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Starting Out

My collection started with small, random things. I can't actually remember when I started out, but I definitely started when I was a toddler. I recall having a large bag of marbles and a very long chain of rubber bands with different colors. My marble collection ended up on our aquarium and now since we no longer have an aquarium, my marbles disappeared too. I also collected rocks, but for some reason couldn't keep that going. Its probably the lack of space and the infinite variation of rocks.

In college I collected rubber balls. I had them locked up in my room until my niece found them and they're history. I also have a small collection of comic books which I try to keep in mint condition. One of the weirder collection I have is a collection of business replies from different magazines. Its totally weird. When I think about it now, I can't help but wonder why I even took the time to collect those. Other collections I have are old National Geographic magazines, kids encyclopedias, old cameras, pantographs, airbrushes, and small tools most of which I inherited from my late grandfather.

My biggest collection is probably my coin collection. I'm still not done cataloging all the coins and bills I have and I haven't added anything new recently. I have become the numismatist of our family.

I have recently been hooked on mechanical wrist watches. So far I have only come to collect a few. I'm a fan of Japanese brands most especially Seiko and Citizen. I lean more towards the dress watch than sports watch. I have 2 Seiko, and 3 Citizen watches. I have one made in China that's relatively cheap. It works fine so far, but I'm not sure how long it will last. I gave it 6 months. My Seiko watches are over 20 years old and my Citizen watches are over 30 and 50 years old. Yes they are considered vintage but not necessarily desirable as a collectors item. That belongs to brands like, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, JLC, IWC, and the like.

If you want to start collecting stuff, start with whats already in your possession and start with something that interests you. If you do decide to invest in your collection, and money is not an issue, go for the best you can get. But if you are like me, then start with what you can afford and limit your collection to what is feasible for your budget.

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