What else do you collect?

tonyb said:

Lotsa old clothes; a fair amount of old paper ephemera; lotsa “oriental” (a term overdue for replacement) rugs; at least a hundred hats (the one category in which I can honestly claim some level of expertise); vintage commercial art and signage; books; old radios and other audio gear (the appeal of which to me, what with my tin ear and all, is mostly in its visual attributes); interesting old furniture from various eras; vintage and antique luggage; vintage cookware and tableware; license plates; vintage motel memorabilia.

There’s more, but that’s most of it. Like most others drawn to this site, I’m into stuff from bygone eras that somehow managed to survive into the present, especially the stuff that wasn’t really meant to. But none of it is so precious that I’d be heartbroken if it were somehow lost. And none of it is so valuable in monetary terms that it would be irresistibly tempting to a thief. (Which is not to say that a light-fingered sort *wouldn’t* steal some of it [some people would steal almost anything], but very little of it would be easily fenced. A second-story man’s efforts would likely be more lucratively expended elsewhere, such as one of the neighbors’ houses, with their newer, “more desirable” stuff.)

I’m thankful for the more obsessive collectors and their willingness (in general) to share their hard-won knowledge. And I often find it entertaining when the more passionate experts get into the minutiae and can’t come to agreement. The world of tribal rugs is thick with such characters.

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belfastboy said:

...and at this point Iran is not on my bucket list.

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tonyb said:

Circumstances have me knowing many people (men, almost entirely) born in Iran but living here in the States. They cut out of the old country around the time of the revolution, and that’s four decades ago now. They were young men then, and now as people of retirement age I suspect they aren’t holding out much hope that they’ll live to see the ayatollahs lose their grip on power.

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belfastboy said:

The first wave late 70's after the Shah's fall.

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Fifty150 said:

That's the generation who told people that they were royalty in exile....... awaiting to be restored. Until that happened, they wore fake gold chains, bare chest open shirts, and tight bell bottoms. Apparently the revolution was being staged in discos. Weird that only men were exiled royalty, driving used Camaros. I never saw any Iranian women at an orgy, or cutting lines on the bar with an American Express card at Studio 54.

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Fifty150 said:

The ones I knew didn't have any money, nor were they royalty. They just told people that. They worked odd jobs, went to night school, and hung out in discos on the weekend. They wore cheap polyester suits from the mall, cheap cologne from the mall, fake gold chains from the mall. The guys I knew were not Shahs of Sunset. For every rich Royal, 100 refugees pretended to be royal. I don't know what Iranian life was like before The Ayatollah. But these guys loved alcohol, and blondes.

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Turnip said:

Since I quit smoking I kind of collect booze, single malt at largest chunk, discontinued if possible. Though I’m a lousy collector, drink them all myself.
Currently 19 bottles open on my shelf, about the same amount closed in the arsenal.

WWII books certainly, they accumulate at least over the decades.

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belfastboy said:

You must have attracted a different breed of Persians in your town than we attracted into ours. Yes, the Persians that came here certainly in that first wave got out early and with their money. They settled into an upper scale part of our city...they settled in, purchased businesses and very soon became very much a part of the fabric of the city. I think the subsequent waves were not the wealthy but ordinary people wanting out from underneath the mullah's control. My tailor is an example.

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Fifty150 said:

The ones I knew didn't have any money, nor were they royalty. They just told people that. They worked odd jobs, went to night school, and hung out in discos on the weekend. They wore cheap polyester suits from the mall, cheap cologne from the mall, fake gold chains from the mall. The guys I knew were not Shahs of Sunset. For every rich Royal, 100 refugees pretended to be royal. I don't know what Iranian life was like before The Ayatollah. But these guys loved alcohol, and blondes.

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LizzieMaine said:

All those lightsabers remind me that I've got a Graflex flash attachment attached to a Speed Graphic press camera sitting on a pile of stuff in my spare room right now.

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tonyb said:

And while it’s true that *some* of those fellows caroused in their early adult years, I found them no likelier to do so than young guys of any other description.

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belfastboy said:

belfastboy said:

If I had room for another collecting passion it would be the world of hand made rugs. I have a very modest collection of 8 rugs, many purchased in NAfrica many many years ago the others used online Persian.

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The Mothers keep to themselves and don't talk to my niece not because they are unfriendly but because their English is limited. My tailor is a Persian woman arriving here in about 2005. Her English is gooder than mine!

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