Collections Part 2

Continuing on from my Collections Part 1 post I will now divulge my other collections, including one very unique collection (and no it is not belly button fluff, that’s just eewwww).

I have always been a collector. As a child I had a number of collections.

• Novelty erasers. I can’t remember exactly how many I had but they all fit into a metal biscuit tin (the ones you get at Christmas that contained those delicious butter biscuits). My favourites included a white cat (whose eyes I coloured bright blue) and a fluoro pink Eiffel Tower (which I think my primary school friend Anne gave me).
• Stamps. I think I started collecting stamps when I was 8 or 9. I didn’t become that serious about it and ended up collecting first day covers more than stamps in the end. I don’t think I have any really valuable stamps. Come to think of it, where is my collection. It may still be in the top shelf of my wardrobe in my childhood bedroom at Mum & Dad’s. Despite this I still get sent the Stamp Bulletin. I have been getting it for nearly 30 years and at least 6 moves. Maybe I should cancel my subscription.
• Stickers. I had 2 exercise books filled with various stickers I collected. Some free, some bought. My prized one was a watermelon scented scratch and sniff sticker. Don’t hold it against me but I think I also had a Joh for PM sticker in their as well.
• Postcards. I started collecting the postcards my grandparents and other family and friends sent from their holidays. Then I started buying my own when I travelled. I also started buying postcards of art I liked when visiting art galleries and exhibitions. Now I think I have several piles worth in a cupboard somewhere. I have actually used some to decorate our Tupperware cupboard in our dining room.

Now as an adult I am/have collected:

• Teddy bears. See Collections Part 1 for all the details.
• Rocks and shells. Just a very small collection of rocks and shells from various travels that I have secretly brought back into the country. I can’t remember all of them but I do know I have a pebble from the beach at Nice, France and a pebble from Loch Ness, Scotland.
• Keyrings. Not an intentional collection but something I seem to buy as souvenirs.
• Coins. A very small collection of international coins (mostly those left over from travels) and some limited release Australian coins.
• Hat pins. Again not an intentional collection just more those I have amassed over time. Some are from countries or places, others are from charities e.g. jeans for genes day.

My most unique collection is from my first overseas trip in 2003. I wanted to collect something that was unique, small and preferably cheap, afterall I did buy 27 bears amongst other souvenirs. So what I decided to collect was toilet paper. Whenever I visited a public toilet I took a piece of clean un-used paper and put it in my pocket (when I remembered to). Then at my earliest convenience I wrote the name of the establishment I frequented on the paper so I would know where it was from. I now have a collection of 21 pieces of toilet paper in varying shades of white/cream (and 1 pink piece) from all over Western Europe. The most luxurious is from the Sun Casino in Monaco, the worst from the Ham Square public toilets in Bath, England. 21 small squares each with their own memories of the time and place I visited.

Toilet paper collection from 2003 European holiday.

Steph and Sally have already blogged about their collections of fridge magnets. Does anybody else have any weird and wonderful collections? Does anybody else collect toilet paper? No probably not. I am weird.