Are You a Collector of Collections Like Me?

[LONGINUS]

What are you collecting these days?

This topic is likely to have been explored before in this forum, but it's always fun to revisit what other forum members are collecting, especially new members who may not have contributed to the older posts on this subject. Of course, my ancient coins continue to be my primary focus, but I do occasionally fall down the proverbial collector's rabbit hole and become totally absorbed in other fascinating collections. Here are some virtual images of my favorite numismatic, exonumia, militaria, and memorabilia collections, beginning with my ancient coins.

Exonumia

My interest in French medals began during a poignant trip to France, where I toured the World War I battlefields. The profound experience of standing amidst the somber silence of the Douaumont Cemetery and Ossuary at the Verdun Battlefield had a lasting impact on me. It was there, among the rows of white crosses and the memories of countless brave souls, that I felt a deep connection to history and the sacrifices made. Since then, collecting these medals has become a way for me to honor and remember the courage and resilience of those who fought in one of humanity's darkest times.

 

Sports Memorabilia

After seeing a good friend wearing a jacket adorned with embroidered patches from Negro League teams, I became fascinated and determined to learn more. Since then, I’ve been collecting these patches individually and reading up on these remarkable baseball players and their teams. I also enjoy locating the sites of the old ballfields where they played, many of which have been lost to development. Fortunately, there is one very close to where I live, which is beautifully maintained by our city. This ongoing journey has deepened my appreciation for the rich history and enduring legacy of the Negro Leagues.

Lastly But Not Leastly

Visiting Starbucks brings back fond memories. My dear wife and I had our first date at the Baltimore Museum of Art, followed by a visit to a local Starbucks. I have always admired the artwork used on Starbucks packaging and, consequently, have accumulated a rather large collection of Starbucks labels.

Thank you for visiting my post. I invite you to share your collections with us.

 

 

Edited December 10, 2024 by LONGINUS

[seth77]

Nike AirMax sneakers and bladed weapons, especially those with a tanto tip.

[kirispupis]

I used to have a number of collections. They have slowly diminished with years of marriage. 🙂

1. Space Patches. I was very much into space as a kid. I spent a week at Space Academy in Huntsville and I had all the patches from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and the shuttle missions up to a point.
2. Biersteine. I accumulated about 100 of these when I lived in Germany. It was the first collection to go.
3. Stamps. I'm in the process of selling my collection now. I initially tried to collect every country in the world, then focused on the 15 Soviet Republics.
4. Antique Firecracker packs. Here's a group photo of the more valuable ones before I sold them to fund my ancient coins:

However, although I focus primarily on ancient coins now, I still have multiple collections.

1. People of Philip II, Alexander III, and the Era of the Diadochi. This was my first focus.
2. Cities of Philip II, Alexander III, and the Era of the Diadochi. This was the next natural progression, though I no longer scope it to the 4th century BCE or the areas Alexander controlled.
3. Kingdoms after Alexander. Another natural progression.
4. Romans. Yeah, it's difficult not to pick up at least a few of those pests.
5. Xenophon's 10,000. I liked the book.
6. Thracians. I find the history interesting and my great-grandfather was born in Bulgaria.
7. Koinon of Macedon. Another progression from Alexander.
8. Copies of Ancient Sculptures. My newest collection.

[Kali]

Besides coins. I also collect old hollywood and modern autographs. Sometimes I dabble in stamps and fossils too.

[ominus1]

...haha....you KNOW it D Ray my Friend!...my abode is a museum...:)

[panzerman]

I used to collect stamps issued when they were still engraved. 1840-1965

Had a super coll. of butterflies/ moths/ beetles.

Still have fossils/ minerals

Still have militaria (German)

My favorite was/ always will be coins😎

Still have all my coins/ even ones from when I was starting circa 8 yrs old. (Canadian Large Cents/ Tokens too $1 Silver Dollars) Started collecting (what was I thinking) FM sets/ Modern Proof Sets/ Coins)

Then got a Auction catalogue from NFA and I was enlightened/ after winning a number of their coins/ started getting Tkalec catalogues/ then Stacks/ Paramount/ I was in Heaven. Now I get free catalgues from 50+ auction houses. Have a library now.

[Hrefn]

I became aware of the rising price of silver when, as a coin collector, I realized there were silver coins being sold for less than their value as bullion, as the Hunt brothers attempted to corner the silver market in 1979-80.  From there it was a short leap to see silver articles in antique shops selling for less than their melt value.  Soon, I became more discriminating in my purchasing, trying to buy silver with some historical or artistic value.  Most people were concerned only with the quantity of silver in an article, with little to no interest in quality, design, or maker, since the bulk of articles on the market were destined to be melted.  

I educated myself on assayers’ marks, makers’ marks, and national standards of silver fineness.   Despite being a penurious student, I was able to preserve some interesting silver pieces from the refiner’s fires.  The price of silver crashed when the US government changed the rules on the commodities exchange, allowing contracts for silver delivery to be settled in cash rather than delivery of actual silver.  This bankrupted the Hunt brothers.  I had no intention of melting my salvaged treasures, so I was not adversely affected.   

With silver less expensive, I was able to use my newly acquired knowledge to buy small silver articles from time to time.  The photo above shows on the left a hand-hammered silver bowl made in 1929 by A. E. Jones, a very talented British Arts and Crafts era silversmith.  He was a member of the Birmingham Guild of Handicraft, whose motto was “by hammer and by hand.”  

https://www.edinburghsilver.co/blog/a-e-jones-a-master-silversmith/

The middle article is a small one-handled porringer by the silversmith George Christian Gebelein.  He was born in Bavaria but grew up in the United States and worked mainly in Boston.  He worked for Tiffany for a time, was heavily influenced by ideas of the Arts and Crafts movement, and was a member of the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts.  He also became an expert on American colonial silver, and many of his pieces emulate early American forms, as this porringer does.  Although a colonial smith would not have the detail of the Mayflower on the handle, it is Gebelein’s homage to Boston’s colonial past.  Gebelein died in 1945 after a very long career, and with his passing the last hand-crafted silver shop in Boston also closed.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gebelein_Silversmiths

The last piece is modeled on a quaich, a Scottish two-handled drinking vessel, but is clearly not intended to be used as such given the perforated design of the upper border.  It carries the hallmark of Elkington and Co., and a letter date of 1912.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elkington_%26_Co.

However, it is clearly also the work of A. E. Jones.  It even bears his model number 491 on the bottom.  The fox and grapes handle is his design.  I believe Jones retailed some of his work through Elkington, which was a large and well established firm In Birmingham, and they had it assayed under their own name.  

Another Arts and Crafts silversmith whose work appeals to me is Charles Edwards.  The small cream pitcher in the foreground and the one on the left carry his maker’s mark, but the left one also is marked Mappin and Webb, a large well-established silver retailer.  The largest pitcher made in 1932 is marked Mappin and Webb only, and lacks Charles Edwards’ mark.  The hammer marks are much less delicate, and the fabric of the piece is very thick.  It weighs over 9 Troy ounces, heavy enough to be a murder weapon in an Agatha Christie mystery novel.   I can’t decide if Charles Edwards made it, or Mappin and Webb produced it in-house using their own silversmiths.  

More silver:

In Europe it was a custom to give a gift on the occasion of a child’s baptism or christening.  For those who could afford it, a piece of silver  was frequently chosen.  In Northern Europe toward the end of the 19th century, silversmiths in Denmark and Norway seem to have been very active in supplying this market.  The Classicism which dominated earlier 19th century silversmithing gave way to Romanticism, with revival and straightforward imitation of late Medieval silver, often with religious motifs.  At the same time, more original work using Viking and Pagan imagery (called Dragestil, literally dragon-style) was produced.  This continued into the first few decades of the 20th century before George Jensen’s innovations dominated the market for silver.  

Many talented silversmiths such as Peter Hertz, David Andersen, Marius Hammer, Magnus Aase, and others were involved. The production of these objects required a lot of handwork.  Personally, I find them much more interesting than the rather cold and streamlined Scandinavian style that eventually succeeded them.  

The spoons above are usually called baptismal spoons although I doubt they all served that purpose.  They seem to be a continuation of the tradition of apostle spoons, but only one of the spoons above even has a saint as a finial.  (That is Saint Christopher on the rightmost spoon, bottom row.)  And I think apostle spoons were long out of fashion.  Some of them may have been marriage gifts.  If anyone knows anything about the customs associated with these objects I would be very interested to know more.