50 People Share Their Interesting Collections

They are unique and inspirational.

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• July 2, 2021

We all have our interests and hobbies. Some of us are into collecting things, and sometimes those collections are simply amazing. Bowling balls, insects you find in your house, vintage pencil sharpeners... there are so many things to collect out there.

These collectors of random items prove that persistence is a wonderful human quality. Fortunately, they are not selfish, and they gladly share their collections online.

We have compiled a list of the 50 of the best collections, and they shine a completely new light on items we usually don’t even notice. Take a look; maybe it will inspire you to create a collection of your own.

1. "I Collect Rocks That Look Like Eggs"

2. "The Product Of 15 Years Collecting Shedded Antlers From The Woods"

3. "Since The Late 80s, My Office Has Been Collecting Used Staples That Were Removed From Documents That Needed To Be Microfilmed/Scanned. Here Is That Collection"

4. "Collection Of Reference Seeds Found In My Grandad’s Attic"

5. "A Small Part Of My Vintage Camera Collection"

6. "My Game Collection Is Finally Out Of Storage! Wife Surprised Me By Building Shelves As An Anniversary Gift Today"

7. "My Dad's Lifelong Collection Of Matchbooks"

8. "The Airbnb That I’m Staying In Has A Collection Of Rubber Ducks In The Bathroom Wall"

9. "Friend's Mom In Australia Has A Collection Of What She Found In Her Home"

10. "Some Of My Favorite Arrowheads. Amazing Little Pieces Of History Collected On Our Private Property In Southern Arizona"

11. "An Array Of Cake Pans Collected In The Lifetime Of My Late Grandmother Taken From A Roof Top"

12. "A Collection Of Things My Local Shop Has Pulled Out Of Flat Tires"

13. "My Mom Collects Sand From Beaches All Over The World"

14. "My Aunt Has A Spoon Collection That Has A Tiny Spoon Collection Right Above It"

15. "My Grandfather Used All Of His Hotel/Motel Keys He Received From His Job As A Travelling Salesman And Made Them Into A Map Of The US"

16. "My Dad's Little Metal Detecting Museum"

17. "Marble Collection From The 1800s. All Made From Polished Semi-Precious Stones"

18. "My 100% Complete Collection Of Every LEGO Shield Ever Made"

19. "My Four-Leaf-Clover Collection (Plus A Couple Five-Leafers In The Middle)"

20. "My Entire Bow Tie Collection, Minus The One I'm Wearing Now"

21. "Over The Past 15 Years My Dad Collected 1,785 Bowling Balls And Built A Giant Bowling Ball Pyramid"

For some, it offers the thrill of the hunt; for others, it’s the wish to preserve something for future generations. The majority of collectors become emotionally attached to their collectibles and their stories.

Just ask any collector about a specific item in their collections, and they’ll be happy to talk about it for hours. Nostalgia is also a strong driving force. It’s most apparent in the historical collections that need a great deal of knowledge and perspective.

22. "My Grandma With Her Birdhouse Collection"

23. "The Only Remaining Picture Of My Childhood Star Wars Collection"

24. "A Year Ago, I Started Staying In And Peircing State Quarters, Instead Of Going Out And Getting In Trouble. Here Is My Collection So Far"

25. "This Is My Periodic Table Of Elements With Actual Elements"

26. "I Started Feeding Bar Nuts To These Crows That Are Regular To The Patio Of A Bar I Work At. My Collection Of Gifts Finally Started After 3 Months"

27. "My Granddad's Tool Collection In His Shed"

28. "My Shark Tooth Collection"

29. "My History Teacher's Presidential PEZ Collection"

30. "My Girlfriend Cleaning Her Monopoly Collection"

31. "This Collection Of Objects Swallowed By Children"

32. "Local Pharmacy Has A Display Of Antique Medicines"

33. "My Sand And Dirt Collection From Every Place I Visited"

34. "Our Tire Sticker Ball Turned 6 Today"

35. "My Dice Collection"

36. "Someone Had All The Failed Presidential Candidates Bumper Stickers On Their Car"

37. "My Copy Editor Father's Collection Of Worn Down Pencils"

38. "My Doctor Has A Kept All The Pictures Kids Have Drawn Of Him"

39. "This Is One Of Several Alphabets Assembled By Belgian Type Designer Clotilde Olyff From Stones Collected At The Beach"

40. "I Collect Food Shaped Erasers"

41. "I'm 14 And Here Is A Picture Of Me And My Chess Medals"

42. "Weapons Collection From The Royal Armouries In Leeds, UK"

43. "The Amount Of Train Tickets I’ve Collected By Commuting To University For One Year"

44. "I Helped My Dad Alphabetize His Vinyl Collection"

45. "My Grandfather's Pencil Sharpener Collection I Inherited"

46. "My (87-Years-Old) Father's "Ugly" Golf Ball Collection"

47. "This Man's Collection Of Lost Apples Varieties"

48. "2 Years Of Collecting Sea Glass"

49. "This Is My Gameboy Mosaic Made Out Of Gameboy Games. Note: No Games Were Harmed And All Are Removable And Playable"

People always had a tendency to collect things. In the 19th century, upper-class collectors would collect books, biological and zoological specimens, art, and ornaments that were all viewed as a status symbol.

Cabinets of curiosities were invented in the Victorian era. They were spaces specially designed to organize, exhibit, and store a person’s collectibles. Some of these cabinets became the first museums of curated collections.

We start collecting things in our early childhood. Many of us had our little sets of keychains, napkins, or Legos. Somehow, that urge fades away as we get older, and just a small percentage of people continue to expand existing and create new collections.

50. "Perfectly Round Rocks I Found On The Beach. Bonus: Egg, Dorito, And Watermelon Rock"

Damjan