What do you collect?

[rsbseb]

What other things are you are interested in? I often see references from others suggesting a diversity of interests like vintage computers, pens, etc.

Other than mechanical keyboards, I have some rubber domes and typewriters in my stash.

However, I collect mostly books. I probably average about 5-6 new keyboards a year and 40-50 books a month. My book collection is currently somewhere in the 2000-3000 range, and is almost entirely comprised of hardbacks. It's not a fun collection to move. I also pick up old vacuum tubes and radio components from time to time.

[XMIT]

I was collecting 1:400 scale model airliners for a while. I have a little display case of them in my rec room.

A while ago I collected computers of different architectures. I had an Itanium system, a SPARC system, an SGI Indy with a MIPS CPU, and a DEC Alpha. I've long since gotten rid of all of these.

[codemonkeymike]

Retro video games and production CRT monitors

[vometia]

That's a lot of books.

I collect too many random bits and pieces, so as a result I have quite a lot of small collections of things but nothing overly extensive (well, except for shoes, I need to have another purge). Including things like bass guitars, videogame art lithographs, and here's some swords:

[seebart]

I guess this does not really count since I inherited a lot of (to me useless) objects like a lot of these vintage cameras:

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[HAL]

I collect vintage hifi equipment

Revox Reel to Reel B77, G36, Revox Tapedeck B710 Mk II, Sony DAT, Sony PCM Decoder

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[BPX-926]

The only thing which I now collect is FM3 Buddha Machines. I do not have a complete collection. I have at least one of each kind except for number 4. I do not yet own one of those.

I used to collect stationery and pencils. I also used to collect letterheaded paper and paper packaging from fast-food restaurants. I since have given those collections to other friends who had similar interests.

[002]

Retro video games and production CRT monitors

Nice PVM / BVMs dude.
I have a couple of PVMs but it's a real lottery buying these things for me because I can't pick them up myself. Of the three PVMs I've had shipped to me, 2 were damaged enough in transit for me to not even bother any more
The one that made it through safely is great though -- love it. Super Famicom over RGB scart is bliss.

[snuci]

You guys and gals probably know I collect computers already but many of the ones that are the oldest don't have keyboards! These computers below have actual switches that you toggle for essentially what are the bits that make up one byte. When you toggle the bits, you have to hit another toggle switch to actually store the byte. Be thankful for keyboards as we know them



The top one is tied for the best computer in my collection. The others are later versions of it.

P.S. Just so you know, these were before my time.

[MrDuul]

Retro video games and production CRT monitors

What are your top 10 SNES games?

[Phenix]

I have a small collection of fountain pens.. However, only Namiki Vanishing Points, as I love to use them.

Also Im a bit into hifi, however I will not call it collecting.

[vometia]

P.S. Just so you know, these were before my time.

They weren't before mine. I never actually encountered one, but it's nice to see something that actually looks like a proper computer with lights and switches and all, even if it was a pain to use without a keyboard. You occasionally hear stories about people using the front panel of a PDP or System/360 to toggle in boot-loader code including one famous example where some systems guy actually talked somebody through it over the phone purely from memory.

[MrDuul]

books: poetry, artbooks, fashion, philosophy, history, manga, comic books, video game strategy guides

[fohat]

Books, LPs, CDs, hand tools, a few coins, stamps, and maps.

I have about 3 full working stereo set-ups from the 1970s-1980s, a few pieces of Native American pottery and tools, at least 100 T-shirts, and about 3 dozen birds' nests.

[wobbled]

I don't collect anything anymore, I'm gradually selling a lot of my stuff and be as minimalist as I can be. Having like 30 keyboards, 10 laptops, 4 desktops, and 3 servers is really starting to bother me. Hoping to just have a solid oak desk, a kishsaver, and a 40 inch 4k monitor and that's it. Everything else gone.

[seebart]

I don't collect anything anymore, I'm gradually selling a lot of my stuff and be as minimalist as I can be. Having like 30 keyboards, 10 laptops, 4 desktops, and 3 servers is really starting to bother me.

Agreed! I my case more keyboards most of which never see any action.

[wobbled]

I don't collect anything anymore, I'm gradually selling a lot of my stuff and be as minimalist as I can be. Having like 30 keyboards, 10 laptops, 4 desktops, and 3 servers is really starting to bother me.

Agreed! I my case more keyboards most of which never see any action.

always better to sell to those that will get more use out of it.

[seebart]

I don't collect anything anymore, I'm gradually selling a lot of my stuff and be as minimalist as I can be. Having like 30 keyboards, 10 laptops, 4 desktops, and 3 servers is really starting to bother me.

Agreed! I my case more keyboards most of which never see any action.

always better to sell to those that will get more use out of it.

That will eventually happen anyway...

[vivalarevolución]

Women's undergarments.

[alienman82]

removed.

[alienman82]

removed.

[vivalarevolución]

Women's undergarments.

Shall we call you Caitlyn ?

I am not at liberty to divulge further details.

[Findecanor]

Tears and empty anti-anxiety pill boxes.

[Menuhin]

Women's undergarments.

Citing above:
"... always better to sell to those that will get more use out of it. ..."

Of course, I don't know the details, perhaps there are lots of actions for your collection.

But do actions make a collection more meaningful and what is the underlying reasons for collecting behaviors?
This can be a question for anthropologists.

[Findecanor]

I collect parts for building replicas of iconic props from movies, most of all Star Wars because I got into that hobby from Star Wars cosplaying. Many of these old props had been built from scrap parts back in the 1970's or 80's that are now rare.
Most parts I have are replica parts themselves - many real ones are often very expensive because of collectors like me but with more money and/or because they are already collectors' items for some other community. Other parts were gun parts and it would be illegal where I live to get real ones. Therefore, my collection of finished props is not that large and I intend to obsess on the details.

[rsbseb]

But do actions make a collection more meaningful and what is the underlying reasons for collecting behaviors?
This can be a question for anthropologists.

Over the years I have collected a number of different things, mostly because they simply interested my or reflected some activity I was involved in. Most of those collections are gone now or have been knocked down to one or two token items. However, books are different for me because I see my collection as preservationist. I have more books than I could ever read and most would be of little personal interest beyond skimming or use for reference. I don't have any plans to downsize my book collection.

[fohat]

I don't have any plans to downsize my book collection.

I would love to downsize my book collection because I have come to accept that my children will probably never read or value them.

In particular I have a few hundred science fiction paperbacks (and a few dozen hardbacks) from the 1960s-1980s that I would love to move out.

[Menuhin]

It is now easier to downsize a book collection - with Amazon and eBay.
It hurt to see a few thousand books going to recycling center when my late father passed away.

I am now sticking to the library cards, and electronic versions, except for the rare books and handy items / user manuals.

[citrojohn]

If I had the money and space I'd collect anything old and weird, including weird old keyboards. As it is I have a few of several different things (phones, cameras, keyboards, old computers), assortments of things like car magazines that are more conglomerations than collections, and large numbers of books both bought and semi-inherited.
But what I really do collect is traces of interesting things. Numbers, names, interesting details, the odd photo here and there. So I don't have the actual items, but then I don't have to try to find them or compete to buy them either, and I get a kind of second-hand semi-knowledge of them unspoilt by the inconvenient reality. For all I know a Yashica Samurai might be hopelessly unergonomic for me, and it would certainly be tiresome to use it now after ten years with digital cameras - but from a theoretical point of view, it's a wonderfully unorthodox design. Same with the Microwriter, the BT Facilityphone 200, the Samsung NV10, the Cherry G80-5000...
This way of collecting explains how I can see all these great keyboards without wanting (too seriously) to buy them all. If I tried to collect every Cherry keyboard I have a record of I'd certainly bankrupt myself several times over (add in my Alps / RAFI / IBM / Topre desires and it'd be more like 10 times) - so instead of owning a forever-unsatisfactory subset, I choose to collect information for all of them.

PS: my mum still has some punched cards for FORTRAN programs from about the same time as snuci's Altair. She says she was very thankful when punched cards arrived and you could see where your mistake was!

[Scarpia]

For the record, @citrojohn, you clearly have the coolest mum of all of us.

As for collecting, I have a thing for pens and vintage electronics, from components and storage media to rotary phones and handheld devices, starting from 1960s View-Master 3D viewers (hence my avatar). Most recently, I added a bunch of handhelds: a Donkey Kong 2 Game&Watch, a Gameboy (Advance SP), a Nintendo DS Lite, and a (frankly too modern for my collection, but I've just always wanted one) PSP.