@Hamamelis posted a new topic, subject "What do you collect?". It read:

   What category of odd, cool little thing just always ends up attracting your hard-earned moneydolars and/or magpie reflex?
    
    For me it's backpacks, usually either vintage or military surplus but there are a hearty number of just good practical bags in there. I don't have too many, somewhere around ten, but it's nice having a way to put stuff into stuff and move it around eh?
    
    My daily is a Tom Bihn Smart Alec, which is an incredibly efficient and well-built cavernous pit that is also tremendously ergonomic (I got mine lightly used, but if you google that and like it but also find the price steep, Patagonia also makes a knock-off of reasonable quality called the Black Hole 25, which REI currently has at clearance prices). I'm also fond of the British WWII rucksack as seen in Dunkirk - once you finagle the straps into working without the full webbing, it is a handy surface to affix patched to and I've even used it as a light travel pack before.

So @robowitch replied

    This is a great topic idea. I'm not much of a collector (combination of stingy and too used to packing things up in smaller containers), but I do like collecting international coins if people have them to offer. I'm not interested in getting them for their own sake, but I like the idea of having a coin that serves as a springboard for “oh, I got this one from my friend, who lives there…” type of conversations.
    
    I do have a fairly large collection of dragon figurines that other people bought me when I was younger because they thought I collected them? It became a self-fulfilling prophecy of “well, they have this many, so they _must_ collect them and would like another”.

Then @Highwire said

    Copious amounts of debt

Then @CaptainMorton said

    Bionicle, yo. I've plenty of snaps of my collection over in the Gunpla and other plastic models thread, but I'll take nay excuse to admire my bionic children. Just some highlights, mind. I'm reorganising them all today and a full rundown would take ages:
    
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    They're super satisfying to build, and unlike other buildable collectables I can constantly pose and re-pose them, so they don't just sit there gathering dust. My favourites are probably the first wave of the short-lived 2015 reboot, the first two pics and the last two pics. Lots of variety in body shapes, and cool Bloodborne style trick weaponry. But the Star Wars ones have been killing it lately. I hope there are more vehicles like the Speeder Bike. The dream would be one of the Fish Headed clones on those mini-walker things.
    
    If only I had the foresight to pick a hobby as useful and cheap as bag collecting.

So @Quartz_Movement replied

    Mugs!
    
    They're a great souvenir from a lot of destinations, but you can also find plenty of interesting examples at yard sales and thrift shops that have weird custom sayings on them, or escaped from a corporate breakroom and have an obscure logo on it.

Then @Metalsnakezero said

    I have a collection of various anime figurines  
    Pokemon plushies  
    Sea shells  
    and Shot glasses

So @eightbitsamurai replied

    I collect international currency as well as tickets and maps from all the places I've been - plane tickets, subway tickets, bus passes, maps of all the above, etc.

To which @2Mello replied

    Rare music and samples, via the Internet (actual crate digging is not affordable or viable for me). I'm approaching a terabyte of rare grooves, drum and instrument samples this year.

After which, @Hamamelis added

    oh dang I didn't even think about international currency, but yeah I totally have a stockpile of that
    
    I also have a ton of Yoshitoshi ABe indie comics, including some of his rarest and a few signed issues. one of the rare doujin authors who doesn't do porn stuff, too, which is neato

So @harpermd replied

    I collect retro games and systems. Though I'm generally interested in systems from the fourth and fifth generations, I'm currently focused mostly on the Nintendo 64. I'm about halfway done with the North American N64 library.
    
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    A small set of my N64 games, which I've put spine art on.
    
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    I made cases for some of the Sega Saturn games I have that didn't come in box.
    
    This also feeds into another hobby of mine, which is repair and modification of older games and systems. I'm absolutely an amateur at modding, but it's been a fun way to develop new skills. Most recently, I installed a backlit screen into my original Game Boy Advance.  
    
    
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To which @Hamamelis replied

    Those spine stickers for the 64 carts look really good, too!

Then @cyberspacecat said

    Nothing really, besides maybe too many sketch books I barely ever fill out.  
    I used to be better at just using the ones I have, but in the last few years I'll be tempted to just purchase new ones whenever I'm around book shops.
    
    It's not really a collection though, so I guess it doesn't apply.

Then @danlur said

    Collecting stuff has been a huge passion of mine for as long as I can remember.
    
    When I was a kid I was way into picking up my favorite Happy Meal toys and Pokemon merch and I think that kind of stuck with me. Then from about my Sophomore year of high school through my first year of college I collected sneakers…and then sold them all.
    
    Now collecting figures is my jam. My collection got started with the original Kid Robot Street Fighter series (as seen in the first pic below) and then grew exponentially when the local Kid Robot store shut down and had a massive sale.
    
    Since then I started collecting Amiibo, Nendoroids and larger Kid Robot figs, as well as game related art.
    
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After which, @Video_Games added

    I collect fashion dolls! Specifically, highly-articulated ones in the ones in the play/“for kids” price range, not the really fancy $100+ ones. If I could afford those, I'd maybe get them, but right now that's just a pipe dream. I started with the Monster High dolls, because the designs were weird and creative, and then I looked at the Ever After High dolls, but now I have a whole bunch of them from various franchises - Barbie, Ai, Lottie, and some weird ones they don't make any more.
    
    Unfortunately, I've had to stop because I don't have the space for them anymore, and might not have any more space in a long time. Furthermore, the new Monster High relaunch dolls lack the charm and creative weirdness of the original dolls, so I don't have any interest in getting them anyway.

To which @polyperco replied

    It's not so much a collection as it is a vice, impulsive thing. But Pokemon cards. I've got 10 or so full 3000 count boxes. Had to get rid of _actual books_ to fit them somewhere. I'm not even particularly big into Pokemon or collecting them for value or anything. It just gives me an excuse to wake up early on the weekends when I've got nothing to do and drive out to garage sales a hundred miles out. Nothing like a nice, quiet morning drive with some misprinted pikachus at the end. Catching up with news on the drive is a plus.

Then @Salarn said

    Mostly just steam games.  
    Gave up physical collections ages ago, due to relocating way to often to hold onto boxes of stuff.

After which, @Glorgu added

    I often feel like I collect boardgames as I don't get to play them nearly as much as I'd like, or at least the heavier ones 
    
    CaptainMorton:
    
    > Bionicle, yo.
    
    This too. Or at least I used too, needed the shelf room for more boardgames! Probably my favorite are the bohrok that I still manage to have:  
    
    
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    Also, that collection is pretty rad!

@anon70989394 replied

    I used to collect books, in particular Arkham editions (Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, etc.) and I almost have a complete collection of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series.
    
    Books really are a wonderful thing to collect–and to read as well obviously–but wow buddy do they take up a lot of space and I had to move across state lines this past year and they made that move all the more difficult, and heavy.

To which @polyperco replied

    I know! I love holding books and the feeling of turning pages (and smelling them like a weirdo), but I recently got myself a Kindle and really haven't looked back. Less eye-strain, more comfortable in bed, super portable. There are still a special few books I've been holding onto and probably will continue to for a heckuva long time, but, hey, the future is now I guess.

Then @fisk0 said

    Synthesizers and drum machines I guess, though a big _collection_ there is about 15-20 instruments, and not in the hundreds/thousands like it is when it comes to my collection of physical video games. I do have almost all the games I feel I need to have though, maybe another 20-30 in total I'd want to own, mostly consisting of From Software's PS1 and PS2 output, so I'm not sure I'd say I'm actively collecting games anymore.  
    Oh, and I collect music too, but that's mostly because it somehow is cheaper and more convient to buy CD, vinyl and cassette releases than downloads of most of what I'm into. I've bought some downloads when it's made economical sense, but as an album on Google Play Music often goes for like 15-20€ in my region and I can get the physical album for less than half of that, I go for the physical release.

After which, @Lamprey added

    i suppose i also collect books though i don't usually think of it that way since i get them to read and not just to look at. my room is completely overflowing with books though. no shelf in the house can hold them all
    
    another thing i collect is…dead things? i have a tupperware container with a dead wasp nest in it and a bunch of assorted bones and stuff. rodent skulls, raccoon skulls, etc. usually my dad finds them and gives them to me
    
    when i was a kid i used to buy practically every dragon toy or figurine i saw and i still have a lot of those so. that too.

To which @_al replied

    It's a small collection because, well, stuff's expensive, but headphones!
    
    Started with the Shure SRH480, those died (twice) and I replaced it with a Sennheiser HD518. At that time I was also using Xiaomi Gen 2 Pistons for in-ears.
    
    Eventually I wanted more from my setup, though. I remember demoing the Sennheiser HD800 when I was in the store buying my HD518 and being blown away (price gap of about $1100 here).
    
    First I got a DragonFly DAC from Audioquest to help remedy the EFI issues my PC case was causing at the time, and then came the first big purchase, the HiFiMAN HE-400i. Being planar magnetics, the minor amperage from the DragonFly wasn't enough to drive them, so I also bought an O2 headphone amp. Then it was time to replace the Pistons, so I picked up the Shure SE215.
    
    I figured I'd be set for a long time, but I've kind of got the bug now. The AudioQuest NightHawk had its prices slashed on sales to clear stock before the NightOwl came out, and I couldn't resist getting it. Its coloured approached is a great compliment to the 400i's fairly neutral profile. They are also easily the comfiest headphones I've ever worn.
    
    The most recent purchase was the Noble X universal IEM, which I've been enjoying. I'm still using the SE215s when I'm moving around, and then the Noble X are for my phall@example.com. They're also super comfy and I can leave them in for hours at a time with no issue. Now the issue is that I'm finding they're quite sibilant, and it's especially apparent with certain genres (baroque pop, I'm looking at you!).
    
    The next thing to get would be a portable headphone amp to help balance them out a bit, but then I'm having to charge and lug that around with my phone all the time. Apparently they're better if you use the Lightning cable since it's able to drive them a bit better, but I don't have an iPhone.
    
    @Glorgu Are you using the DT 1990 PRO w/ a Magni? How do you like them?

After which, @Glorgu added

    Oh hey! Good catch, I am using that! I only got the 1990's last week, but so far I'm absolutely smitten. I need some more time with them but I'm really happy with the purchase so far. Probably the biggest surprise to me was the bass. These aren't for bassheads by any means, but it is so precise yet present, it is impeccably good. Not to mention, the build quality of the 1990's is insane! Honestly they're everything I want out of a headphone.
    
    As for the magni, I'm not in love with it. It's cheap and good for what I needed for my setup at home (an amp to connect to my soundcard), but at work I have a jds element and that thing is something else entirely. If I could go back in time, I'd get the O2 over the magni, as the build quality seems better. As for portable amps, I don't have any, but given my experience with jds, I'd say look at the cMoyBB? It looks promising to me anyways.
    
    As for myself, I'm starting to get the bug again. I currently have the 1990's, HD 650's, and the k7XX's but I'm thinking about selling the latter two and getting another pair and sticking with two pairs. I've been looking at irresponsibly pricey headphones too. I really got to go out there and try some pairs out. It doesn't help that I really hate Hotel California though

@coaxmetal replied

    I dont have many because they are expensive but im into watches, esp mechanical ones. My nicest/most expensive is an Omega Speedmaster Pro, aka the moonwatch (so named as it is the watch NASA approved for EVA use and was issued to astronauts and used on the moon, though it isnt the only watch that has been used on the moon)

After which, @_al added

    Glorgu:
    
    > As for portable amps, I don't have any, but given my experience with jds, I'd say look at the cMoyBB?
    
    That's a good thought. I'd be comfortable just leaving a cMoy at my desk, so I could just get the standard version instead of the rechargeable one. I'm definitely envious of your Element!
    
    What are the more expensive sets you're looking at? End-game for me would probably be the Audeze LCD-X, or the MrSpeakers Ether Flow. I'd love to try the Focal Utopia if I can find a local place that demos them ( _way_ too expensive to ever buy).

So @Glorgu replied

    The element is so good! For the life of me, I can't figure out why no other amp has copied it's gigantic volume knob. That alone is amazing.
    
    I haven't made a serious search of endgame headphones, but I really like what I've been hearing about the Focal Elear's. That'd probably be what I'd get ultimately, but I'd also want to hear the HD 800 S, the LCD-2/X and the hifiman edition X'. Though I worry about the build quality of both of those due to the companies reputation respectively. Chances are I'm probably going to stick with the DT 1990's and 650's for a while though and sell the k7XX's. For the time being it seems that the 1990's will be perfect for recording and mixing, and I've been enjoying using the phall@example.com.
    
    And yes, I really want to try the Utopia! Though I kinda hate the way they look and good places to try headphones are few and far between where I live.
    
    EDIT: **Just in case anyone's reading this and curious about headphones** , if you're just looking for a good pair that isn't super expensive, I used the **Sennheiser HD 558's** for years and they are great. If you're coming off pack-in headphones with your phone, or even bose headphones, you'll be impressed by the sound. They are GREAT for gaming and sound good with almost all kinds of music. They don't isolate sound however, if that's what you want, look into the Audio-Technica ATH-M40x

To which @_al replied

    Glorgu:
    
    > Though I worry about the build quality of both of those due to the companies reputation respectively.
    
    Yeah, that's what worries me the most about the LCD-X - Audeze doesn't seem to have the best track record.
    
    I've had so many QC issues with my HE-400i that I really can't see myself buying another HiFiMAN set. Original pads fell apart in 8 months (split at the seams), plus the left driver was buzzing at volumes >75db. They did a warranty replacement (no charge, but shipping was something like $50), and after about a month I got them back with new pads and the driver fixed. Those pads then fell apart in 8 months again, the cable died, and now the right driver is having the same issue, but the warranty was only good for 1 year. I only use them at my desk, and I keep them on a headphone stand when I'm not using them, so it's not like they're being roughhoused.

After which, @Glorgu added

    ooof. That sounds like an ordeal. Part of what convinced me to get the beyerdynamic's was all the reports of how well built they were. That and since they finally use a replaceable cable convinced me to get them over anything else in the price range. And with anything more expensive, the idea of having to deal with support more than maybe once if at all seems like such a pain! I was actually considering the Nighthawks when I got the 1990's though. How do they seem build-wise?

To which @_al replied

    The NightHawks have been great! I love how they look, the headband automatically adjusts to your head, and the pads are super comfy. I'm always a little worried about scuffing the rings on the outsides of the cups, but I've had them for almost a year now and they look brand new.
    
    Absolutely zero issues with them so far. They do have a dark sound signature though, so it's one I'd be hard pressed to recommend to people if they couldn't try them first. They're not able to cover quite as many genres as the HE-400i, but I feel like they really excel in instrumental music, which is what I listen to the most.

To which @Moom replied

    I collect a couple of things: hats, “bad” t shirts, bow ties which aren't super impressive but the collection that I am most proud of is by far my mask collection from all the different places I've lived in & visited.
    
    Pictures is the incomplete collection after I got to hang them for the first time.
    
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    The big one was a gift from a family friend in Brazil & I have no idea how much it costs but I'm afraid to find out.
    
    Then I got my Lucha masks which I know aren't the best quality but I like em either way.
    
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To which @Rama replied

    I collect Funko Pops (well, we collect them as a couple with my fiancée) and general nerdy toys (plushies, statues, etc).
    
    I may just start collecting action figures though, I just got this beauty and I fear it's started me down a dark path…
    
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After which, @SlickButter added

    I think I collect controllers, but not intentionally to make a collection. I really wish I had a NEO-GEO pad, and/or the PS2/PS3 NEO-GEO-styled controllers. They rare and usually very expensive.

To which @Halleluwah replied

    I collect promotional music cds. Most of the ones I have right now aren't super rare, but I like the packaging many of them come in, usually they differ quite a bit from the official album releases which is neat. Most of what I have is 2000's indie-rock/post-rock, some black metal.
    
    Also collect vinyl but it's a slow process.

After which, @videodante added

    Recently: Film cameras. Scouring thrift stores for cameras is so easy and always so tempting. I don't even know WHY i do it exactly, I have plenty of serviceable film cameras at this point (including a Canon EOS Rebel, which has basically all the capabilities of a modern DSLR but shoots on film). There's something wonderfully mechanical about the 70s-90s film cameras that is just wonderful to me.
    
    My faves (sorry, no pictures on this device of 'em) are the aforementioned Canon Rebel, a Nikon One-Touch from the mid-80s that I love the simple design of, an Exakta SLR from East Germany, and a Minolta SLR that was the first autofocusing SLR ever made.
    
    I also like digital cameras, obv, but it's much harder to find good ones at thrift stores. Most of them I run across are from the kind of garbage early-DSLR era, and can be found online for way cheaper anyway. But film cameras? They're great and often extremely plentiful.

To which @Concrete replied

    I collect Funko Pops but I have hit a pause. In May I moved in with my fiance, then girlfriend. After a month I realized I can't buy any more until I find a new way to display them. Right now they are in our bedroom which…not the best place for them since I have an office that we share that is also part closet.
    
    They are cheap, look cute, and remind me of things I like. They aren't the “best” figures but they are good enough. I saw a Link Nendoroid that looked awesome but my fiance saw the price and there was no way of getting it without taking a few L's down the line. Wish those were cheaper.

Then @Jed said

    Tears of gamers and also amiibo.

After which, @BernardKromwall added

    I collect records, but that's not really an odd, cool little thing.
    
    I guess I would go with beer caps. It started out as a way to track all of the deliciousness I try, but now I'm into making magnets out of 'em.

@elmorales94 replied

    Mostly pretty standard stuff: ticket stubs from every film I've seen in the last 15 years and caps from every bottled drink I've personally drank in the last six years. The weirdest things I collect are six-pack cases, but I keep those for display purposes (I want to have a full wall-sized collage of them once I've got my own place.

@JCrawford replied

    I was once tipped this Vatican 50 cent coin and when i looked it up it was worth, like, three euros or something in online sales. Kinda borked my head how money can be worth more than what it was made to be.

@peter replied

    Hobby Board Games. I have over 200.

Then @icecream said

    For a long time it was DVDs/BluRays, until I started having less money and netflix became a thing in Canada (much later than in the US). Now I mainly occasionally grab a Gunpla, mainly HG because I am not phall@example.com.

After which, @Tribal_Cult added

    Videogames of course, especially Nintendo related.  
    Empty bottles of different brands of gin.

Then @Muntic0re said

    i collect coins from different countries and books

To which @Velocirapture replied

    I collect Lego. I've gotten to the point in which I have so many big sets still in their box that I feel weird to open them. I may need to sell them on. Luckily, even Lego sets a few years old seem to sell for quite a lot of money… Just not selling the Millennium Falcon… Or the MOCs. Or the UCS Tumbler… Maybe the Star Destroyer can go…

So @jaivioxford replied

    Interesting topic. I am not much of a collector but I do like collecting Shopping bags.

To which @TalonLardner replied

    My partner collects vacuum cleaners, we have various Kirbys, Royals, even two cleaners from the 1920s. He loves cleaning and fixing them up, though he does hate Dyson for some reason.
    
    Myself, I collect license plates, and used to collect games but I got sick of dealing with temperamental aging electronics and my area having a collector whom sucks the local thrift stores dry of anything reasonably priced. I have started collecting vinyl, though on a budget.

Then @Tolinky said

    I'm not like a “collector” per se but I do have a large-ish collection of story focused RPGs (Just over 30). I like that they cover a huge breadth of stories and genres so kind of have a mission to cover every possible genre or big touchstone somebody could phall@example.com. Mostly digital because I like them being searchable but if I feel like treating myself I'll splash out on a fancy physical edition (Zombie World, Dialect and (especially) Fall of Magic really take the cake for excessively luxurious physical editions)
    
    Because I have ADD too and RPGs are something I can really Hyperfocus on I almost find that having a theoretical campaign in my head to “prepare” for unlocks something and lets me enjoy media and activities that I wouldn't usually appreciate a lot more.

Then @SuperBiasedGary said

    Unplayed video games.

So @SuperMe replied

    I think I like the idea of collecting something more than actually doing it. My mum has a small collection of silver spoons and my dad has a small collection of model cars (and they have my aunt's keyring collection in their garage, and will probably inherit my grandmother's thimbles) - I made a brief effort when I was younger to collect stamps but I never really figured out how you actually go about doing that (I guess I'd just look online now! huh)
    
    My boyfriend and I have, I guess, started a collection of Things With The Town Name On from places we go on holiday. so far this is one coaster and one tea-towel, but hopefully we'll add to it sooner rather than later.

To which @miscu replied

    I've picked up a ton of plushies from stores and conventions over the years. I can't get enough of them.
    
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    Also, ever since a Japanese book store chain opened a location here in town, I've started collecting art books for films, movies, and animation. They're great, but wicked expensive (and were a pain to lug around in my move last month).

After which, @zari added

    Aside from Steam games I'll never play (I don't think that counts…), I do collect enamel/lapel pins, but only of stuff that i'm involved with (like, a bunch of Final Fantasy pins for instance). The amount of jackets I own is bordering on a “collection,” but luckily that gives me a good place to display said collection of lapel/enamel pins!  
    
    
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So @Geminiking3 replied

    I pretty recently started a pin collection!
    
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Then @phogan said

    I went through a phase of collecting physical fan zines, mostly bought online, but a few picked up at indie comics shows like SPX.
    
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    I realized I shouldn't have included the Rose of Winter one since that one is actually official and canon.
    
    I took a break for a while after I had lost my last job, I should get back into it now that I'm employed again.

To which @DarthTythus replied

    Intentionally? Magic, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Unintentionally? Headsets.

So @Wizard_in_Space replied

    Not really very strange, but I love to collect coins from different countries! I feel like it's like having little pieces of history from all over the world.

Then @Geminiking3 said

    Those look super cool


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