Hobbies/collections you kinda stumbled into unexpectedly...

[Duncandl]

Oh boy!

I also collect all kinds of craziness and have an appraiser on standby to come to the house so I won’t share all.

I have a Bible that was carried during the Civil War that belonged to one of my dads grandpas. I wish it had been preserved better but it is in good hands now. I also have a Mason’s Master Reference Edition that has signatures from some of Oklahomas finest citizens that I picked up at my neighbors estate sale for $2. I think that one is pretty snazzy. I have almost all of my families Bibles and I am the least religious/most curious out of the 3 kids. They had no desire to take them as they saw ZERO resale value, sad isn’t it?

 

[Duncandl]

I also have an officers ward room ash tray made from a 5 inch shell that belonged to the USS Pueblo, Google that one.

 

[n423]

I used to collect brass spitoons, zippo lighters, old pop bottles, and Star Wars figures. Sold all but the zippos.
Loved to go to antique stores and flea mkts years ago.

 

[jhb33rd]

I have over 200 Vintage Church Keys (Beer Can Openers). Falstaff, Jax, Pear, Progress, Lonestar, Hamms, Bud, Coors, to many to name. And the old advertising handle type with white handle with the red cap.

What got me started was we were at a cabin down by McAlester out in the woods and one of the 20 year old young un's came out of the woods carrying an old Steel Budweiser can that had been open with a church key. He ask what was this all about. I explained to him how we use to open the cans before the Pop Top. Than it hit me........ Church Keys are out of date and the young ones doesn't even have a clue what they are or what they were used for.

So........ I would find them at yard sales and flee markets for 25 cent to 50 cents apiece and I would pick them up. Family and friends started bringing them to me and so forth. Could buy them on Ebay cheap, but now I think everyone found out they are collectable and the price has really gone up. I haven't bought any in a while, but still look for them at Flee Markets.

And Knives.....300+ well that's another story.

 

[BillM]

Anybody here collect things that they really wasn't trying to, but wound up collecting anyway?

I know, that sounds kinda silly, but I have a collection of certain items, that just kinda started one day without me even realizing it did.

The year was 1980. I was in the fifth grade, and we had just finished lunch, and were on the playground. The bell rang and we all filed in back to our classroom...ho-hum.

As I walked in to sit down, I noticed there was a little red book on every student's desk. I sat down and looked at mine, and it said New Testament/Psalms Proverbs.

View attachment 296879

Our teacher, Mrs. Perkins told us that the Gideons came and missed us, because we were at recess, but left us all a pocket bible. At 11-12 years old, I didnt know (nor care) too much about God's word, but I knew well enough not to just throw it away, so I kept it.

Fast forward about 25 years...

I start work at Seminole State College campus police in 2005. One night, I was locking up and I walked through the student union and I see a little green Gideons pocket bible just like my red one that I still had. So I picked it up and put it in my pocket.

A few weeks later, I spotted an orange one...then a blue one...then a white one. Before I knew it, I had about 7 or 8 of em. I always heard that if you have three or more of a particular item, that makes you officially a collector.

Here's my modest collection today.

View attachment 296880

I've researched them and each color means something. Like the white one is dedicated to nursing, orange for sidewalk distribution, brown for county jail gifts. I don't know how some of the different colors wound up at the college, but that's where I got them all.

Except my three camo ones. The army ACU was given to me by my son in law while he was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas 12 years ago. The navy digital I received from my niece who just signed up for another 4 years in the US Navy. And she also gave me the desert camo one, she found it in a thrift shop in San Diego where she lives. Those three probably mean more to me than any of the others.

Besides the red one.

Sorry for the novella.

Desktop machine tools and tooling for them.

 

[Mr.Glock]

Yes. These two was at Bell Isle and then the Carousel was moved to Springlake Amusement Park. Some you Okies that are old might have planted your ***** on these two!

 

[RickN]

Swords and shotshell vest.

Vest started with my grandfathers and just kind of snowballed. Latest is a black tactical vest I have no earthly use for except as a place to store some magazines.

Swords started when I was a young man and found a couple of old Freemason, Knight Templar swords. They were cool even if only ornamental. At one time I had a dozen different swords but I am down to two. I would love to buy some of the Cold Steel swords especially the Polish Saber but it is well out of my reach.

 

[O4L]

Ex wives.

 

[DavidMcmillan]

Yes. These two was at Bell Isle and then the Carousel was moved to Springlake Amusement Park. Some you Okies that are old might have planted your ***** on these two!


I have had an interest in carousels for many years. I started wood carving figures of carousel animals about 20-25 years ago. These two were the first I did, and have given about a dozen to family members over the years. Something very reminiscent with these old figures. Somewhere here, I have photos I took of every figure on the Santa Monica pier carousel.

 

[HoLeChit]

Anybody here collect things that they really wasn't trying to, but wound up collecting anyway?

I know, that sounds kinda silly, but I have a collection of certain items, that just kinda started one day without me even realizing it did.

The year was 1980. I was in the fifth grade, and we had just finished lunch, and were on the playground. The bell rang and we all filed in back to our classroom...ho-hum.

As I walked in to sit down, I noticed there was a little red book on every student's desk. I sat down and looked at mine, and it said New Testament/Psalms Proverbs.

View attachment 296879

Our teacher, Mrs. Perkins told us that the Gideons came and missed us, because we were at recess, but left us all a pocket bible. At 11-12 years old, I didnt know (nor care) too much about God's word, but I knew well enough not to just throw it away, so I kept it.

Fast forward about 25 years...

I start work at Seminole State College campus police in 2005. One night, I was locking up and I walked through the student union and I see a little green Gideons pocket bible just like my red one that I still had. So I picked it up and put it in my pocket.

A few weeks later, I spotted an orange one...then a blue one...then a white one. Before I knew it, I had about 7 or 8 of em. I always heard that if you have three or more of a particular item, that makes you officially a collector.

Here's my modest collection today.

View attachment 296880

I've researched them and each color means something. Like the white one is dedicated to nursing, orange for sidewalk distribution, brown for county jail gifts. I don't know how some of the different colors wound up at the college, but that's where I got them all.

Except my three camo ones. The army ACU was given to me by my son in law while he was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas 12 years ago. The navy digital I received from my niece who just signed up for another 4 years in the US Navy. And she also gave me the desert camo one, she found it in a thrift shop in San Diego where she lives. Those three probably mean more to me than any of the others.

Besides the red one.

Sorry for the novella.

I want to say that I was given one of those desert camo new testaments by a chaplain while I was in the Marines. I wonder if I still have it somewhere. I’m not religious, but it just feels weird/wrong to throw away a Bible.