Beyond Electronics: Timeless Collections
The world seems to be made up of two types of people: collectors
and non-collectors. I have to confess that I'm a member of that
second group, and sometimes have difficulty understanding why
people amass collections of...stuff. It's been my observation
that collectors thrive on nostalgia, while non-collectors are
thrilled by the latest and greatest gadgets, electronics, and so
forth. I do know someone who has a collection of personal
digital assistants (PDAs) dating back to their inception, but I
consider him an exception to the rule.
Most of my friends who are collectors accumulate a rather odd
assortment of items. One couple I know collects baseball
memorabilia, and owns at least a hundred baseball bats, several
dozen autographed baseballs, and other items relating to
baseball. I suspect they're genetically predisposed to
collecting, since they also own collections of advertising tins,
crockery, and pen knives. The last time I visited, they had just
mounted a display of...can openers. Yes, those old metal can and
bottle openers that hark back to the days before twist-off
bottle caps and pop-top soda cans.
Another friend has a collection of cows. No, not living,
breathing bovines, but items with cow-related themes. She's more
of a generalist, and not terribly picky about what enters her
collection. A different friend, who collects PEZ dispensers (you
know, that nasty-tasting candy that kids seem to love), is very
specific about which containers constitute an acceptable
addition to her collection.
As a non-collector, it's sometimes difficult to navigate through
gift occasions. I once made the mistake of admiring a friend's
unique salt and pepper shakers. Although I adamantly do not
collect salt and pepper shakers, she now religiously gives me a
new set of ceramic salt and pepper shakers every Christmas. She
has even talked another friend into giving me gifts that will
add to my "collection." It's not that I'm ungrateful for the
gifts; it's just that I believe a person only needs two sets of
salt and pepper shakers - one to use everyday and a second for
large dinner parties.
I dearly love my friends - one of whom collects atomizers for
fragrances and another who collects Zippo lighters, but
sometimes they simply go too far. One friend's garage is
chockfull of camping paraphernalia dating back 30 years or more.
He never uses it and constantly complains about his lack of
storage space, yet continues to add to his collection.
E-commerce has only fueled the fires of my collector friends.
They no longer have to go shopping at garage sales or antique
stores to find their knives, Zippos, and camping gear. Now they
can go online. They trade with other collectors, are addicted on
online auctions, and ferret out the e-commerce sites that
specialize in their collectible.
I simply shake my head in wonder, and turn my attention to the
latest gadgets and electronics. Once I have my tunes loaded into
my iPod nano, though, I'll have to remember to dust off those
salt and pepper shakers.