Collections

[Bertie]

Apologies if there's already a similar type thread, but I certainly haven't seen one. Just thought it would be nice if people posted about anything they enjoy collecting. I'll start if off...

When I moved to my house about a dozen years ago, I had a house namplate made, naming it 'Kirrin Cottage', and, as a bit of a joke house warming gift, my brother bought me a few Lilliput Lane cottages. Well, that started me off collecting them as I really loved them! I must have over 100 now. And a number of them I've got set out into two village scenes - so a few shops for the village centre, a school and a church area, some railway related ones, plenty of lovely cottages, etc. Looking at them always makes me think of Peterswood!

That's definitely my biggest collection. I've also got a co-collection of Egyptian ornaments that I share with my mum. By that, I mean she initially had a collection. Which I then started to add to and, as it got a bit out of control, I now have some of the collection as well.

I don't know if I have enough of these to really justify calling them a 'collection', but I also love Clarice Cliff and Charlotte Rhead pottery and I've managed to get about a handful of each so far. It's certainly not the biggest of collections, but it's not easy to find the ones I love at an affordable price. I've managed to find those over the years either on eBay, or at boot sales or in charity shops. And all at very decent prices.

Anyone else want to share about their collections?

[Fiona1986]

I collect sea glass and sea pottery with the idea that maybe someday I will actually do something with it all.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I like Clarice Cliff pottery, Bertie, though I don't have any myself.

Besides Enid Blyton, I collect children's books by other authors - particularly Ladybird books and girls' annuals (mainly annuals from the 1960s, 70s and 80s).

I've picked up a few 1970s Sindy dolls too, and a couple from the early 80s. My sister and I were each given a Sindy doll in 1976 and I still had some of the clothes, so I've been able to make use of them.

[Boatbuilder]

As I have previously mentioned elsewhere on the forum, I have been collecting UK coins - mostly proof ones - since about 1996. Quite a few are silver ones but most are those produced in the base metals used for the general circulation coins. One coin I did add to my collection earlier this year, although not a proof one, was a 1953 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Crown five-shilling coin, which was the first commemorative coin issued in the Queen's reign. It came alongside the first Brilliant Uncirculated definitive £5 coin issued with the King's portait commemorating the Queen's reign.

I also collect UK First Day Cover stamps, although I have ony started that in recent years. However, back in the late 1970s/early 1980s a Danish company I knew used to send me First Day Covers of Denmark and Greenland stamps and I have about 30 FDC's from those countries from about 1979 to 1983.

[Boodi 2]

I used to collect stamps and have a fairly large collection of unmounted mint Irish and Austrian stamps from the 1950s to the early 2000s. At various times I also collected pottery and soft toys/teddy bears, but today I only collect fridge magnets!!!

[IceMaiden]

I only collect Enid Blyton books and magazines, can't afford to collect anything else . I did several years ago however collect Buffy trading cards and all the binders to go with them. I had hundreds of cards and a complete collection of the binders but they took up a lot of room and they were prone to splitting on the spine and edges which really devalued them, so when I lost interest in the show I sold them all while they were still in good condition to enhance my ever growing book collection. In hindsight I wonder why I ever wanted to collect trading cards and wasted money on them as you can't do anything with them. At least you can read books!

[pete9012S]

Great thread Bertie!

I collect guitars. An expensive hobby. But they hold or increase their value if you buy wisely.

I also collect wristwatches - again it's an expensive hobby, but they seem to increase in value, so you can always sell some off now and again if needs must!

[Wolfgang]

I started to take interest again in my neglected stamps collection.

[Boodi 2]

I also collect wristwatches - again it's an expensive hobby, but they seem to increase in value, so you can always sell some off now and again if needs must!

What an interesting item to collect! Do you know a lot about them?

[pete9012S]

Only as an amateur hobbyist - I watch experts take apart and restore automatic watch movements and try to emulate them with my humble watch/repair toolkit.

I bought my first watch with the pay from my first job after leaving school back in 1984.
I still have that watch and it still works fine!

[Boodi 2]

Thanks Pete!

I love watches too and have several here, including an almost 90 year old Omega that I inherited from my late mother. However, I would never dare to attempt to take a watch movement apart, so you are braver (and no doubt more talented) than I am.

On the subject of watches, about 25 years ago I bought a lovely quartz watch as a gift for my husband, who kept it carefully and hardly wore it. Needless to say the battery ran down and when we had the battery changed we found that the watch no longer worked. Do you know if it is possible to repair such a watch or to insert a new quartz movement? When I contacted the manufacturers (Royal London) they told me that they could not help me as they no longer had parts for that particular model, which is a great pity. Sorry for trying to pick you brains and cheers,
Boodi 2

[Bertie]

Very interesting to read about everyone's collections.

Fiona, I didn't really know much about Sea Pottery. That looks quite interesting. Have you found many pieces?

[Anita Bensoussane]

Interesting posts. I used to collect stamps as a child and I still look at my old stamp album from time to time.

If I had the money I'd love an antique timepiece, Pete, but I'd go for a grandfather clock rather than a watch. I like cuckoo clocks too.

Fiona, my family and I have collected a number of shells from beaches over the years and I also have some pieces of clay pipe and pottery which I picked up from a small beach at the edge of the Thames in Wapping.

[John Pickup]

My main collection is of children's books from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, in hardback with dustwrappers. I have all the major Blyton series plus many short story collections.
All the 38 Billy Bunter books in their bright yellow wrappers, all the Jennings books and all of Malcolm Saville's many series. As well as books by lots of other authors from that period, Sheila Stuart, Eric Leyland, David Severn, Richmal Compton, M. E. Atkinson, Jane Shaw and the Biggles books by W. E. Johns.
I love trawling through second hand books shops, book fairs large and small, and car boot stalls where I once picked up Five On A Secret Trail for 50p and it was a 1st edition.
Prices are a major factor now, the internet has driven them up to ridiculously high levels, but there are still some good bargains to be found.
However, my collection pales into comparison with Tony Summerfield's magnificent library, of which I am extremely envious.

[pete9012S]

Thanks Pete!

I love watches too and have several here, including an almost 90 year old Omega that I inherited from my late mother. However, I would never dare to attempt to take a watch movement apart, so you are braver (and no doubt more talented) than I am.

On the subject of watches, about 25 years ago I bought a lovely quartz watch as a gift for my husband, who kept it carefully and hardly wore it. Needless to say the battery ran down and when we had the battery changed we found that the watch no longer worked. Do you know if it is possible to repair such a watch or to insert a new quartz movement? When I contacted the manufacturers (Royal London) they told me that they could not help me as they no longer had parts for that particular model, which is a great pity. Sorry for trying to pick you brains and cheers,
Boodi 2

Can you post a picture of the front and back of the watch here Boodi?

Also, if you joined and posted that query on the watchuseek forum you would probably get really good helpful advice.
If you mentioned were you are in the world, helpful members may even be able to put you on to a watch repairer near you.

watchuseek:
https://www.watchuseek.com/forums/public-forum.2/