minutes looking at your vintage compacts! They are all so pretty! I collect weird funny compact mirrors, but they're just cheap random finds. Nothing compared with your super pretty vintage powder compacts!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It always amazes me just how many designs and styles of compacts there are out there, so many beautiful ones.
DeleteI love tiny trains! I hope you set everything up and then share some pictures! It's all about the miniature things!
ReplyDeleteThat's a serious amount of compacts! But a pretty unique collection too.
I don't think, at the moment, we collect anything. I used to collect all things Piglet (Winnie the Pooh) when I was about 16, I have lots of mugs and teddies haha. I've grown out of that collection I think. I also have a selection of Nightmare Before Christmas mugs which always remind me of my 'terrible emo days' ;) Aside from that, we don't really collect. Nothing has quite tickled my fancy.
Yeah luckily the compacts are too large so they don't take up that much space, certainly one of the smaller of the compacts at least in size.
DeleteModel trains are so neat aren't they?! Especially when you see some of the proper museum set ups and they have little people, animals and so on in the landscape too. Once we get sorted into a house we hope to use the basement to get a model set up so i'll get you another geeky model train post done!
I'm definitely getting a vinyl player, I want a collection too! x
ReplyDeleteThe perks of being a hipster
Well actually started collecting them before we got a record player, although we buy them because we love listening to music that way rather then just for adding numbers to a collection.
DeleteModel trains are pretty damn cool. My nephew has an obsession with trains but his collection only really features trains from Thomas the Tank Engine... Not so cool.
ReplyDeleteI'm to much of a collector really except from my fairy ornaments and lots of random bits and pieces that have sentimental value. Yes, I will save tags off certain items and tickets from cinema trips and gigs. Haha.
Deb x
Thomas the Tank is a great place to start though it might get him into more lifelike trains in the future!
DeleteI love collecting the little things like gig and cinema tickets too, plus leaflets to places i've been and so on. Love memory boxes!
What great collections, I also collect compacts and vinyls too and my dad collects model trains and scalextric so pretty much the same!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear more about your compact collection!
DeleteMy husband has always wanted to collect trains. I think it's the little boy in him. lol The only types of "collections" I have are book series...I'm not really much of a collector of things. But it's so cool you guys collect so many different things!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly keeps us entertained and busy, luckily we get most of the stuff pretty cheap at estate sales (bar the Transformer toys) so we're staying them from the bin I always say.Trains are so neat, I grew up with my dads but we never got it out too often, can't wait to get ours up and running!
DeleteLove your collections - the powder compacts sound really interesting and the one in the picture is so beautiful! I love buying antique books and old tins. :)
ReplyDeletetheemeralddove21.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks - that compact is one of my favorites, especially because it's one of the larger ones too. Old tins are pretty neat, I have a liking for old spice containers but they are always so expensive!
DeleteVintage powder compacts are so cool! I don't have any but I'd love to pick up a few one day. I love trains too! I am always afraid I sound a little geeky when I talk about them, but oh well!
ReplyDeleteHaha that's the reason why i've never mentioned them yet, that and trains in general, love a trip on a stream train!
DeleteLoving your vintage compacts. My Mum had a Stratton that she sold on eBay a couple of years ago, never been used and still in its box and it only sold for a couple of pounds. I've just developed a love for vintage tea sets and glasses. It's quite addictive buying vintage items, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteA record player isn't something I've seen in years but listening to CDs/digital isn't the same as the crackle you get when you listen to vinyl. Pity you aren't over here as my Mum has just got rid of hers, there was some Carpenters LP Motown and some dodgy Val Doonican and Johnny Mathis ones too you could have had them :)!
Hope you get to display your items in your new home soon :)
Thank you - so do I. Although I find it hard trying to picture/know where the compacts will go - we have our eyes on a room for all the vinyl already.
DeleteStrattons can be really hit and miss - they are the most popular/well known compact brand so there's a LOT of them and typically only the rare/popular designs go for a lot. A lot of people think because they are vintage they should be worth a lot but more often than not they aren't, also a lot of Strattons aren't as old as they might seem sadly. It's a shame it didn't go for more than a couple of pounds, sometimes it's all down to the luck of the draw.
I would certainly have rehomed those Motown records to my collection - gotta bring them back to the city they came from after all!
I'm glad that I started to get my train collection. I'm in the process of making buildins and stuff for my setup. I painted a couple and they look okay. Will post pictures at some point.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep my eyes out for those, I'm always interested in how others set out their collections.
DeleteI'm afraid the trains is just a no no for me, I used to be surrounded by them from my Dad and they took up so much room! The compact mirrors are adorable, I've never seen anyone who collects them before so I'd love to see more of them. The Transformers are pretty epic x
ReplyDeleteMy dad and I used to build HO scale train models when I was a kid. We went to a lot of train hobbyist shows too. Yeah, I was a cool one. :P I hope you have room to set them up wherever you move!
ReplyDelete