Calling all Collectors..

Friday, August 9, 2013

When I was a little girl, my mom went to a party at someone's house and the next day she told me how the man had traveled all over the world and had collected elephant figurines from all over. He only had ones with the trunks up because ones with the trunks up are good luck. I am not sure if trunk down is bad luck but my mom decided that she would also start to collect elephants with trunks up only.

Once word got out that she collected these things, it seems like elephant figurines started to multiply around my house like baby rabbits. They came in all colors, sizes and styles. Anytime anyone needed to get her a gift or souvenir, another elephant appeared. At some point, I think she realized that she did not really want to collect and display elephants but it was too late.

 The elephant invasion stopped finally stopped when my parents moved after I left for college.  My Dad was a real estate developer and my parents got to move into a model home. It was professionally decorated and came with everything except linens and dishes.  The elephants were either sold at garage sale or donated to charity.  To this day, there is not one elephant in that house.


I had a pez collection in my office when I was a lawyer. They are now in shoe boxes in a closet. I can't bear to part with them but I don't really want to look at them.  My son had a beanie baby collection when he was an infant which was started by the elephant grandma. He was born right during the height of the craze and she could not stop buying them for him.  They were dust collectors and worth way less than the original prices and were given to goodwill several years ago.

My kids now collect Disney and Hard Rock pins. They keep them in albums under their beds. They had quite a collection and when I started to add up how much we have spent on those over-priced pieces of metal, I get a little bit nauseous.   At least they don't take up a lot of room.


Right now, the only thing that I really collect are shoes but they are useful and a necessity, so I'm not sure that this counts as a collection.  

What do you collect? How do you display it? What other interesting collection habits do you know about? Please tell. Enquiring minds want to know.

Thanks http://thenanadiana.blogspot.com for inspiring this blog idea today!



6 comments:

Susie said...

Japolina, Once I had a collection of music Boxes. My daughters would give me one every Christmas. I had about 8 . When I moved here I sold them in a yard sale...I asked my daughters if they wanted them. They were not really the collectable type of boxes. I guess I have a small collection of demitasse cups. I should show them on my blog some time. xoxo,Susie
p.s. I too once had a big collection of shoes.

Suburban Correspondent said...

I just want to say, be careful about collecting animals (or their representations!). I swear, every person I have ever known who has done this starts to resemble the animal in question. Owls, pigs, you name it - they looked like them.

Which makes me want to tell my oldest to stop bringing me models of camels from his North African travels - I look in the mirror and see the resemblance already.

Unknown said...

I collected anything brass in the 70's - then switched to Elephants in the 80's - trying to start a soup tureen one - but only have 3 -
ANd shoes?
I had a serious addiction - uncontrollable addiction for many years that I seem to be weaning myself off from - I had very expensive shoes that I never wore - bought them just in case - how ridiculous is that?
XOXO

NanaDiana said...

LOL- The people that I am working with (staging their house) HE collects elephants, too. I am not sure how many he has- I am afraid to ask. I guess I collect books-and some china-but I have stopped collecting for the time being. Hmmm....shoes, huh? xo Diana

Cheryl said...

I collect a lot of different things from bird cages to rocks lol... I guess I've got the early stages of being a hoarder? lol
big hugs,
Cheryl

Anonymous said...

Floater pens! I wish I collected art instead! Xo jo

 
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