I was and still am a life-long model railroader (avatar, heh). Which sometimes feels hard to distinguish from "hoarding" some days, but I do have and impose limits (roadnames / eras / prototypes)... still, it's hard to stop. I have too many locos and freight cars to count. But one "exception" from the modeling aspect, is collecting certain trains for the sake of it. I've developed a fondness for older metal and wood kits, as well as early (50's and older) plastic. There was an entirely different philosophical approach to modeling within the limits of materials back then, and yet some of the craftsmanship was astounding and holds up reasonably well today.

I also collect trains from Tyco. Which were mostly garbage from the 70's till they quit in 1993... but there is a real jeckyl-hyde aspect to them: for all the garbage they made, some stuff was actually quite nice to almost awesome. And while they made enough Burlington Northern boxcars to stretch to the moon and back, I have found others that are incredibly rare - like 1 of as few as 100, 50, or even 10...? I've also acquired R&D items from the factory, hand-painted test samples, catalog photo one-offs, and the like. The whole company was America, Inc. for good and bad, before that became a cliche' of modern SOP.

Model Railroading was an uncanny springboard into restoring pinball machines: electronics, mechanisms, woodwork (bench / cabinet), painting... the particular OCD aspects... the 1 translations of skills, approaches, and tools are amazing. But as an end product, pins are far more interactive for kids and guests

I collect Sideshow Statues and guitars> I just sold these 3 to buy pins.

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Regarding the love of trains...

Here is the book you should read it's by an author named Lucius Shepard. Freaking amazing. It is half fiction. Half non fiction. Lucius rode the railroads in America.

And then he wrote both non fiction and fiction based on his experiences.

He writes of a moment spent in a hidden area. Graphitti and bridges. And desperate people.

It is brilliant. I like trains, too.

https://books.google.com/books/about/Two_Trains_Running.html?id=kJIrAAAAYAAJ&hl=en

Belly button lint

Beer labels, have maybe 10,000 different kinds not the same and tried most of them. I don’t have all them in frames but here are a few.

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Not that big. Just started a couple years ago to complement the tiki bar. Bottom shelf are the junk ones we actually use.
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Cars... Here are a few.

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I collect projects apparently.

That would be fun. Probably a number of active chess players on this forum. For anyone interested, Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri are playing tiebreak matches for 1st place right now in the Tata Steel Masters. You can check it out on chess24.com.

Neon Signs

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Ive been collecting lithics aka stone tools and weapons ( on privately owned land with permission) along the Florida Gulf Coast for about ten years. Heres the best of the finds.

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Dead things! Anything from insects to a broken bong in there! Haha, mostly lil parts of animals tho!

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ebay was great when it first started, there were more collectibles available. Years later it seems most of the stuff (I was mostly interested in anyway) have all but dried up and you don’t see much of the rarer stuff that was in someone’s basement or attic it’s already been sold on CL or epay

I'm a collector by nature, but only made a huge collection out of classic video games and a pretty big record collection.
I usually go through collecting phases.
When I was younger I collected sports cards, comic books, and action figures. My parents also have an arrowhead collection we collected where we used to live.
I went through many other small collecting phases. I briefly collected beer bottles and cans. I have a very small board game collection. I have over 800 games on steam I've accumulated mostly from cheap bundles or free offers. I've been slowly collecting nautical and pirate themed decor for my lake house. I'm sure there's tons of other small useless collections I've had that I've forgotten.

That is very cool, love the Nuclear one in the second to last picture! OK what’s the secret to taking them off the bottle in one piece?

Very cool collection...I do love what you filled them up with at PAGG last year, thanks again!

I am blown away by your collections sir. Wow! Do you have a fossilized dinosaur egg? I almost bought one at Ceasers Palace back in 2012 but passed and have regretted it.

This is amazingly cool.

Pre-1982 comics

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Not to interject a " For Sale" here but it seems like a good place....I have a very nice large collection of Turok Son of Stone comics in exceptional condition from the 50s through the 70s and a nice run of Golden Age Rip Hunter Time Master comics if anyone might be interested in purchasing or trading. Message me if anyone happens to be interested.

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I like turtles.

Whisky.

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Vintage PSA high grade Basketball cards
48 Bowman, 61 Fleer, 57 Topps, 69 Topps and ABA

Bunch of memorabilia from my past basketball days

Unique aged tequila brands. Cool bottles to collect after enjoying the contents. Very satisfying hobby!

Unique Neon beer signs

I collect bourbon/rye. Brazy Nice collection of instruments, that what my brother-in-law collects. I'm more interested in the bourbon though. What Willett Family Reserve is that and is that a Blanton's Gold? I'm still trying to acquire a Blanton's Straight from the Barrel myself!

Timberkits...

http://www.jeff-z.com/timberkits/index.html

and some live steam engines...

http://www.jeff-z.com/livesteam/livesteam.html

That's a Willetts rye.. nice high proof but smooth and yes the Blantons gold was a Christmas gift from my wife. She had to have it sent to a friend because they aren't allowed to send it back to ky... then she went all out and had an actual Blantons barrel top made with horseshoes from Churchill downs and all the letters spelling Blantons from the tops (we had all but one which she had to buy) and made a killer display for the gold import.. awesome gift!

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Jesse Born is quite a young talent! I have his Yosegi Puzzle Box and I am quite impressed. His upcoming Pi Puzzlebox looks like it will be a beautiful and clever piece too. No, I have never been to an IPP; do you recommend going?

Jim

G scale trains, USA and Aristocraft mainly

Navel lint.

good lord I have like 200. I also collected wherever I went. Thought a cheap small souvenir. Now I just need great way to display.

also collected autographs, boxing stuff, marvel art, rocks, harry potter stuff, growlers, beer bottles, stuff I dug up, doctor who stuff, caddyshack stuff, simpsons stuff.

My parents collected stamps all their lives. And they're in their 80's. They have stamps from their parents. All european. They cant get anything for them.

Art books (500+ monographs)
contemporary art (early-mid career and mostly regional)

I also collect pinball books and pinball art, but that is more just an extension of the pinball hobby.

2nd. Fish Tanks

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watches and space memorabilia!

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Nice collection you have there. Mine is constantly growing and they seem to get more expensive as it grows. Is anything cheap anymore?

Sold my comics (about 40 long boxes—sadly, not much of a market for bulk collections anymore) and my Transformers collection in preparation for the move. Still have my original comic art collection and the booze. As I get older, I no longer just want to collect stuff for the sake of collecting. Stuff just takes up space.

Seems like I am collecting a bunch of demo tools as part of the remodeling project. Sledgehammers, prybars, special saws, and the mother of all tools: Honeybadger Demolition Fork. If you need to destroy something, this will do it. I recommend the big boy, which ways 10 pounds.

Screen used props and wardrobe from film & television! It's just as addicting as pinball.

Here's some I have from Baby Driver, including a full body dead Kevin Spacey dummy they ran over at the end of the movie:

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Glad you were able to make contact with Jesse.
He has the passion to make some nice pieces.....hes so young!

IPP, for others, International Puzzle Party, is definitely worth going!
Its held once a year, somewhere in the world, so its not often in the US.
Its in San Diego this Summer.

Similar to a pin show, with way too much to drink, the only difference is while many will play with their toys till the wee hours, like pinball,
the collection of people is a rare group of Crazies, and double and triple Doctorates.
In DC, I ran in to an old man, looked like Edward G Robinson. Struck up a conversation, and turned out I used his Fortran Book in College!
He helped create the Language!

People travel from all over the world.

Do others who have collections go to shows? Comic Con?.....

and one of my favorites, ghost blob from the hulu show Deadbeat. It's got a remote control animatronic eye that still works.

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Very cool! I used to hunt for arrowheads in my Uncle's garden when I was a kid.

Coca-Cola bottle caps. I'll be rich after the nuclear apocalypse.

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Thanks! You are in Florida arent you? Still have any of the artifacts?

Do you know how they work? I think the primitive could be interesting to look at. The intellivision game Chess had an extra chip in the cartridge to hep with its ai.

Yeah, but collected them in Virginia. Unfortunately I no longer have them. Used to collect fossils too. That was fun. Anybody collect trilobite fossils?

I got art books and screen prints. My most prized is a Bernie Wrightson Swamp Thing poster that i got signed. The funny thing about that one was that i got it signed by him becauae Swamp Thing is one of my favorite characters but I wasnt familar with who Wrightson was at all. I started digging his work and bought a bunch. I had hoped to get it all signed at the next Con but Bernie died of brain cancer before then. He was a really humble unassuming guy for being associated with a era of comic book horror.

My other favorite piece is a poster of Starman signed by Robinson and Harris. Wow, I was a liitle star struck on that one. Both, those two did some of the best comic book runs ever. The only other time i have been that struck was bumping into Greg Lemond at an airport bar. They were all great guys.

Hawaiian shirts have become my other hobby after breaking the wall of "you can't wear them everyday." Unless you are grabbing at old or brand new, you can enjoy nice silk, rayon, high end polyester, and cotton lawn for about the same price as a tshirt at Wal-Mart. So, you can look nice and a little silly in the heat and be absolutely comfortable.

I come from a family of hoarders so I'm reluctant to admit to collecting anything, as most things are dust collectors. However, I do have a few items that are considerable in number: Pinball Machines (9), Guns about (10), leather military history books about (94), a bunch of antique Bibles, and some mohair Teddy Bears. I also have a chunk of the Berlin Wall, barbed wire from the Korea DMZ, a Voyager probe record reproduction, and some other cool brass instrument stuff. Yes, it all collects dust no matter what. At least I don't have any Beanie Babies.

Got a bunch.....use to call them my pets! Loved digging them up!

Some, just blow me away!

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I have been to art book fairs! They are pretty interesting, and cover a cross-section of publishers, stores, galleries, artists using books as a medium, independents, as well lectures and discussions from collectors.

In order of dollars invested, greatest to least:

Magic: The Gathering
Pinballs
Lego
Board Games
Graphic Novels
Amiibos

If I ever add to this list, I'll probably also have to start a collection of ex-wives...

Art Book Fairs? I had no idea! Ill have to look out for that.

At the Miami Ape Pinball show a few years back, we stayed at a hotel that had hundreds of Cosplay attendees.....I had never heard or seen this before!
I woke up and looked out my door and nearly fell over at the site!

I would expect, as I enjoy car shows, toy shows, etc....this thread is exciting to me to see the things that also interest us, that I would never have come across
before!

Is this the same overseas?

Pat on the back for Pinsiders...we are a diversified bunch!