Serious Collecting: Join The Club

Antiques and collectibles covers all manner of goods. Almost anything you can touch is collected by someone.

In a recent conversation with friends and family, the discussion drifted to our collections and wifey’s business selling antiques and collectibles on Ebay. The topic turned to the odd items people collect that she had shipped in the past few years.

Now we all understand the common collections, art works, comic books, pottery, dolls, sports items, advertising items, jewelry, action figures, vintage clothing, etc. One friend gave examples of two acquaintances that he thought had weird collections.

One was bear traps and the other collected antique mouse traps. We all agreed these were unusual. Prized examples from both serious collectors were over 100 years old.

Now I can imagine an office or den with a collection of traps interspersed between mounted stuffed animal heads and a collection of rifles. One ingenious collector of corkscrews displayed his 3000 piece collection by screwing them into the acoustical tile ceiling in his basement rec room.

But I’m hard pressed to picture how a mouse trap collector would display them. Could they be put on the walls with little mounted mouse heads and maybe a vole or two? Or would you scatter them around the floor in a more natural approach?

I decided to check on one of my favorite web site for listing collectors clubs, dedicated to just about all things collectible. But alas, I found no mouse trap club, nor a bear trap site. What’s up with that – should I start one?

No. By the listings I went through, I could join all sorts of groups without the trouble of producing my own club. Some interesting ones I found include:

National Carousel Association

The purpose of the National Carousel Association is to promote conservation, appreciation, knowledge and enjoyment of the art of the classic wooden carousel and especially the preservation of complete wooden carousels.

Blue Mountain Antique Gas and Steam Engine Association 

The American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) is dedicated to the preservation of a unique American art form — the theatre pipe organ and its music. 

 The American Collectors of Infant Feeders is a non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to gather and publish information pertaining to the feeding of infants throughout history. 

The American Bell Association International, Inc. is a friendly group of bell collectors of all ages, youth to senior, who enjoy collecting and learning about bells.

The Antique Barbed Wire Society is committed to collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting the historical heritage of barb wire and barbed wire related items, and enlisting interest and support for an on-going organization.

 The American Society of Check Collectors is a non-profit-organization of collectors of and other financial documents. It brings together those interested in this collecting area and assists them with sources of information on collecting and research. 

I have often marveled at the effort some people go through to find, purchase, restore and display their collections. Antique cars, boats, farm equipment, juke boxes, motorcycles and the like, require vast amounts of time, talent and/or dollars to bring an item to “show” quality.

Most of us lack one or the other of the necessary ingredients to do more than buy and clean off the sticky label price tag before we display an item on a shelf or wall. Getting to the level of joining a club requires a commitment of time and energy to just one type of collectible. Just which of our many should I commit to?

Should I divest of the ice buckets or precision hand tools? How about the rest of my camera collection? Would Wifey join me and sell of her hand mirrors, paper weights, teapots and on and on. I found an interesting  club for vacccum cleaner collectors and a related site for large appliances. Wow, now that’s a way to go. And I already have a start on them, they are in my kitchen and basement. But I’m still using them.

So if your collection goes beyond the ordinary, and you can’t find a club that fits, I suggest you gather like-minded aficionados and start your own. I do see the value for the serious collector, with shared resources, specialty shows, advice for preservation and the camaraderie of people with the same intense interest that you have.  I wish you great hunting for all your collecting heart desires.