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What else do you collect?


Ballblaɀer

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Just wondering what non-gaming / non-Atari things you fine folks collect.  Collecting *anything* can be fun and rewarding.  For me, I enjoy the thrill of finding something unusual or uncommon, especially if it comes at a bargain price.  And sometimes the effort put into collecting can be beneficial as well -- take, for example, our fossil collection.  These were all hand-collected by me and my wife over the course of a few years:

 

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There's a LOT of walking, and bending, and long-term *patience* involved in finding nice specimens -- after all, most days you find nothing to write home about.  Anyway, sure, it's not the same as doing something legit athletic, but there's also a level of pride that comes with putting in the effort and hours to hunt.  You develop an eye for spotting things after you do it for a while, and you end up learning a lot at the same time.

 

Since there's nothing in the photo to show scale, here are two of the larger fossil shark teeth next to a USA penny (0.75" / 19mm diameter):

 

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Another more recent collection we've started is uranium glass.  The look of uranium glass being lit by a true black light is like nothing else you've ever seen:

 

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We're trying very hard to stick to collecting Art Deco-styled glass only, but the stuff is so damn cool that it can be really hard to pass up an amazing deal -- sometimes the thrift/flea/yard seller doesn't even know what they have.  The collection is already at least twice the size of what's in the photo; any more and we'll need to expand the display shelf!

 

So, what interesting things do you collect?

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Wow, uranium glass is amazing! So cool!

I collect lots of things. :)

 

Typical, non-surprising stuff.

 

  • Star Wars figures, vintage & modern. I'm far from a completionist & I've found myself becoming more & more selective as I've grown older & poorer. I'll probably have to sell off some of my collections someday.
  • Funko Pop! figures. Again, I've become more selective over time (this has only been going on for about a year but I have nearly 100) and I'm not buying them as much as I did even a few months ago
  • Baseball cards. This was a huge thing for me in the mid-80s and I've now focused my collection solely on Mets Topps base cards for each year. Much cheaper this way, although I have a few expensive holes to fill
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  • Baseball cards. This was a huge thing for me in the mid-80s and I've now focused my collection solely on Mets Topps base cards for each year. Much cheaper this way, although I have a few expensive holes to fill

 

Mets?  BOOOOOOO!  That now out of the way, if you have a want-list feel free to send it my way.  I have a ton of baseball cards, especially for the years between 1988 and 1994.  I realize those are essentially the most overproduced years of all, but I would certainly take a look and see if there's anything I have that you need.  I have little to no attachment to most of them!

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I have a modest bobblehead collection.  Mostly obscure ones and Portland Trailblazers.  For example, I have one of Phil Knight, founder of Nike. 

 

And also old electronics.  Calculators, handheld games, Pong machines.  Older the better. 

 

And books.  Anything related to TV production (especially Star Trek TOS) and Disney. 

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Mets?  BOOOOOOO!  That now out of the way, if you have a want-list feel free to send it my way.  I have a ton of baseball cards, especially for the years between 1988 and 1994.  I realize those are essentially the most overproduced years of all, but I would certainly take a look and see if there's anything I have that you need.  I have little to no attachment to most of them!

 

B)

 

Much appreciated but all of my needs are from '62-'71. 

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Is it radioactive at all? 

 

Yes... but not really.  The majority of pieces will barely register on a geiger counter -- most will only emit a few times more radiation than the background level your body absorbs just by existing on Earth.  It's recommended not to eat/drink from uranium glass (leeching is a possibility), or to grind it into powder you could accidentally inhale/ingest, etc.  But that isn't because of radioactivity -- it's because uranium itself is toxic.  Anyway, yeah, you'd probably get a bigger dose of radiation from eating a banana (potassium) or by taking an international flight than from handling uranium glass.  The UV tube we use to light the glass may be more dangerous!

 

Uranium's radioactivity is not what causes the glass to fluoresce.  Ultraviolet light excites electrons in uranium atoms to a higher, unstable energy state, and as they return to the lower energy state they emit photons at a wavelength longer than UV (i.e. the green glow).  Some other elemental compounds react similarly -- glass containing manganese or cadmium for example.

 

It's surprising just how much of the stuff is floating around out there.  I keep a pocket UV flashlight in my car's glove compartment -- we've found pieces everywhere from antique shops all the way down to Value Village and thrift/junk stores.  We'll probably never come across an affordable uranium glass chandelier, though...

 

Edited to add: this chart.  If you were to sleep with your uranium glass every night, you'd still absorb way less than µ40 Sv in a night.  So, you know... don't sleep with it every night and you'll be a-okay.  Just keep it to the weekends!

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I collect vw Hotwheels, Johnny Lightning, Matchbox basically anything brand that are vw and mostly the aircooled.  I have quite a lot of them, but they are still in cases mounted on the wall in the house I lived in 2 houses ago.  Hopefully I get them soon and find a place to display them (may have to be in the garage.)  

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I typically don't do a lot of long term collecting, but short term where I collect for a while, then sell it to start something new.

 

Right now I'm collecting:

 

Basic Hot Wheels based on TV shows and Movies (Batman, Star Trek and so on)

 

Marvel GI Joe Comics

 

Uncle Johns Bathroom Readers 

The No Swear Gamer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtJuo040EOCTVziObIgVcg

Host of The Atari 7800 Game by Game Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and YouTube

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I collect books, stamps, coins, lapel pins, vintage toys, Marx toys, Hot Wheels cars, vintage G.I.Joes, Kenner/Hasbro Star Wars toys, View-Master, World's Fair memorabilia, Teddy bears and other stuffed animals, Dept. 56 Christmas Village, vintage Fisher-Price Little People toys, keychains... I think that's about it.

"I'd buy that for a dollar!" -Smash T.V.

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Right now I am collecting VHS and LD movies, on the lookout for an RCA Videodisc Player SJT model, and music of vinyl, 8-track, cassette, and CD formats. I prefer physical media over digital downloads of music and movies. Someday I hope to own a minidisc player/recorder.

Do you need a LaserDisc "Bambi"?  I have one if you do. 

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I like to collect all sorts of different things!

Since I come from two separate backgrounds (Animation and Computer Science), I kind of mish-mosh what I collect...

 

1. I have a camera collection, from vacuum tube cameras to medium format and 35mm cameras.  My oldest is from 1909 and still works!

Cameras

 

More Cameras

 

2.  I collect a lot of vintage computers, from Apple II, Apple S/E, Amiga, Commodore, etc...

Vintage Macintosh Computers

 

3. I collect a ton of animated films on different mediums! I have old Disney films on super 8mm / 8mm, 16mm and 35mm, I also have a huge collection of a completely dead format called SelectaVision or CEDs.  Which is basically home video on records!  They predate VHS I believe. I have a ton of animated films, Disney films and rare finds in this collection

CEDs and Player

Winnie the Pooh on CED

Star Wars on CED

More CEDs

Even more CEDs

 
4. I restore and collect (liberally) old stereo amplifiers.  Since they're big, heavy and hard to place in the house, I only have a select few.  I usually restore and sell them afterwards

Innards of a stereo

Restored stereo amp

Close up of restored stereo amp

 
5. One thing that is odd that I like to collect are energy efficient computers and newer ways to use a computer.  The image below is an Intel Compute Stick.  It's a fully featured intel based computer, quadcore, 2GB of RAM and 32GB solid state that uses maybe about 2 watts of power and is slightly larger than a USB stick.  I also use Raspberry Pi a lot.  Sometimes I'm on this forum on a Raspberry Pi.

This is (seriously) a Desktop

 
6. *inhales* LASTLY, I collect animation cells from various shows.  I have some from He-Man, Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, among some Don Bluth and Disney cells, like Snow White, Little Nemo, All Dogs go to Heaven, Sword in the Stone, etc. (These I have no images of because they're in storage...)

 

 

 

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Really cool stuff LimaTek. 

Thanks RickR!

It's just a lot of crap I've collected over the years since I was 18. :)  It's fun to collect stuff, but I don't like hording.  If it's something I no longer use or want, I'll usually sell it or give it away to someone who would want it.

 

I keep telling my wife that someday we need to find a house with a basement so I can turn it into a retro romp room.  Shag carpets, old plaid couch, some lava lamps, wood paneling on just about everything, an old knob television; the works.  Alas, someday...

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I keep telling my wife that someday we need to find a house with a basement so I can turn it into a retro romp room.  Shag carpets, old plaid couch, some lava lamps, wood paneling on just about everything, an old knob television; the works.  Alas, someday...

 

YES!  I have the same dream.  I'll pass on the old TV, but otherwise absolutely. 

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