I'm a closet Hoarder who's just come out!!

I’m sat trying to think how I became interested in collecting coins. Actually, the thought first occurred to me while I was trying to understand why I’m such a ‘hoard rat’. Seriously, I can’t throw anything away. I look at a pen top I’m about to throw in the dustbin and think that the pen and its’ lid would miss each other. I have thirty or so floppy disks with absolutely no way of being able to look at the contents. What gives? Is everyone a collector of sorts or is it just some of us? Do we all collect physical things like coins or do some people collect other abstract “things” like information, stories, or places? Are said “stuff” collectors also said “knowledge” collectors who by default become said “place” collectors? I don’t know but I want to find out and maybe even find someone to blame J

I have sat through at least twenty-four weddings. Own more than five hundred coins. I have been to thirty-two countries and lived in four of them for more than a year. Competed in fifteen different sports. Slept in eighty-three cities (that I can remember), and celebrated New Years Eve on four different continents in a row. I have read ninety-three books (just in my house). I own six watches, which has helped me be on time to the ten different jobs I’ve had. I would have smoked 8385 more cigarettes today if I hadn’t given up in 2009. I’m responsible for eight pets (albeit five are fish), and feed every Blue Jay within a five-mile radius. Who other than a collector would even care about this stuff!!

Every time we would go on a holiday we would buy my Gran a spoon to add to her collection (a tradition I’ve often continued). My mum used to have figurines of people all over the house (to this day she has more plates hanging on her wall than you can shake a stick at). My grandparents used to send me first edition stamps celebrating the Battle of Britain anniversaries or coins of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Heck, aside from the encyclopedias and other books he used to buy my dad even collected girlfriends and hangovers J

I’ve collected stickers from “Shoot” magazine of 1970 / 80’s football stars. Have a family history tree dating back to the 1500’s (inspired by my Granddads brother). If it weren’t for a house fire I’d still own a Stamp collection numbering in the thousands, including Penny Reds, Tup’ney Blues, and Penny Blacks. I even have a ‘Government of Bahrain’ driver’s license my Gran had to have to drive trucks full of bombs across their country during the 2nd World War.

A number of people have nurtured my collecting habit but I think my grandparents have mostly been responsible for my collecting. After my granddad died in the late 80’s I was given some of his personal items like a Zippo lighter and sports medals. It was at his funeral listening to some of his friends talking that I realized I didn’t know ½ of his life. That was what inspired me to give my Gran a handheld recorder. I asked her to narrate as many family stories as she could remember in hopes that one day I could put them in a book or on a CD for my kids.

My sister and I had identical exposure growing up yet I’m the one who turned into the collector. I don’t begrudge it as I love old ‘stuff’, particularly ‘stuff’ that has a personal connection. If it were up to me I’d probably buy a larger house each year for no other reason than being able to house “my stuff”. In fact one of my favorite TV shows is the one where people bid on storage lockers for the ‘stuff’ inside. So I guess I should thank my Grandparents, parents, and others for giving me the collecting Gene.