What do you collect? Everybody collects something!

My old boss collected ex wives.

Unfinished projects.

My biggest collection and hobby by far is cigars, I collect far more than I currently smoke but that just leads to age and great smokes so I’m fine with it. I also collect whiskey though since money has been tight I have drank through almost all of my collection this past year. Also collect knives. 

In additions to Pens and Firearms, I also collect Challenge Coins.  After 20 years in  uniform and now 18 as a DOD Civilian I have been around long enough to have a nice collection. All of mine were given to me from the person or position that they represent.  My highest is from the then Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld.

I did not do anything special, but when he was here for a change of command ceremony his security detail got a flat tire on the way to the airport.  I was the last one in the office and heading to the door when the phone rang. I hesitated, but went back to answer. All I did was have another van turn back and pick them up, but the Sec Defs plane was not delayed. About a week later I was summoned to the Chief of Staffs office and was handed his coin.  My thought was to give it to the driver of the van, but was handed a second coin and letter of appreciation to give to him.

Before the market dried up, military surplus rifles...WWII era.   Mostly foreign. 

My wife says I'm a hoarder. I have a revolving door of hobbies that are causing me to amass a pile of stuff she disapproves of. She doesn't disapprove of the hobbies or of all of the stuff, but she doesn't understand why I have more than one of practically the same thing. Whether it's my firearms, pipes and cigars, packs, camp gear, knives, when I get a new one, she asks what was wrong with the old one and what I'll do with it. Sometimes I have a valid excuse to justify the replacement but a lot of the time it boils down to the old one isn't the new one. I'll either smoke it, gift it, trade it, or sell it...eventually. But not until I have to move it at least once. Nothing thins a collection like a moving sale

ForMud said:

peter4jc said:

I don't think I collect anything.  There are piles of junk everywhere because I just know I'll need that scrap of wood, or jar, or empty box.  Then there's the wedding gifts and china from '82, and the jeans I wore back then that I'll fit into again someday.  But I don't actually collect any collections as a hobby.

I'm the same, but with me it bits metal left over from jobs, nuts and bolts and misc metal brackets...Always tell myself I might just need that someday.
I wonder where's the line between collecting and hording? 

I grew up building and wrenching on cars and vehicles with Pops, and we both have an extensive collection of small bits and pieces and nuts and bolts and metal. But when you are fabricating or doing a build it saves you time and time again. I love those collections because they have kept me from getting my ass bit time and time again. 

90+_Irishman said:

My son would love this, even at 5 years old he is a train fanatic! I dunno why but I’ve spoken to many parents with autistic children and it’s surprisingly common for the autistic boys to get into trains. Vast majority I’ve met are into trains as well as Thomas the Train. Kinda interesting to me at least. 

Over the years it has become more and more noticable within our community. My friend and I were just recently discussing how those with autism seem to flock to our hobby as opposed to others. Wonder what it is that intrigues them...perhaps all of the external moving parts? 

My aforementioned friend is the one who has functional autism, and you'd never pick up on it without knowing. He went to public school, has held down steady employment ever since, and is now a fully certified conductor and engineer at our railroad. His full-time job is also as a locomotive engineer. He's a pretty normal guy really. Just a little more organized and not comfortable with having a relationship. 

jw517 said:

I took care of a fellow who was my age but Autistic and profoundly mentally retarded. It goes to each extreme I guess. He stared at pieces of string most of the day,spinning it between his fingers. I always wondered what he was seeing in the string. 

Autism affects touch, sound and visual input the most. Each case is different and different inputs affect each person differently.
Some will rub their hand on there face or cheek. Some will slap their hand on their thigh. Others who may be functional may have slight tells. 
Pinky may rub back and forth on 3rd finger or index on middle finger.

The thing to remember is that autistic people are on sensory overload. Every sound, touch and visual input is hyper sensitive. 
Colors are sometimes intertwined. 
A faucette dripping is like someone pounding on a drum.
A simple thing like a grain of sand in their shoe or in their bed can trigger them to get upset.

Understanding what is a trigger for them is half the battle.
Autistics like "security blankets".
These are things that are an item, like a colored string, that help them keep calm and fixate on it.

And yes, my index finger rubs on my middle finger thru out the day. I have a tribal bear token that comes out of my pocket quite often. If I misplace it, then my key ring takes its place. 
I am hypersensitive to touch. If my socks bunch. I have to fix it. I cannot handle the smallest pebble in my shoe. 
I am a mechanic who cleans his hands 100 times a day.
And I cannot eat certain foods that have textures that clash. Like potato salad with celery. If that makes any sense.
So I know a small amount about autism.

0patience said:

jw517 said:

I took care of a fellow who was my age but Autistic and profoundly mentally retarded. It goes to each extreme I guess. He stared at pieces of string most of the day,spinning it between his fingers. I always wondered what he was seeing in the string. 

Autism affects touch, sound and visual input the most. Each case is different and different inputs affect each person differently.
Some will rub their hand on there face or cheek. Some will slap their hand on their thigh. Others who may be functional may have slight tells. 
Pinky may rub back and forth on 3rd finger or index on middle finger.

The thing to remember is that autistic people are on sensory overload. Every sound, touch and visual input is hyper sensitive. 
Colors are sometimes intertwined. 
A faucette dripping is like someone pounding on a drum.
A simple thing like a grain of sand in their shoe or in their bed can trigger them to get upset.

Understanding what is a trigger for them is half the battle.
Autistics like "security blankets".
These are things that are an item, like a colored string, that help them keep calm and fixate on it.

And yes, my index finger rubs on my middle finger thru out the day. I have a tribal bear token that comes out of my pocket quite often. If I misplace it, then my key ring takes its place. 
I am hypersensitive to touch. If my socks bunch. I have to fix it. I cannot handle the smallest pebble in my shoe. 
I am a mechanic who cleans his hands 100 times a day.
And I cannot eat certain foods that have textures that clash. Like potato salad with celery. If that makes any sense.
So I know a small amount about autism.

I see you know what you are talking about, Tony, thanks. I'm in the same boat. For me, learning to function in the real world required figuring out what I could and could not cope with. I can't recognize people by their faces, only by their clothing, hair, voice, etc. If I meet them out of their usual surroundings it can be embarrassing. Love ceiling fans, moving mechanical things like fidget spinners, lathes, etc. I'm best when alone, doing routine, detailed work; easily overloaded. Had dinner with the wife at a noisy pub last month and later in a semi-zombie state, ran a red light. If I have the radio on and someone starts talking to me I have to turn the radio off. 

@NorCalR1 said:

Added this to my collection today

Yep. I'm jealous.
I have several signed baseballs.
Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Bob Doerr.
Autographs from Duke Snider.
A Norm Cash game used cracked bat.

Most I have acquired over the years at different ball parks.