IceInSpace Xmas 2009 Competition - What Did You Collect When You Were a Kid?

[iceman]

Entries Open from Wednesday 2nd December 9am until Friday 11th December 3pm (AEDST).

To celebrate Xmas 2009, IceInSpace is running a competition to reward our loyal and active members.

Most of us have collected something at some stage during our life - mostly when we were young I guess. For me it was stamps and coins. I had albums of them, and loved the thrill of getting something new to add to the collection.

What did you collect when you were a kid? What do you collect now?

How To Enter

To be in the running, all you have to do is post a (relevant) reply in this IceInSpace Xmas 2009 Competition - What Did You Collect When You Were a Kid? entries thread.

The members who have replied will go into a draw, and 12 lucky winners will be pulled out of the virtual barrel. You have to post your reply between Wednesday 2nd December 2009 9am, and Friday 11th December 2009, 3pm (AEDST).

For any questions, please visit the IceInSpace Xmas 2009 Competition - Discussion Thread (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=53665).

Prizes

12 prize winners will receive a Young Collectors (http://www.youngcollectors.com.au) Space Coins Album, courtesy of the Perth Mint (http://www.perthmint.com.au), valued at $79.95 each.

About the Space Coins Album

Celebrating the planets, explorers and stars of our solar system, the coins are encased in a lavish illustrated album that also includes a fact-packed guide to planets, a DVD about asteroids, two posters and an activity book to help kids retain knowledge about space.

About Young Collectors

In 2008, the historic Perth Mint released Young Collectors – an exciting Australian legal tender coin program exclusively designed for children to inspire their interest in the noble hobby of coin collecting. Young Collectors is proving to be extremely popular among primary school-aged children, and with parents and grandparents looking to buy traditional toys and gifts with educational value and enduring appeal.

In response to the overwhelming success of the inaugural series, The Perth Mint has released the next chapter in the Young Collectors story. The 2009 Young Collectors coin series will blast the imagination of children and adults into orbit, with nine Space $1 Coins each featuring a fascinating design – astronauts, rockets, shuttles, probes and many more.

Rules and Conditions

IceInSpace offers this promotional giveaway as a service to its loyal and active members.
The giveaway is open to registered IceInSpace Forum members including the moderators. The moderators are volunteers and have had no involvement in organising this competition, so they are eligible to enter. The administrators (mojo and iceman) are not eligible to enter.
This thread will be open for entries from 9am Wednesday 2nd December, until 3pm December 11th, 2009 AEDST.
On Friday December 11th 2009 at approx 4pm, the 12 winners will be drawn out of a virtual barrel and will be contacted via forum Private Message and may have their names displayed on this site. Make sure your profile is setup to receive PM's and ensure your email address is valid so that you can be contacted!.
All winners must acknowledge their prize within 3 days of the draw. In the event that a winner cannot be contacted, a new name will be drawn from the barrel.
The prizes cannot be converted to cash.
Comments or questions about the giveaway competition can be posted in the IceInSpace Xmas 2009 Competition - Discussion Thread (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=53665).

[supernova1965]

I too collected stamps, I also collected Drink bottles which I got 20c per bottle that was good money then. When my dad took my sister and me to Darwin to help rebuild after Cyclone Tracy he was a cabinet maker, we would go to the Greyhound races the track gave all the kids 2c a glass to bring them back to the bar. Sometimes I would go down to the local golf course and put empty tin cans into the creek and check out the eels which would like to live in the cans. We have currently got Olympic coins and stamps.

[h0ughy]

Well I started to collect matchbox cars, textas, comics, stamps and the odd coin, and then we moved when I was 9 – lost the majority in the move except for the stamps. LOL half were brand new, early to late seventies. They are still at my mums house. Never really got back into it.

[multiweb]

I collected all sorts of bugs and butterflies. Got the 'bug" from my grand father. He had boxes and boxes of them in display.

[jjjnettie]

Rocks, books and stamps. I was a bit of a geek when I was little. LOL
I still like to fossick around for interesting stones, my love for books hasn't diminished at all but I've only bought 2 lots of stamps in recent years.

[lacad01]

I used to collect stamps for a few years in my childhood and through it wanted to find out more about each of the countries by reading different geography books :)

[MrB]

Never realy collected anything collectable, like stamps etc.

I did manage to collect all sorts of electronics though when I was a kid, if something was being thrown out and had electronic components in it... old tv's old radios etc etc... I'd tear it appart to see how it worked and kept all the good stuff... Had boxes and boxes full of electronic 'good junk'.... still do!

[asimov]

My first memory of collecting things was at the age of about 6. I built & collected the plastic glueable model aircraft kits. Had 40 or 50 in every possible area in my bedroom. The next thing was science fiction books. Had at least 200 of them. Then I started to collect eyepieces for my homebuilt 8" newt. All 0.96" EP's of course.

I really try to curb my desire to collect anything these days, although whenever my favorite bands release a new album I usually can't resist!

[AdrianF]

Bugs and mount them on a board. Plastic models (cars, boats, planes and tanks) had around 500 models of various sizes on shelves in my bedroom.
Almost forgot the Butterfly and other insect Cards from Tea packets eg LanChoo Tea.
Adrian

[Benno85]

My main collectable as a kid were Tazo's, those small collectable disks that you could "battle" your friends with, and were more often than not found inside potato chip packs. They came in all sorts of different sets, my favourites were the Warner Brothers character series and the Star Wars series which included limited edition holographic pieces :D

[sheeny]

I used to collect rocks, cards from bubble gum packets, coins, stamps, tractor pamphlets ( used to write away for them... I had a sales rep turn up one day hoping to sell a squillion dollars worth of earth moving equipment:lol: ... I would've been 8 I think...), motorcycle pamphlets and manuals, stickers, and then as I got older I started collecting tools, motorbikes, telescopes... toys in general :).

Al.

[wavelandscott]

I used to collect "Baseball Cards"... I had complete Topps sets for several years...I still have them bundled in my garage.

I used any excess money I could scrape together to buy cards and then would trade the duplicates with my friends...it was quite the thing!

Oh, off the beaten path, as a lad I collected "farm" hats...in particular farm supply hats (pesticides, machinary, retailers)...I think I had close to 400 hats when I got married...funny, I can't seem to fins them all after this last move. Must speak to my wife....

[michaellxv]

I collected stamps as a kid. We would get the packs of used stamps (about 100 or maybe more) from BigW. Kept us busy for hours sorting them all out.

Started buying first day covers a few years ago but that just gets too expensive. They put out too many of them. These days I just put aside a set of Christmas stamps.

:xmas:

[Terry B]

I collected stamps. They probably still exist at my parents place.
Now I collect tax for the Australian gubberment.:mad2:

[SkyViking]

I used to collect beer bottle caps and -labels, the latter being peeled off after soaking the bottles in water overnight. We have a lot of local breweries with different types of beer in Denmark where I'm originally from. When holidaying in another part of the country my parents would always ensure they tried a new local kind of beer so I could get my hands on the caps and labels.
Apart from that, I was also into stamps for a while, but otherwise it was Lego. Not really in the sense of collecting, but it was the only thing I ever wanted for xmas and birthdays, so I amassed quite a bit over the years. Now it's in the basement waiting for junior to grow big enough to take over... (he's only 1 month)

[erick]

The obligatory stamps. Also any electrical equipment, broken or not, that I could find, scrounge, be given......................

[leinad]

Marbles(elite primary school marble pro), matchbox cars, action figurines.

Now I collect photons. :D

[bmitchell82]

I too was in the Tazo era :) Smiths chips I belive. (and to think my nick name was chunky draws..?? i wonder why :) I have still stacked up at my old boys house in the NT, a full set of the First series and a full set of the Simpsons First series after that i think i got out of the Tazo trend or i got sick of eating chips ... dunno which one really.

[xstream]

Besides collecting the obligatory empty beer bottles (and No I didn't drink them :)) for pocket money my main collection was band/group related T-shirts right up until my late twenties to early thirties.

[Vartigy]

Basketball cards
Hats. Family travelled all around the globe. I had hats from many places.
Coasters.
Phantom comics: i still collect them today.
Minerals and gems. Even specific crystallised salts (sulfates in particular make awesome colours when formed with various metals.)
Foreign currencies. As per previous mention of travelling family.
Rare or limited edition coin sets; dinosaurs, ninja turtles, anzacs etc.

[tnbk00]

Cricket, football and movie cards :) I used to have a full set of ghostbusters II collector cards...

[Esseth]

Ho hum, where to start... Well it would have started with stamps, but as most people find, stamps are boring. I soon discovered that and moved on to Tazos for a short time. To this very day I still need one more of the initial series to complete it.

Then came the big hitter, and I'm surprised that other people have not said it sooner. LEGO!
My room was covered in the stuff; I had complete areas of my room allocated to the particular genres of LEGO. Castles in that corner, Pirates in the other and a massive cityscape down the middle with streets and cars and trucks... you name it lol.

Later in life there was also Pokemon, Wheel of Time and Starwars CCG cards and then later again I did Warhammer for a time... Theses cost the most by far.

[kinetic]

I was obsessed with space from a young age.
I collected books about Space and Astronomy.
I have some beautiful old Astronomy texts from my Mum's
grandfather who loved the sea and the stars.
It certainly rubbed off on me!

I collected news clippings about space, in particular the
Voyager and Viking missions.
Then the Shuttle program started in the early 80s and I
collected everything about them...missions, crew names etc.
I still have all of this and it's a bit bizarre looking back through
it :) It's in a scrapbook form and I don't think I will ever bring
myself to throw it all out!

Steve

[cookie8]

Well...stamps, bus tickets with neat numbers and WW2 picture cards from buying bubble gum.

[Kal]

I collected comics. I still have some, around 800 or so.

Nowdays I have a small collection of poker chips, including an illegal (illegal underground gaming room) from circa 1940-1950. I got that as a thank-you for sending off a chip from star city casino to a US collector.

[manny]

Stamps since 1960 still do and the last 10 years wines

cheers Manny

[MrB]

HAH!!
I've been doing that for a few years now, still doing it.
If I travel overseas I'll keep the labels and caps.
Got heaps of them now from trips to Germany and Belgium... plus others from all the imported beers I've bought over the years, and some of the better local stuff.
Eventually I will have a bar at home and will use the labels as wallpaper, the bottle caps will be used as the bar-top, set in potting resin or under glass or something.
Also have a rather large collection of coasters collected from around the world.

I like beer.
Good beer.. none of this CUB or Lion Nathan cr*p.

[Grahame]

I got into the habit of collecting phonecards on my way to and from school would check all the phone booths for any that people had thrown away. Made quite a bit of money by selling the rare and unique ones to collectors of the day too :D
Still have a massive collection of them somewhere i think.

[Octane]

Overseas train and bus and airline tickets and city maps, etc. I love travelling. I want to spend the rest of my life doing it and photographing my journeys.

Oh, and, IRC quotes and moderated posts.

Regards,
Humayun

[circumpolar]

KID
I collected Matchbox cars and coins. I had a really good collection (I thought) and still have most of the coins but have seem to have misplaced the cars.

20's
Plants. Any plant that was interesring in shape, habit or flower, or any plant used in bonsai. Many from China and Nth America.

Now
As i look over my shoulder I see BOOKS!!!
I think I might have a problem!
I didn't intend on starting a collection but here I am, drowning in books.
Lots on horticulture and Astronomy and popular science.

[leon]

I mainly collected Rocks and stones from different places and still pick up the odd one now and then.

Also stamps, and coins, were a pretty big drawcard.

Leon

[BerrieK]

As a child I collected coins and interesting pieces of coloured broken glass (!!). I still have the coins, and my own kids like to paw through them occasionally.

I also collected notes from my teacher to the deputy principal for being too disruptive in class - I got bored quited easily and stirred everyone up - so I guess that the depury principal collected those, not me!

For about 10 years (about 1987 - 1997) I collected the tickets to all the movies I went to see. I have a great number, but alas they were lost when my hubby and I moved house form Sydney to Orange (actually secretly I think that he threw them out as he though thtat they were rubbish!).

As an adult I seem to collect wrinkles.

Kerrie :)

[DavidU]

As a kid I collected stamps, gemstones, electronics,and empty beer bottles (hundreds of them) this was to make money to help my parents out because of a very large family.
Until recently I collected fine watches.

[gliderdog]

When I was a kid I collected stickers - even earnt a badge for it when I was a cub scout!

Now I collect dog bites (postie).

[PhilipND]

When I was a kid I used to collect butterflies. When dad went overseas I went over for a few holidays there and, of course, caught some more for the collection. Knowing it was illegal to import insects back to Australia and not wanting to throw them out, I left them in what I thought was a rqrely used book at his house packaged in non stick paper and forgot they existed. Years later dad came back home to live and you can imagine the surpsrise to see the book and the preserved specimens still neatly slotted into some pages.
:rofl:

[wanglese]

As a kid, I collected stamps. Nearly all of them were of Space. Cosmonauts etc. That's how I learned to "read" Russian. I can still read some basic stuff. I still have many of them

As a grown up, like my stamp collection, I mostly collect dust :P

[pwieland]

Living at the edge of the Bavarian Alps, I collected summit rocks: Every time I stood on the summit of a mountain I collected a stone to take home. I ended up with quite a collection of mostly limestone rocks.

[Jaeger]

As a kid I used to collect stamps, gemstones/crystals/interesting rocks, carnivorous plants, and orchids.

These days, I "collect" birds (sightings - birdwatcher.)

[poppasmurf]

I don't recall collecting much as a young boy, but when I was in my 20's I got into baseball in ahuge way and collected baseball caps and any other baseball memorabelia I could get my hands on. Still have all the caps and jackets in the wardrobe, much to the better halfs disgust. She thinks I should grow up but I think NOT.
Regards poppasmurf AKA Shane:rofl:

[dugnsuz]

Ironically, given the prize in this comp, I used to collect coins!
Mainly British coins from around late 1700's onwards.
Groats, farthings, thrupenny bits - you name 'em I had 'em!!!:lol:
Pride and joy was a King George III Cartwheel Penny from around 1797 or so.

Good Luck to all loyal members!!
Doug:thumbsup:

[Stuart78]

When i was a kid i collected Car magazines like Street Machine,and Holden Torana magazines, i was a big Torana
fan and i still am, i also collected matchbox cars and teenage
mutant ninja turtle paraphenalia. Now as an adult i collect and
fill my shed up with car parts ranging from HQ-HZ Holdens, i can't
help myself i have bumpers,door handles,GTS rims, Indicator lenses,
right down to simple holden factory screws alot of new old stock,
i do own a HJ Monaro but i still collect heaps of stuff i don't need
it gets very addictive my wife goes bananas and i just say i might need
that one day lol..




Stu>>

[Outcast]

I used to collect wine labels! Grew up in Adelaide, parents would routinely go out to wineries to taste & buy wines. Not much for a kid to do back then so, started asking for wine labels. Had a huge collection; no idea where they are now, possibly at Mums. Dontreally collect much these days though wife and junior are avid stamp collectors.

Regards

Outcast

Gerber 10 x 40 binos
Tasco Lumina Scope
'Just starting out'

[mithrandir]

Books. Starting as a child by reading my grandfather's collection. G. A. Henty, Zane Grey, ...

Collecting started as a teen with SF. Then computer science, maths, statistics and geology. It grew to include Fantasy. More recently astronomy and photography.

My study has a 5m long bookshelf, 2.1m high, 0.4m deep almost full of books stacked three rows deep. Then there are the coffee table books that are too big to fit.

[MartinM]

:PAt 7 I stated to collect and build plastic models of spacecaft and aircraft. I am still collecting, but only simetimes building aircaft sigificant to Austalia from the Airforce, Navy, Army and Civil. I now have more than 300 models and currently only 15 to collect to complete the collection.

[Barrykgerdes]

Hi

When I was young I collected the usual things of the era WW2 era. Stamps was normal but the other more common was the cards that came in breakfast packs etc.

At the moment I am seriously collecting Meccano Manuals for scanning. I now have one of the best collections in the world of scanned manuals dating from 1906 up to the Present, some 370 manuals, involving about 40000 scans. As many of the old manuals are damaged I also process the scans to remove blemishes, tears and missing pieces so that I have as clean scans as possible while keeping the original form.

To see some of these scans a friend in NZ has most of them displayed on his web site www.nzmeccano.com (http://www.nzmeccano.com)

I have copied all this work onto three DVD's which are normally sold for $60 a set at the meccano exhibitions but I usually give them away to genuine requests. I have even seen some of my old out of date and incomplete discs sold on ebay for more than $60.

The picture is of one of the replicas I made for a friend to put with his restored 1910 # 5 set. Oh yes I do collect Meccano as well.

Barry

[bloodhound31]

Small Arms ammunition. It started with a couple of .22 bullet shells I found on the ground on the farm. I used to comb the area with a stick trailing behind me so I could see where I had covered. I found some with different head stamps on the base and started to catalog them. Then I started finding .22 shorts, .22 magnums, .22 bird/rat shot, and the silver stingers.

When I collected lots of the same ones I traded them at school for other bullets. My teacher was a keen shooter so I would give him some coins and he would bring me different bullets one at a time. I would polish them all up with Brasso, pull the projectiles out and empty out the gunpowder. I spent hours polishing and developed metal stains on my fingers. My hands got very strong as a result and I remember doing a squeeze test in class at school with a set of bathroom scales and was the second strongest in the class. I was so stoked.

I made a long display box, lined with polystyrene and used a Stanley knife to cut out the shapes of the bullets, mount them and label them with all their info.

Once, I found a WWI artillery shell which became the centerpiece pride and joy of the collection!

I had all the shotgun shells in their shot variations, colors, sizes, calibers. I had .50 cal military rounds, Japanese WWII .303 rounds, exotic hand-crimped Zulu war cartridges, elephant gun rounds, hollow points, dum-dums, full metal jackets, armor piercing, tracer, you name it.

My walls were covered in posters from gun magazines and displays from gun shop brochures.

I even found a rifle in the bush once, all rusted and termite eaten. I oiled it up, smacked the mechanism around with a hammer until it started moving, got the firing pin moving again and cleaned it up. I test fired it and got it working with live ammunition. Mum and dad must have been watching with a mixture of trepidation, and pride, but eventually made me turn it in to the local police. I framed the receipt in the lid of my display box.

One day my mum crested the hill only to see me throw and detonate a home made explosive and took the whole collection off me and ditched it.

That was the end of that hobby.

[Farscape]

I collected everything and anything - swap cards, stamps, Elvis pictures (yes, I am a fan), cloth badges, rocks and a small amount of coins, I still have them all!! I also used to collect beer mats and now I collect Christmas decorations when I travel overseas :screwy:

[DavidU]

:lol::lol:

[niko]

As a kid I collected, and continue to collect, Boomerangs.

It started when I was about 10 and was given one made by the famous Bill Onus (father of the artist Lin Onus). My dad ran a hardware store and sold Bill's boomerangs so I guess that's how I came by it. Dad also tells a great story about throwing them with Bill on the Rosebud beach in winter and having to wade out to retreive his!

I still collect them and have almost 200 now. I collect all sorts - the historic (though less of these now as I have some issues about these being for sale and not repatriated), the tourist trade ones, plastic ones, bakelite ones - anything really. I even bought a broken one recently. I will generally always buy one so if you ever come across them let me know and I'll pay you back for it.

The best throw and catch boomerangs come from a company in Queensland set up by Lauren Hawes who was as Los Alamos developing the atomic bomb when he became disillusioned and moved to Australia to make boomerangs. He ran the business for many years before his dauther took over and re-named it Stones Throw. Recently she sold the business but it is still going strong and great boomerangs can be had for about $10.

My collection has fighting boomerangs, musical boomerangs, those used as awards in World War II bomber squadrons, plastic ones bought in K-Mart, tiny little ones about 10cms long, and the list goes on. I hang many of them from my ceiling in various postures.

I tried to throw them all away once but they just came back!!!! :rofl:

Anyway, great Chrissie idea Mike.

Have a great Christmas everyone and here's to a safe, happy and bushfire free summer.

Niko

[trudi68]

When I was a kid I used to collect anything on Rick Springfield! For the uninitiated, he was quite well known for his songs, Jessie's Girl, Love somebody and he acted in the original Battlestar Galactica series (as one of Adama's sons) with Lorne Greene and Richard Hatch, albeit his character was blown out of the sky by the damn cylons!! (I was certainly NOT HAPPY JAN about that!)I could dazzle you all with more Rick trivia but I think that will suffice. I was totally enamoured by Rick Springfield and as such I would collect magazine articles, posters (which completely plastered my bedroom wall). I will let you all into a wee secret, I still have every album (yes album, not CD) that he ever recorded, and ok....still some piccies as well. Please don't tell my friends! LOL.

Merry Christmas all!!:xmas:

[Blue Fire]

Fossils, rocks, fossils, and more fossils. Mostly because I was intensely fascinated with them and Only because they were free for the taking,... out of the creek in the woods out back of my house. I still can't get enough of them and often find myself scanning down everywhere I walk outside just perchance there might be an ancient gem laying at my feet.

[Ric]

Rocks and fossils was my passion way back then and still is now.

I can still remember digging up my Gran's vege garden looking for dinosaur bones. :P

That went down real well.:lol:

[bleckers]

As a kid I used to collect the usual:

- Tazos
- Basketball Cards
- Puzzles
- Rocks/Crystals
- Old Coins

I still have most of them in boxes at my parents house, I should sift through them one day and possibly see what they are worth. Today I collect large arrays of ordinary to stranges electronic components which might come in handy someday. I also collect anything Studio Ghibli and Doctor Who. Other than that, I don't really get the time to collect anything outside my normal hobbies and work :(.

[MrSmiley]

:lol: Bottle Lids including Pepsi, Coke and Juice etc., which I used to place on the train tracks to flatten them. It used to be my little treasure. I would make Tambourins using Plates and Plastic covers.

And a Jar full of Coins, I used to love the Italian Lira’s which really jingled, and some coins which had halls in the middle; they looked funny. :)

[Blue Fire]

Being quite ignorant about boomerangs, I'd love to hear more about those boomerangs, Niko! Like, how does a fighting boomerang differ from a "regular" one? And, what's a musical boomerang and how does it work? Do the tiny ones actually work well? :question:

[ausastronomer]

As a primary schooler, I collected Footy Cards from Scanlon's Bubble Gum.

As a young teenager I started stamp collecting, specialising in Australian Stamps only. I still collect them to this day.

Cheers,
John B

[el_draco]

As a child, I was obsessed with military history. I built scale model ships from plans I scrounged up, but I also hated clutter, so I incorporated explosives for the day I ran out of room in my bedroom. Many ships sunk in blazing glory in the local creek.

Then, when my 11th christmas came along, a 40mm refractor appeared under the tree courtesy of my mother. First night out I saw craters on the moon, gasped with delight and my obsession with ships evaporated in an instant.

Six months later, my first job had resulted in a 200%+ increase in light gathering. A 60mm refractor. First night out, I saw a bright yellow star at 30 dregrees above the horizon. When I focused..., it had rings... and I screamed, cried with delight... and stopped sleeping.

2 years later, I built a 12in F7 newtonian and began to realise how small I was. I also learned how to be at peace during turbulent teenage times. Getting lost amongst amongst the starts on warm Summer nights was a great place to find myself.

In my early 20's I managed to visit the 200inch Hale reflector, met Clyde Tombaugh at the Riverside Telescope Makers Conference and camped 50m from the AAT with my first serious love.

Apeture fever took hold and in my mid 20's I bought one of Coulter Optics' 29 inch F4.5 newtonian mirror sets before they went broke trying to do it consistently. I owned one of the largest privately owned telescopes in the Southern Hemisphere. I taught classes through my community college in central Victoria when comet Halley came past.

Many hundreds of converts...:D

A little old man turned up one night at 1:00am with his great, geat grand son... climbed slowly up the ladder and looked at Halley's nucleus, (I didn't think he would make it... but he did). When he climbed down again he looked at me and said, "Thankyou son, I've waited along time to see that comet again". I cried with him.

Life got in the way after that. All the scopes went.. uni, job, family... Motor bike smashes left me a wreck in many ways but I never lost the sense of peace that astronomy gave me.

Now I am a teacher and recently rejoined the observing club. I drive a C11 on a G11... and I dont sleep much. My children look in awe at Saturns rings, Jupiters moons, craters on the moon and many other things.

My seven year old son is about to drive a Megrez 90...

Oh... what have I done!!

Mum is gone but the legacy of christmases past lives on :thumbsup:

I collect telescopes... and I collect memories...

[JohnH]

Those cards that came in the tea packets - think it was PG Tips, normally flags of the world, sportsmen etc. Then it was stamps and coins like so many others here, then beer mats (not the towels!), finally (and still) paper knives, kind of useless trying to open emails with those I can tell you...

[JethroB76]

I think the very first thing I remember collecting as a very young kid was different bird feathers, as we moved around the country alot I had good opportunity to collect all sorts of cool feathers.
Later on I collected football cards, then rock music posters/tshirts etc, girlfriends:lol:

[Widd]

Icollected Corgi cars...like Matchbox but a bit classier. Also collected Disney comic books, with lots of characters we don't see nowadays like the Beagle Boys, Uncle Scrooge, Huey Louie & Dewy, Pluto, Goofie.....kids these days wouldn't know what we're talking about...how quickly times change, eh?

[Widd]

Does anyone remember the flags of nations that used to be on matchbox tops? I collected all but 1, Greece. And football cards from Mobil service stations. Also the history of flight cards that came wrapped with Cadbury threepenny chocolate bars.......those were the days....

[shanegtr]

I used to collect basketball cards when I was around 12. But once the schools baned them it killed it overnight.

[TheoHE]

I used to collect loads of stuff. Started with stamps, then bigtime into rocks after being taken to the old geological museum in Melbourne. Then into insects, pinned and mounted. Newspaper cuttings. Maps, old geological survey reports, Walkabout magazines, almost from their start. Lost a lot of my stuff when my folks moved after I left home. Now my main collecting interests are old postcards and banknotes from anywhere. It's always been a lot of fun. My partner also collects stuff , it's gonna be hard to downsize, but in the meantime we will enjoy it while we can. I glad to see we are not alone, but i think it's not as prevalent amongst the younger generation, correct me if I'm wrong. :):) First scope arriving very soon.... may curb my collecting habit a bit

[seanliddelow]

I am still a kid so im still collecting....hope it doesnt exclude me.:rofl:

I like collecting foreign stamps, banknotes and coins.
I also like collecting Australian Threepence, Shillings and Pennys.
and asto-books :thumbsup:

[TrevorW]

Unforutnately as as child I could not afford to collect anything that involved spending money as my father died when I was quite young and my mother was left to raise a family of 3 boys all by herself.

But being intertested in all facets of science from an early aged I thought what could I collect which didn't cost me anything and soon started collecting insects and rocks both of which could be found in abundance and were free.

Now I have a passion for collecting Sci-fi DVD's, memorabilia and science related books.

[MichaelSW]

I started collecting aircraft Postcards and aviation badges when I was 8. Kept the postcards in a box in a cupboard, but one day they were discovered by a family of silverfish who spoilt them somewhat. These days my cards are in plastic sleeved album pages. The aviation pins and badges collection still grows slowly, but post September 11, aircrew wings are much harder to come by.

[Hagar]

My collection was somewhat unusual compared to most. I collected reptiles. Snakes and lizards of all types. At one point I had a very illegal collection including Brown, Black, Tiger and little whip snakes collected from all over the country. The lizard collection included the little backyard variety skinks right up to a 4 foot lace monitor. I suppose I also collected mice but they were used largely for snake food. At several times the collection added up to about 150 specimens, I even had a small army of school kids who would catch something unusual when on holidays and bring it back to me.

The requirement to liscense ones self as a collector and a wife who would not come near them was in fact the demise of this wonderful collection. I still almost break into tears when I see a mild mannered Blue Tongue lizard flattened on the road.

[DRCORTEX]

My best collection was zits when I was around 14. Big ones, little ones, fat ones, skinny ones, and best of all, they were free! Just that delivery always came when I least expected them. Nothing like trying to hide a zit when going out.

Now, if I get a zit, I actually feel young!

Clearasil used to send me an xmas card every year.

Cheers
DOC

[chrisp9au]

Girls, and trouble! :D

Cheers :thumbsup:
Chris

[Quack24]

what didn't i collect. Pokemon Cards (Base,Jungle & Fossil) i have the entire collection of Base. Coins from all over the world, Stamps, i used to collect gem stones as well.

[niko]

Hi Blue Fire,

There are a whole variety of boomerangs not just the returning type which were used as entertainment and for throwing into flocks of birds to "herd" them into nets along watercourses.

The number 7 boomerang, so named because it looks like a number 7 (http://www.anyinginyi.com.au/artefacts/artefacts_no7.html) was a hunting weapon designed to bring down small kangaroos and the like and limited mainly to desert regions. Some are very slim and can be carried, others are more robust as used in camp for fighting when the situation warrants. There is archival footage of two-handed ones used in hand-to-hand combat.

The "musical" ones I have are used as a percussion instrument much like clapsticks. They make an incredible sound when clapped together.

Boomerangs are often thought to be the sole property of Australian Aborigines but were used in many parts of the world including ancient Egypt.

cheers

niko

[niko]

One of the threads reminded me that, we too, used to collect the cards form tea packets. In our case it was Tiny Tips Tea and they were bird cards. We had hundreds of them - you could get albums to put them in and even send cards in and swap them.

In 1980 we went to China and took a whole pile of them and gave them out to kids we meet - very well received.

niko

[Jen]

Those nigga bands (that Madonna used to have all up her arms):D :rofl:
yes i had hundreds of them :rolleyes: :P in assorted colors ;)

Shells, keyrings, and erasers and any coin that i could find that was made in 1973 :lol:

Smash Hits magazines and the TV Week Mag (because they had the best posters in them back then) :) And model cars Corvettes mostly :)

And also at easter time i would collect the foil from the easter eggs and smooth them out very delicately (i was easily amused when i was a kid):lol:

[lachyp]

I used to collect so many things. I went through phases. It went from cardboard toilet tubes to gum nuts to different types of screws that dad would have lying around. That was until mum and dad told it straight to me and said they were pointless and threw them out.

The only real collections I have kept are Hotwheels cars and dinosaur posters.

[melcontent]

I've been a member for 2 years. I haven't posted, as I am a space newbie, but I always access the site and read and share the amazing information you have with the Grade 6 that I work with. I value the emails very much!
As a youngin I collected shells, usually stolen from waves as they were harder to obtain and felt slightly dangerous when you were under 5 foot tall.

I also collected scrapes and scratches because I insisted on wearing bare feet and never managed to be a 'barbie' girl.

[coldspace]

I used to be mad about gem stones/minerals and fossils when I was a kid.
Still got a nice collection that I will never get rid of.

My grand parents used to take me out to the gem fields of Saphire,lightning ridge etc on school holidays, we used to get heaps of opals, sapphires and the like and my grandfather would cut them for me. He had a few leases going back in the 60's and 70's.
My wife now has some of these sapphires mounted in rings that we dug up all those years ago as kids and got cut, and I am saving some real nice ones for my young daughter when she gets older.
My father also ran a stamp/coin businesss so we also collected heaps of these and went to all the fairs around the country all the time on weekends as he was a pilot so we could get aound easily.

I loved my childhood it was just the best time, sad it came to an end.

Matt.

[Afatnuglybloke]

When I was a kid growing up in Adelaide, I collected Coke bottle tops. I would go round to all the shops who sold coke and ask if I could have the tops. I would remove the top collectors from the old Coke fridges and empty them out on the dirt footpath then remove the cork ( Coke caps had cork underneath in those days ) with a stone. Under the cap were pictures of South Australian footballers.I then glued them onto a special Coke cardboard fold out with Tarzans Grip ( I can still smell the glue ). I think I completed around 12 of these fold outs and would still have them today if my older brother had'nt destroyed them in a fit a fit of rage because I would'nt give him 2 cents to buy a fag. Still...better the cardboard was destroyed and not my nose.:lol:

[star1961]

i used to collect tadpoles. remember those little creatures you used to watch grow legs and change into frogs! so cool. i was always playing in the creek. not many kids get to do that any more! i also had sea monkeys - he he he - my sister thought this was hilarious cause it was just blue water and couldn't see a thing! i was devastated. now i just collect grey hairs and wrinkles!

[ChrisM]

My collections included the obligatory stamps, coins, and then a bit later on, resistors and capacitors. These were ratted from any old radios, TVs or such like that I could get hold of. Then, of course, there was the large 35mm slide collection. Then along came digital cameras.....
Chris

[wavelandscott]

I beleive that Rick was also on General Hospital a US based "Soap" on daytime television...he was quite the thing at the time.

[TJD]

:question:i collect cards:lol: i have them from all diferent parts of the world:D each is from a different place:lol: i have lots of them ;)of them but still non from my home city perth:P

the second collecter is astro stuff :Pits my deep dark secret:P
nice posts from every one:lol:

merry christmas

[jsc248]

Hi Gang,
This is my collection of the works of Sir Patrick Moore. See what you think!
Astronomy Based Books
Astronomy Encyclopaedia (HB 2002)
Astronomy Encyclopaedia (SB 2002)
Atlas Of The Universe (HB 2005)
Atlas Of The Universe (SB 1999)*
Moon Flight Atlas (HB 1969)*
Moon Flight Atlas (HB 1969)
Exploring The Earth And Moon (HB 1996)
Seeing Stars (SB 1970)
Guiness Book Of Astronomy Facts And Feats (HB 1992)
Mission To The Planets (HB 1990)*
Mission To The Planets (SB 1995)
Futures:50 Years In Space-w/h David Hardy (HB 2004)**
What We Thought Then, What We Know Now (SB 2006)
Halley's Comet Pop Up Book-w/h Heather Couper (HB 1985)*
Jupiter-w/h Garry Hunt (HB 1981)
The Moon (HB 1981)
Brilliant Stars (HB 1996)*
Travellers In Space And Time (SB 1983)
The Moon-w/h H.P.Wilkins (HB 1955)
The Moon-w/h H.P.Wilkins (HB 1968)
The Unfolding Universe (HB 1982)
The Next 50 Years In Space (HB 1976)*
Stars And Space (HB 1972)
Fireside Astronomy (HB 1991)
The Boys Book Of Space (HB 1954)
How Britain Won The Space Race-w/h Desmond Leslie (SB 1972)
Mars The First Authentic Guide To Another World-w/h Charles A.Cross (HB 1973)
The Observational Amateur Astronomer (SB 1995)
The Observers Year (SB 1998)*
Life In The Universe-w/h Francis Jackson (HB 1962)*
Life In The Universe-w/h Francis Jackson (HB 1962)
Life On Mars-w/h Francis Jackson (HB 1965)*
Navigation-w/h Henry Brinton (HB 1961)
Patrick Moore On Mars (HB 1999)
Patrick Moore's New Guide To The Planets (SB 1993)
Survey Of The Moon (HB 1963)
Patrick Moore On The Moon (HB 2001)*
Out Of The Darkness/The Planet Pluto-w/h Clive W.Tombaugh (HB 1980)
Exploring The Planetarium (HB1968)
Exploring The Galaxies (HB 1968)
Exploring Other Planets-w/h Henry Brinton (HB 1966)
Exploring Earth-w/h Henry Brinton (HB 1967)
Exploring Earth History-w/h Henry Brinton (HB 1967)
Exploring The World (HB 1973)
The Craters Of The Moon/An Observational Approach-w/h Peter Cattermole (HB 1967)
Guide To The Moon (HB 1976)*
Guide To The Planets (HB 1954)
Guide To The Stars (HB 1960)
80 Not Out The Autobiography (HB 2003)
The Return Of Halley's Comet-w/h John Mason (HB 1984)
The Return Of Halley's Comet-w/h John Mason (SB 1985)**
The Planet Venus (HB 1959)*
Astronomy For GCSE-w/h Chris Lintott (SB 2001)**
Making And Using A Telescope-w/h H.P.Wilkins (HB 1959)
Guide To Comets (HB 1977)*
The Development Of Astronomical Thought (HB 1981)
The Solar System (HB 1959)*
Naked Eye Astronomy (HB 1976)*
The Planets (HB 1962)
The Yearbook Of Astronomy 2002 (SB)*
The Yearbook Of Astronomy 2005 (SB)
The Yearbook Of Astronomy 2006 (SB)
The Yearbook Of Astronomy 2007 (SB)
The Sky At Night (SB 2002)*
Teach Yourself Astronomy (SB 1995)
Stars Of Destiny (HB 2005)
Science And Fiction (HB 1956)
Science And Fiction (HB 1956)
A Guide To Mars (HB 1956)
The Observers Book Of Astronomy (HB1965)*
Black Holes In Space-w/h Iain Nicolson (SB 1974)
Patrick Moore's A-Z Of Astronomy (SB 1976)*
Astronomy Now The Autobiography- (SB 2003)
Bang The Complete History Of The Universe-w/h Brian May&Chris Lintott (HB 2006)**
Bang Up-To-Date-w/h Brian May&Chris Lintott (HB 2007)
Space In The Sixties (SB 1963)*
Guide To Stars And Planets (SB 1980)*
The Sun In Eclipse-w/h Michael Maunder (SB 1998)
Night Sky (SB Booklet 2002)
Night Sky (SB Booklet 2002)
Pocket Guide To Astronomy (SB 2000)*
Can You Speak Venusian (SB 1972)*
The Amateur Astronomer (HB 1957)*
The Photographic Atlas Of The Stars-w/h HJP Arnold&Paul Doherty (SB 1999)
The Starry Sky/The Planets (SB 1994)
The Starry Sky/Comets And Shooting Stars (SB 1994)
The Starry Sky/The Sun And Moon (SB 1994)
Venus (SB 2002)
Exploring The Moon (HB 1964)
The Millennium Yearbook (SB 2000)
The True Book About Earthquakes And Volcanoes (HB 1957)*
The True Book About Earth (HB 1956)*
The Planet Venus (HB 1982)
The Planet Neptune (HB 1988)
Moore On Mercury (SB 2007)
The Sun (HB 1968)
Conquest Of The Air (HB 1961)
Patrick Moore’s Colour Star Atlas (HB 1973)
The Star Of Bethlehem (HB 2003)
Readers Digest Space Exploration Booklet (SB 1958)
Patrick Moore's astronomy Quiz Book (SB 1987)
The Astronomy Of Birr Castle (HB 1971)
Countdown...Or How Nigh Is The End? (SB 1999)
Legend Of The Stars (HB 1973)
Atlas Of Uranus-w/h Garry Hunt (HB 1989)

Science Fiction Books
The Master Of The Moon (HB 1952)
The Island Of Fear (HB 1954)*
Crater Of Fear (HB 1962)*
Quest Of The Spaceways (HB 1955)*
Planet Of Fire (HB 1969)*
Wanderer In Space (HB 1961)
Wheel In Space (HB1956)*
Mission To Mars (HB 1955)*
The Domes Of Mars (HB 1956)*
The Domes Of Mars (HB 1956)
The Voices Of Mars (HB 1957)
The Voices Of Mars (HB 1957)*
Peril On Mars (HB 1958)*
Raiders Of Mars (SB 1964)
Destination Luna (HB 1955)*
Caverns Of The Moon (HB 1964)*
Caverns Of The Moon (HB 1964)*
Wanderer In Space (HB 1974)
Peril On Mars (HB 1974)
Crater Of Fear (HB 1974)
Invader From Space (HB 1974)
Captives Of The Moon (SB 1964)*
Spy In Space (SB 1979)*
Planet Of Fear (SB 1977)*
The Moon Raiders (SB 1978)*
Killer Comet (SB 1978)*
The Terror Star (SB 1979)*
The Secret Of The Black Hole (SB 1980)*
Adventure In Space[Captives Of The Moon]-w/h Angus McVicar (HB 1964)
Ancient Lights (SB 1954/2008)*
Quintet- A Group Of 5 Short Plays*
Adventure In Space[Captives Of The Moon]-w/h Angus McVicar (HB 1964)

DVDs
Journey To The Stars
Moore On The moon*
The Story Of The Total Eclipse*
Apollo 13*
An Interview With Patrick Moore
Sky At Night Apollo 11 Night To Remember
VHS
Patrick Moore’s Guide To Astronomy
The Apollo Story*
The Story Of The Total Eclipse Of 11th August 1999
An Astronauts View Of Earth*
Moore On The Moon*
Cassette Tapes
Patrick Moore’s Astronomy*
The Sky At Night
Independence Day-w/h All Star Cast **
Our Planets In Motion
CDROMs
Space-Interactive Encyclopaedia*
The Interactive Space Encyclopaedia*
Patrick Moore’s Guide To The Universe*
Space-The New interactive Encyclopaedia*
Patrick Moore’s Sketches At The Eyepiece CD1*
Patrick Moore’s Sketches At The Eyepiece CD2
Apollo 11 Moon Landing Radio Recordings
Books With Foreword Written By Patrick Moore
Mrs Moore In Space by Gertrude Moore (HB 1974)*
Mrs Moore In Space by Gertrude Moore (SB 2002)*
The RGO Guide To The 1999 Eclipse Of The Sun by Steve Bell (SB 1997)
Edited By Patrick Moore
Astronomy And Space Vol 2 No 1 (SB 1972)
Astronomy And Space Vol 2 No 2 (SB 1972)
Astronomy And Space Vol 2 No 3 (SB 1972)
Astronomy And Space Vol 2 No 4 (SB 1972)
Planetarium Magazine March 1968
Planetarium Magazine June 1968
Planetarium Magazine September 1968
Planetarium Magazine December 1968
Planetarium Magazine March 1969
Planetarium Magazine June 1969
Sky At Night Magazine 1-Present
Maps
Apollo Moon Map 27”x24”*
Apollo Moon Map 27”x24”
Albedo Mars Map
FDC
1900 Queens South Africa Medal*
Sky At Night Medallion Coin
Music CDs Containing Music Of Patrick Moore
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Neil Crossland
Various Artists
Miscellaneous
Newspaper Articles*
Mars Mug
2 Keyrings*
Numerous Personal Letters*
Numerous Photographs*
Key:
*= Signed By Patrick Moore (unless otherwise stated)
**= signed by two or more authors

I am still adding to it all the time too!:)
John.

[gel]

from bottle tops to bottle labels and scrap books of emma peel(diana rigg) to what i collect now,ie: alfred meakin pixie plates and j.w.gozzard paintings

[Barrykgerdes]

During WW2 we collected cigarette packets and pasted them into an album. With the number of foreign sailors coming to the country there were some quite rare brands of cigarettes. One chap got a write up in the paper for writing to Mr. Churchill for one of his cigar wrappers . It was kindly sent to him.

Barry

[Clarendon]

I became fascinated with the sky as a small child while outside I noted a cold front moving in from the south and thought to myself that it was a blanket coming over the sky to bring on night time. A fascination with weather developed to an interest in science as well as the obligatory stamp collection. I proceeded to collect my first science book a science textbook "SCIENCE" produced by the Nuclear Research Foundation, H. Messel was the chair. It contained colour plates of the night sky and spectra of various elements, I was on my way. The 2nd one was An Easy Guide to Southern Stars by M.A.Orr purchased on a visit to Mt Stromlo as a student.
I still collect science books and other science items, a treasure being a book by Eve Curie about her mother, Marie Curie, an early role model for me.
The latest edition is a small refractor telescope built by Edward Wrench circa 1790's in working condition.

[FarmerBen]

reading the posts has taken me back to my childhood. I used to collect stamps from all over the world (easy when your parents were always moving), matchbox cars, erasers (I still have an original Yoda eraser), pens, books, pencil sharpeners, lego, postcards, sea shells, and pocket knives.

These days, I stick with books and memories (both mentally and photographically)

Good luck everyone, and Happy Christmas!

[dpastern]

Collectible cards, still have many full sets, although the older cards hadn't been kept well and have now sadly, deteriorated. I also collected the Star Wars Kenner/Toltoys figures. I finished that set off in my mid twenties ;-)

Dave

[Pack]

I grew up in the sixties and collected newspaper cuttings from every space event I could find, especially Apollo moon missions.

[ejcruz]

Collected coins, and I'm still looking for that 1930 penny I believe only 3 somehow got released, one of them is in the museum the other two are floating about somewhere.

Cheers
Eddie

[Domol]

in the 70's we collected stamps & footy cards (the old VFL)
Times have certainly changed. My kids think I was mad collecting used postage stamps! I still have the stamp collection (which is worthless now) but didn't keep the footy cards (which might be quite valuable now!)....:screwy:

[Blue Fire]

Niko: Thanks so much for the additional info on boomerangs! They really do fascinate me. Now that you've whetted my appetite, I'm going to have to do some more research on my own. I remember getting the plastic and foam ones from Walmart as a young adult and I think I even threw a real one that a friend had once.

[timmo567]

Basketball cards are the first collection I can remember. After that it became cards from chip packets of the various types.

[harwayharry]

Maybe there's someone out there who also collected cigarette packets as kids in the 50s. These were the old style packs with a sliding inner with names like Players, Senior Service and Garrick. In a masterpiece of engineering, we used to fold them down to become flat packs. We would then swap or compete to vary or add to our collections. Competing consisted of throwing to a wall - closest to the wall and face side up won the game. Yep, there was the odd fight over who won !!

Since I grew up, I have mostly collected memories and, sadly, as I get older I can't find either the cigarette packs or most of the memories.

[RapidEye]

Football cards (American style of course). Tried stamp collecting but didn't have the patience.

Now, I collect telescopes - most recent addition was an 18" F/4.5 Obsession. Going to be hard to top it... but I'll try!!! =-)

Best holiday wishes to all you guys down unda!

[Arc]

"Flags of the World" collector cards, they came out of boxes of Lipton tea. :D (At least I think it was Liptons; late 70's)

[bones]

As a kid.
Stamps - When I was a kid my sister used to work for an accountant. They used to get heaps of mail so every now and then she'd give me squillions of used stamps from which I'd soak off the bits of envelopes and dry 'em out to collect. I also had others that I'd buy new at the post office in sets or first day covers, and at one stage got a few o'seas stamps from some stamp club mob. Overall I used to collect stamps from oz and overseas.
Rocks - As a kid I grew up on a rural property. I used to collect what ever interesting rocks we could find - mainly usually bits of quartZ. Would have preferred gold of course, but no gold in them hills of the Central Coast.
Footy Cards - I had a crack at footy cards (NRL) I only collected the 1980 set. Some old faces there and teams like Newtown Jets - still got the whole collection that I'm tempted to flog off one day on ebay.
Weet Bix cards - Got heaps and heaps of those.
Star Wars cards (from The Empire Strikes Back early 1980's).
Records - Still got on vinyl all the Midnight Oil and U2 albums that were released for vinyl. Some other miscellaneous albums as well.
Coins - small collection - still got some 1c and 2c oz coins. Collected when they announced the phase out.

More recently
Shells - I find them on the beach. Use them for arty stuff.
A mess in the house - it's inevitable with children but the collection of mess gets a regular clean out every now and then.
Hugs from my wife and kids.

[Briz]

In my early years I collected bottle tops and chewing gum cards. I was most proud of my "Whacky Plank" collection; also comics, mostly second hand. By high school I moved through the stamp and coin phase.

I still have the stamps and coins, but not the enthusiasm. My cards collecting habit has transformed into collecting playing cards used in casinos around the world. I have cards from 11 Australian casinos, and 12 from USA.

[67champ]

I collected Hotwheels and matchbox cars mostly. I also had a collection the beer cans, and baseball (MLB) and football (NFL) cards. I collected rocks too, but I never really displayed the rocks in a formal way like the others items. Funny, I still can't pass by the Hotwheels cars at the store without looking through them for something that catches my eye. Love the old 1960-1970's "muscle cars".

dana t

[mswhin63]

Ever since I have been a kid i have collected electronic parts. Although when I was a kid I collected mostly old telephone switchboard relay's. These were really old but fully operational. Unfortunately my father did not appreciete the collection when it started to get a bit congested in the garage so i had to get rid of them.
Now I have access along with my father and my wife every Australian coin with the exception of a couple of rare coins, 1 penny 1937 would be worth a fortune.

[norm]

Geez, what did I collect when I was kid....

Stamps, rocks (loved my rocks). Footy cards, weetbix cards, batteries (used - yes a sickness), marbles, matchbox cars (I wish I kept them :()

My favourite all time collection was refund bottles. Not so much collecting them, but finding them with my mate and cashing them in for 5cents, 10c and the big one in those days 20c. We thought we were rich. The old Shellys, Ecks, Coke, Leed Lemonade, Fanta, Scwheppes!!!

Money was well spent on the pinnies and luxury iceblocks like Hearts and Gaytimes. Bring back those times.

PS: If you're asking where we found our bottles, don't ask:lol::P.

Norm

BTW: When I got older, I don't know why but I collected a mass of Kinder Surprises.:shrug:

[DavidU]

I wonder why so many collected rocks?

[Zubenel]

Yes very good question. I have to also put myself into that category. Fossils were my fasination. My 8year old mother still has them some where. I should dig them out and share them with my kids!! One of note was a perfectly preserved shell half encapsulated in the bed rock.
Cheers Zub.

[leon]

Hey Zub mate you are so lucky to have a Mum that young. ;)

Leon :thumbsup:

[BerrieK]

LOL! Started early eh?

[alby]

Hi There,in the late 1950's as a school kid in London I collected a series of 50 cards from Brooke Bond tea packets entitled " Out Into Space ".You could buy an album from your grocer for 6d to put them in, and we would play against each other at school to get the ones you didn't have.Thirty years later I was passing a shop in Exeter in South Devon, and in the window for sale was a picture frame with all the cards carefully mounted and displayed,with a glass frame on the back so you could still read all the info on the stars and planets----I think it cost 35 pounds, and of course I bought it and still have it today.

[trick]

As a kid I collected

Toy Soldiers
Tadpoles (then let them go as frogs)
Stamps
Bricks with different frog shapes (old man was a brickie)
Records
Commando comics


Now

Anything Apollo 11
Anything Astronomical
Old WWII journals
Challenge coins
Military patches


The wife does

Old tin wind up toys
Sweetheart pins

:P

[baby_montana]

I used to collect bugs and lizards and take them to school. I let them go of course. I also had a coin and stamp collection but all that's left of the coins are the foreign ones: I gave in and spent the Australian coins on lollies :(

Come to think of it: I also used to collect rocks. If anyone's interested in geology there's one particular rock I found on the beach that I'd rather like to know a bit more about :)

[DiamondDust]

In the 1950's in England, fruit (apples, oranges, pears etc.,) used to be individually wrapped in tissue paper. Really, it's true! Sometimes the fine tissue was elaborately printed with colourful designs and strange languages (well, I was only a kid:shrug:), and those where what I used to collect.

[goober]

Biggles books - started when I was 9. Finally got them all before they got too expensive.

[rogerg]

I collected rocks from early childhood.

Later in childhood I started collecting keyrings and still do :)

[GREENMAN]

As a kid I collected anything I could get my hands on......particularly anything to do with Natural History but also including every other imaginable object kids collect and much more........I'm still a big kid and still collecting hard out.....telescopes and photography being a couple of the latest avenues of collecting.......lookout world..lookout universe.....now if I just start taking photos looking up........
I would need to write a thesis on it to give you the full picture! :question:

[Astro Girl]

I like collecting coins and stamps but I have not put them in an album yet.

:)

[Rattler]

I am SO tempted to say:

"Spores, moulds and fungi".... but I might get "busted" for plagiarism.

So, I collected insults from time to time, splinters, cricket balls - preferably 4 piece specimens, fish tails of the larger fish I caught and currency with errors on them. Rather interestingly I have a bundle of the last run of $1 notes. But then, the run was extensive.

Apart from that, seeds for the garden.

Have gangs of fun! And remember....

[Rattler]

Reminds me of that old song that anyone singing would probably be shot in this politically correct climate....

"My boomerang won't come back....." [Charlie Drake]

;)

[RB]

When I was young, my collections were far simpler (and cheaper):
Marbles, coins, stamps, matchbox cars, things like that.

Now?
Well, now it's refractors, eyepieces, cameras, camera lenses, things like that. :doh: :scared:

[UK1]

I collected and still do from time to time Plastic Models kits in mint condition from the 50’s onwards still in plastic bags and box’s never been made, Thunder eggs.. Found some of my own at Tambourine Mt Queensland,
Vinyl records of the Beatles have them all, golf and darts trophies when I was good and young...did the stamp and coin bit for short while…. We also sat by the road collecting car number plates as they drove past writing them all down got thousands ..Marbles way back … and last but not least plenty of smacks across the legs form mum and dad for doing things wrong ...lol there must be more

[UK1]

Who collected the Robinsons Jam Gollywogs cut them out and sent them off to get the metal badges

[iceman]

Thanks for all the great entries, brings back some memories.

I'll draw the winners in the next few days.