Collectables

(Stacey, this is for you, so you don't have to look at my McD's ad any longer.)

I have tons of collections, most of them from many years ago.

Coins
stamps
spoons
porcelain and stoneware plates
miniatures
crystal boxes
crystal bells

I have stopped collecting most of these, except for spoons. I still buy a spoon whenever I visit a place I have never been. My last spoon came from Canada. Unfortunately, the spoons they sell now, are pretty worthless. I have beautiful antique spoons made of pewter and silver. My favorite is one made of porcelain I bought in Holland.

For the most part, the coins I have are just coins in distribution. I do have some mint proof sets from the United States, and some commemorative coins from Europe. Since most European nations have moved to the use of the Euro, I feel I have some interesting pieces.

I stopped cataloging stamps about 20 years ago. I have a set of East German stamps which are worth quite a bit, unfortunetely the set is incomplete, and I am not sure I will be able to complete it.

My favorite collection are my bells. Having lived in Germany for over 20 years, I had access to some of the most famous crystal manufactures. My favorite bell is a simple bell I received as a going away gift from the wives organization of my ex-husbands military unit when I left Germany. My second favorite is a bohemian green crystal bell with 24 karat gold border.

I guess every item we collect has a specific design element to it.

For coins, someone has to design the image and typography, same for stamps. For other collectables like the spoons and the crystal boxes, there are optical and structural nuances which must be observed. Design is everywhere, when you open your car door, a lable on a ketchup bottle, the writing on the wall.