Nov 30 2006
What Do You Collect?
About the only things I collect are turtles. Or, rather, inanimate representations of them. I don’t know exactly when it started, but I suspect it was when as a teenager I accidentally drove over a turtle and heard the crunch. Family and friends over the years have grabbed unique turtles for me when out of state and out of the country. I have wooden turtles, stone turtles, and turtles stuffed with foam or foam pellets. I have a multicolor turtle candle handmade by a girl I worked with in college.
My inclination toward collecting reptiles among the oldest on Earth led me to learn more about another hobby than I ever thought I could, and perhaps more than I should.
A co-worker familiar with my fondness for the cold-blooded, armored quadrupeds showed me a new sea turtle stamp sheet. It featured a beautifully rendered sea turtle, its shell a picture comprised of four stamps. There’s a different turtle on each, two in the ocean, two on the beach.
Until that day, all I knew about postage stamp art I learned from Frances McDormand’s husband in Fargo. He anxiously awaits a decision on the use of his duck painting for a U.S. stamp. I won’t spoil it for anybody who hasn’t seen the movie.
Thanks to that co-worker and a little independent Internet research, the shroud of mystery surrounding stamp collecting has begun to lift. My natural curiosity and desire to learn allow me to be fascinated by things some folks would find mind-numbingly boring. Some would call this being easily entertained, and say it as if it’s a bad thing. I’ve been discussing turtles and stamps, and you’re still here, so I’m seeing this one through to the end.
Where are post offices lucky enough to stock them? The self-governing French Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands. The creator, Carole Murry, coincidentally was the artist for a stamp celebrating the statehood of my birthplace, Arkansas.
The practice of philately (ryhmes with “fnatalie”), or, stamp studying and collecting, is a niche interest with a high geek factor. Contributing to this are its own terminology, tools, and techniques.
Do you know what MNHOG signifies? It’s not a farm animal that says “Oh, ya, let’s go to Mall of America.” It means “mint, never hinged, original gum.” (Ooohhh, mint gum). Although MNHOG is desirable to many, there is a division here that apparently can cause rifts in the collectors’ groups. On the other side are those who value a canceled stamp — one that bears a telltale tattoo proving it has run its course. I’m pretty sure the time-space continuum will remain undisturbed if a winner is never declared.
Besides this age-old argument of new vs. used, there are other politics at play. Local chapters of stamp collecting societies see members battle for leadership positions while constantly searching for younger enthusiasts. One side wants an established member to lead, while the other thinks young blood would revitalize the group.
Who knew it could be so cutthroat?
Adding used stamps to one’s collection involves using a combination of soaking and careful handling with stamp tongs, not to be confused with common household tweezers.
Not up to soaking? Build your own stamp sweatbox. If the stamp doesn’t come off, then at least it’s been spiritually cleansed.
Now, I’m just waiting for actor/director Christopher Guest (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, This is Spinal Tap) to read this and decide it’s time for another film.
I’ve never come close to having a hobby as complex as philately. When I was a kid, I collected pennies. My brother and I looked forward to raiding my grandparents’ basement penny jug. We found steel pennies made during World War II and handfuls of wheat pennies minted in Denver and Philadelphia. No, those aren’t pennies made of wheat. They have a depiction of wheat on the back.
The reporter in me is glad to know a stamphead (my word) because I learned something new. On another level I’m glad because I’ll have a sea turtle stamp from Wallis and Futuna, and you won’t.
Source not linked above:
Stamp Collecting HQ
If you looked at my office at home, you’d think I collect everything.
I’m not totally a pack rat, but I still feel as soon as I throw something away, I’ll need it. *chuckle*
My dad used to collect stamps as a teen I believe… one of us still has his old stamp albums I think. I haven’t seen them in ages.. but they had some pretty cool things in them at one time.
I preferred to live with the illusion that wheat pennies were made of wheat.
And you know, I can’t really claim to collect any one thing. You know, just for the purpose of collecting. Besides, of course, the glass jar full of pinkie fingers from everyone who’s ever made fun of my vestigial tail.
I collected stamps as a kid, I’ve even got one somewhere that’s worth half a penny. Whoo Hoo! Sorry, no upside down reverted airplanes though. Hope everyone gets that. Now I’m in to beer steins and antique hand tools, oh and Bionicles. My parents collect elephants much the way you turtles. Jess collects snow babies and colorful kitchen serving containers.
Dave - Oh, man, I have packrat tendencies. I think my wife thanks her lucky stars (did I just say that?) every day that we’ve moved so much. Tends to keep things cleared out. You should find the stamp album, though. My co-worker here showed us one that obviously took hours and hours to make.
Simon - Yeah, I added that wheat penny clarification for the Canadians and other nationalities represented here. Down here, from childhood we’re taught that a wheat penny is special. It was last produced in 1958, and some are still in circulation.
But, come now, don’t you have a collection of Star Wars stuff? Or just that one special item?
Josh - I’ll have to see those stamps sometime, if you still have them. Bionicles are cool. Shannon collects Snowbabies, too. Can’t wait to compare hers with Jess’ (the Snowbabies, that is).
I do still have a few of my toys from the 80s, but not as many as you’d think. Just one large box of ships and figures. I could probably sell the whole she-bang on eBay for under a grand. Not that I will. When I get an office space of my own in the house, they’re going up on display. Eventually.
I collect crap.
But not wheat penises.
Mark - I don’t really collect things. My wife would disagree since I accumulate “stuff”. But there is a difference between a packrat and a collecter, I think. I store things, I get attached to specific items….but I don’t then go out and amass a collections of similar items.
I have a few choice Star Wars toys from my childhood, but most of them were lost years ago (stored at my Aunt’s house, they were all sold by my cousin for $50 to by a bag of weed…still bitter).
My wife claims to hate collecting…but has a small collection of turtle stuff from her childhood. She has a very cool turtle flute thing from Africa.
Don’t forget our humongous collection of reindeer, dear.
Simon and Moksha - When I sat at my dad’s computer last weekend, in my childhood bedroom, I saw my Boba Fett action figure (original 1980 version) on the shelf, gun in hand. Of course, next to him was a Smurf playing bagpipes (which Smurf was that, Simon?)
MG, your wife digs turtles? Whoo-hoo! Turtle power! One of mine is a small flute-like instrument we got at a Cozymel’s restaurant gift shop.
Alvis - But you have some gems within the crap. I’ve seen them.
Wife - Ah, yes, it’s large. But, that’s not “my” collection. Its ours.
I obviously collect music. And I have a neglected-of-late collection of trinket boxes of all kinds and one of compacts. And women’s hankies. And marbles. Other than those, I collect odds and ends that make me happy. I have a gilt leatherbound copy of Tennyson’s poems from 1830. A really cool green marble lighter, an ancient fountain pen, an Oriental tea set with the litho-pics in the cups, some important copies of Life Magazine and Rolling Stone. I could go on forever but those things came to mind first. I also have every ticket stub from every concert I’ve ever been to and a nude sketch of myself done by a fairly well-known local artist. Shhhhhhhh! In other words, thanks Alvis, crap.
Raindeer, dear? I liked that one Shannon.
I don’t guess I collect anything at all. -A- would suggest that I collect golf clubs, but they’re really just clubs that fall out of favor and end up in the garage.
I’m about halfway through Ret. of the Jedi (DVR’d it), and it’s like watching it for the first time. I don’t even know what’s going to happen next. I think I’d only watched that one once years ago, so it’s fresh. It’s truly sad that the Star Wars saga is complete. Great movies…
Linda - I guess I didn’t think about music as a collection, because it’s such an integral part of my life. Always has been. But, definitely, that’s a collection I would weep over if it suddenly went *poof*.
Charles - That’s great that you’re watching Jedi again. The first step is admitting it publicly. =()